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Prop for 2014 Bennington 2275 RL with Evinrude ETEC 225HO

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sunnyside360

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Just picked up my new 2014 Bennington 2275 RL pontoon boat equipped with new 2014 Evinrude ETEC 225 HO last Saturday.  Boat has ESP package (triple toons, lifting strakes, under deck skin, 50+ gal fuel tank).  It had the Rebel 18" pitch SS prop installed until dealer took me for a test ride and could only achieve 45 mph gps at 5300 rpms.  Dealer tech feels it should perform closer to 50 mph at optimum range of 5500-5700 rpms. So, he replaced the 18" Rebel with a 17" Rebel and we did not have time to do another test run.  The engine is mounted at its highest point, i.e., bottom holes on engine mounting plate.   Dry weight of boat is approx 2870 lbs. 

Got a chance to test with the Rebel 17" prop couple days ago and achieved 45 mph at 5800 rpms on smooth water, near zero wind, 65 deg F, full tank of fuel, and one 225 lbs person on board (me).  Test data indicates speed should be very close to 50 mph at 5800 rpm. 

I'm looking for help/comments/advice on the best prop for optimum performance.  The boat will be used for cruising, skiiing, and tubing with as many as 11 people on board.

 
 
Based on what I've seen posted on this forum your probably at your top speed in the mid 40 mph range. The pitch guys will chime in but your rpm's are close to 6k so it seems like your there. Nice boat by the way and where are the pics to prove it???
 
I would look at the Mercury Enertia and they are also coming out with the ECO series props which have a larger diameter.
 
lakeliving said:
............ and where are the pics to prove it???
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Yep, will do.  Got a couple pics of outside but need to get couple of interior also.  Thanks for info.
 
cwag911 said:
I would look at the Mercury Enertia and they are also coming out with the ECO series props which have a larger diameter.
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Will look into this.  The dealer says he will work with me to get the right prop but that probably won't be until next spring.  I'm afraid cold weather is here to stay for a while.   It's been cold and we had the first snow on the deck this morning. So, I'm just looking for info like this for when the time comes to prop test w/o breaking the bank.  Thanks for info.
 
The ECO's come out in Janurary and they are all 16" diameter.
 
cwag911 said:
The ECO's come out in Janurary and they are all 16" diameter.
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The current prop, Rebel 17"Pitch x 15.5" Dia SS,  doesn't clear by much.   Have to check but might be 1/2" clearance.    
 
I uploaded 4 pics to the Gallery Album called "2014 Bennington 2275 RL".  Will try to show pics here when I figure out how to do it..
 
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I already scoped them out in the gallery. Nice boat and barn there! Are you in MI?
 
lakeliving said:
Are you in MI?
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Thanks.   I'm in central PA just a few miles west of State College.  It's a Morton 42'x72' barn built 2 yrs ago.  Wish I had it long ago.  Need it to store all my toys.  Boat takes up a lot of space.
 
Boat looks great Sunnyside! Congrats!
 
I think you're hitting your top speed. I doubt you'll see 50 with it. My last 200hp 2275RCW was just a shade over 42, my 250 2275RCW Sport Tower hits about 45mph, granted there is a lot of extra weight now. I was most happy when we had 9 people on board and still hit 39mph. You could prop it to have maximum speed, but then you will lose out on hole shot. I love the speed, but speaking realistically, anything over 40 and you create a lot of wind noise and you're having a hard time talking to anyone. Don't get me wrong, I wish I was doing 50 as well, but the only ones I've seen hit 50 are also couple with 250's and the 300 and up. Now that being said, if you can put a bigger motor on the twin elliptical, they will definitely hit 50 easier. I love my ESP and wouldn't trade it for anything. Well, I would trade this one in for another one, but I'd still get ESP is what I mean! :)
 
BulldogsCadillac said:
I think you're hitting your top speed. I doubt you'll see 50 with it. My last 200hp 2275RCW was just a shade over 42, my 250 2275RCW Sport Tower hits about 45mph, granted there is a lot of extra weight now. I was most happy when we had 9 people on board and still hit 39mph. You could prop it to have maximum speed, but then you will lose out on hole shot. I love the speed, but speaking realistically, anything over 40 and you create a lot of wind noise and you're having a hard time talking to anyone. Don't get me wrong, I wish I was doing 50 as well, but the only ones I've seen hit 50 are also couple with 250's and the 300 and up. Now that being said, if you can put a bigger motor on the twin elliptical, they will definitely hit 50 easier. I love my ESP and wouldn't trade it for anything. Well, I would trade this one in for another one, but I'd still get ESP is what I mean! :)
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Thanks for your reply.  You may be right that 45 mph is max this new toon will go with this engine.   One frame of reference is the performance test data available on the Evinrude ETEC website which indicates the ETEC 225HO mounted on 22-24 ft pontoons cranks out 48.5 to 52.7 mph on 8 different pontoons when propped correctly.   I can live with the 45 mph if it's propped correctly for water skiing and tubing with the kids and grand kids. 

Dang, just wish we had some more nice boating weather this Fall.
 
So where do you boat, Raystown ??
 
Well based on that, maybe you can pull a few more mph out of her. Suppose it's worth a shot if your dealer is willing to work with you. 
 
SEMPERFI8387 said:
So where do you boat, Raystown ??
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Yes.  In fact I purchased the new Bennington from Jim's Anchorage near Seven Points on the lake.  We will also boat at Bald Eagle State Park since it is only about half hour away.   We hope to visit Cayuga Lake where we owned a lake cottage for many years when the kids were still at home and I worked and lived in upstate New York. 

Do you boat at Raystown?
 
BulldogsCadillac said:
Well based on that, maybe you can pull a few more mph out of her. Suppose it's worth a shot if your dealer is willing to work with you. 
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No problem with the Bennington dealer.  In fact, the dealership owner called to see if I had a chance to try out the second prop as it started raining right after they installed the 2nd prop and we had to quit.  He told me to come back for more prop testing when the weather is suitable which will probably be next Spring.   Otherwise, I'd be stuck because these SS props are very pricey, e.g., Rebel msrp is over $500 each.
 
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sunnyside360 said:
Do you boat at Raystown?
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No, I wish we could. We have ours at Codorus State park in Hanover, Pa. Someday if we get a trailer (and a bigger motor/20hp restriction) we'd love to come up there. I think it's about 2-1/2-3 hour drive for us. Know lots of people over the years that do Raystown though ....
 
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