A few months back I asked for input on a new prop for my 16' Sylvan Sport Select with a 112 Johnson SPL. I received alot of input for which I was grateful. I just thought I'd give a follow up with what I got and how it performs.
I ended up getting a Turning Point 15 pitch 4 bladed prop. This was down from the 17" Comp Prop I was running.
I also ended up adding a pair of Nauticus Smart tabs; which I run on the #4 slot.
In short, I ended up veering my boat more towards the water tractor trend. I originally wanted a prop that would make my boat faster and harder to overspeed. However, as this summer I found myself towing my son and his buddies on tubes quite a bit more, hole shot became more important to me. I also wanted to see if the trim tabs would help out with porpoising as the way the boat is built most of the weight tends to sit in the back 1/3 of the hull (that's just where storage for people and equipment is).
It works pretty well. The prop itself helps hole shot. It's a ventilated prop, and one thing I noticed was that if I have the vents open I have to open up the throttle just a bit more slowly because the engine will bog a bit otherwise. Close the holes and I can gun it quickly. I figure maybe the old Johnson doesn't like the decrease in backpressure, but that's just a guess.
My top end is down 2 mph or so, but the hole shot is magnificent. When I added the trim tabs it got even better and bow rise is almost non existent. I no longer have to trim the motor down so much towing or just for a loaded hole shot. Gas mileage is about the same, maybe a touch worse.
Porpoising is reduced.... but that's it. I can get rid of it if I stick as many people up front as possible.
One thing I'd like to note is that Turning Point was AWESOME to work with. I originally got a 19 pitch and it was too much. Their customer support said just return the prop, and so long as it isn't damaged or the paint chipped they'll replace it. I cannot recommend them enough. The fear of dropping money on a prop that didn't work really held me back a few years. I'm looking for a new boat now (in addition to mine) and if I need a new prop they'll be my go to.
Thanks!
I ended up getting a Turning Point 15 pitch 4 bladed prop. This was down from the 17" Comp Prop I was running.
I also ended up adding a pair of Nauticus Smart tabs; which I run on the #4 slot.
In short, I ended up veering my boat more towards the water tractor trend. I originally wanted a prop that would make my boat faster and harder to overspeed. However, as this summer I found myself towing my son and his buddies on tubes quite a bit more, hole shot became more important to me. I also wanted to see if the trim tabs would help out with porpoising as the way the boat is built most of the weight tends to sit in the back 1/3 of the hull (that's just where storage for people and equipment is).
It works pretty well. The prop itself helps hole shot. It's a ventilated prop, and one thing I noticed was that if I have the vents open I have to open up the throttle just a bit more slowly because the engine will bog a bit otherwise. Close the holes and I can gun it quickly. I figure maybe the old Johnson doesn't like the decrease in backpressure, but that's just a guess.
My top end is down 2 mph or so, but the hole shot is magnificent. When I added the trim tabs it got even better and bow rise is almost non existent. I no longer have to trim the motor down so much towing or just for a loaded hole shot. Gas mileage is about the same, maybe a touch worse.
Porpoising is reduced.... but that's it. I can get rid of it if I stick as many people up front as possible.
One thing I'd like to note is that Turning Point was AWESOME to work with. I originally got a 19 pitch and it was too much. Their customer support said just return the prop, and so long as it isn't damaged or the paint chipped they'll replace it. I cannot recommend them enough. The fear of dropping money on a prop that didn't work really held me back a few years. I'm looking for a new boat now (in addition to mine) and if I need a new prop they'll be my go to.
Thanks!
