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Prop success stories

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jsur

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I am looking to hear from those owners that changed props and had a significant improvement in performance. I was on my boat again this weekend and more disappointed than my last time out. 4 average adults 4 small kids, 8 and under barely hitting 34-35 wot with a 225 vmax sho on a 2350 rbr. I am looking for some success stories to give me hope. Although I regret not going with the 250, I still feel like my motor is really underperforming
 
I'm not hijacking your thread, but when anyone asks for help with props, they should post RPM's ,SPEED, and Prop specs for starters. This way anyone trying to help has the info. Maybe put it in your signature.
 
I also need some help .

Mercury  150 mounted top hole 

First prop Enerita 15 X 15  5400 RPM WOT 34 mph

2nd prop Enerita 15.3 X 14 ,barely 5200 RPM WOT 31 mph .

I have tried the Mercury prop selector .The results are all over the place 

http://www.mercurymarine.com/propellers/prop-selector/#
 
I just got off the phone with Mercury .

I was told that it is impossible for the rpm's to drop when the pitch lowered 

Mine did .5400 15 p , barely 5200 14 p

He also told me that the 15 X 15 Enerita is most likely the best prop for my setup .
 
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I have never really worried about propping but am curious as to how trying out props works.  Do dealers let you try out props or do you have to buy them and hope you guessed correctly?
 
I am currently waiting for the dealer to contact me for their next recommendation and try out  ( could be a few days weather related ) .

After speaking to Mercury it sounds like I will be going back to the 15 X 15 Enerita .

Mercury also wants me to check the cavitation plate in relationship to the bottom of the hull .

Looks like I will be getting wet soon , water is still cold 
 
Jack M. said:
I just got off the phone with Mercury .

I was told that it is impossible for the rpm's to drop when the pitch lowered 

Mine did .5400 15 p , barely 5200 14 p

He also told me that the 15 X 15 Enerita is most likely the best prop for my setup .
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That's exactly what I thought when I read your first post.  The 14 should have boosted your RPM's.  What's the maximum WOT for your engine?  I don't know much about Mercury's but the 5400 seems a bit low.
 
I was originally was told 5800 - 6000 rpm 
 
This forum is great because it allows owners of like boats and like power to compare performance and speed results.

If you purchased your boat new, it's your dealer's responsibility to properly setup your motor to the optimal height and with the correct propeller to get the maximum all around performance.  And any good dealer should want your boat to be 'right.'

Mercury powered boats do very well with the Enertia 3 blade stainless propellers--available in 1" pitch increments.  If you were running a F150 Yamaha, I can attest that the OEM Reliance stainless propellers do very well. 

Since you're running a Yamaha 225 hp SHO, you probably should use the Yamaha Series II 15 3/4" 15 pitch propeller which should produce about 43-44 mph @ 6000 rpm's. 

If your boat is not meeting your expectations, take it back to the dealer.  It should be up to him to get the right prop and the right height on the boat.
 
cwag911 said:
I'm not hijacking your thread, but when anyone asks for help with props, they should post RPM's ,SPEED, and Prop specs for starters. This way anyone trying to help has the info. Maybe put it in your signature.
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Sorry about earlier post. Wasn't quite ready to post, but did so inadvertently. I didn't include my numbers because I have posted them in a few other threads. I didn't want to be redundant. Nevertheless, I have the 225 vmax sho on a 2350 rbr. Barely hitting 41 mph at 5400 rpm's with a lighter load. I did speak initially to the prop guy at my dealer and he thought I was ok. I am now going to try to get a hold of the sws II 15.75 inch 15 pitch prop to try. Wish me luck. Also spoke with Ken from prop gods. He thinks I should try a mirage plus 15 pitch. However, he was not certain I would gain any speed. I suppose the reason for this thread was to hear of some real success stories with objective numbers to give me hope instead of only regret.
 
After speaking to the dealer ,I am going back to  my original 15 X 15 Enertia .5400 rpm & 34 mph 
 
jsur said:
Sorry about earlier post. Wasn't quite ready to post, but did so inadvertently. I didn't include my numbers because I have posted them in a few other threads. I didn't want to be redundant. Nevertheless, I have the 225 vmax sho on a 2350 rbr. Barely hitting 41 mph at 5400 rpm's with a lighter load. I did speak initially to the prop guy at my dealer and he thought I was ok. I am now going to try to get a hold of the sws II 15.75 inch 15 pitch prop to try. Wish me luck. Also spoke with Ken from prop gods. He thinks I should try a mirage plus 15 pitch. However, he was not certain I would gain any speed. I suppose the reason for this thread was to hear of some real success stories with objective numbers to give me hope instead of only regret.
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What tube setup do you have and do you have the larger 59-60 gallon in tube fuel cell if you have an ESP? Also do you have a bimini or a tower model and is the bimini open or not?
 
ESP package, regular fuel tank (55 gallon not available on rbr til later this year), standard Bimini open and closed
 
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FWIW when I was testing props, I realized quickly I was very misinformed about how they do this. My dealer/owner has been with Mercury for many years and used to be their regional service rep before that for a long time. They had my boat set up just about perfectly right out of the gate, but being the way I am I wanted to see if there was any more on the table. He came from performance boats (Baja's) so was curious if nothing else as they do sell a lot of pontoons with 150+ engines now.

When I asked about "trial props" from Merc, he said "oh yeah, they used to have a program for that, but in the end it didn't work out so well so they dropped it". Of course, the prop I wanted to try was not a stock prop for them, so the only choice is to order one in. Being the kind of dealer they are, he gladly ordered it at his expense, got it to me in a couple of weeks, and let me try both for a few days. I decided on the new one, so he looked mine over for any damage and took it back, no cost to me. Had it NOT worked out, he would have had to keep it, so I really appreciated what he did, especially since my performance as delivered was VERY good. I ended up gaining about 1.5-2.0 mph or so, but was already in the high 40's so most people would have just left it as is.
 
But some of us are not most people.    :D
 
Im still trying to get better. But my prop has been great thus far. After seeing Toms I think I can do better with an 18p. So I would say my initial set up is a sucess until I find out otherwise.
 
Unfortunately, the Enertia line is one of the few offered in 1 pitch increments to get to 18. Anything else would likely be a custom prop, which gets very expensive very quickly.
 
Jack M. said:
I also need some help .

Mercury  150 mounted top hole 

First prop Enerita 15 X 15  5400 RPM WOT 34 mph

2nd prop Enerita 15.3 X 14 ,barely 5200 RPM WOT 31 mph .

I have tried the Mercury prop selector .The results are all over the place 

http://www.mercurymarine.com/propellers/prop-selector/#
Click to expand...
Was that under the same test conditions?  Mostly wind speed, but also lake chop.  What Mercury told you about how a lower pitch can't drop rpms sounds right to me.  Is it possible you got the numbers mixed up?  Or the props mixed up?  I'm not doubting what you are saying, just saying what you are saying doesn't make sense, so trying to help get to the bottom of it.

Also, were you trimming for max speed?
 
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Conditions were basically the same .

Dealer came out about an hour ago put the 15 X 15 back on .

I also spoke the the tech at the marina while I was waiting for the dealer .

He said the 150 is rated for 5000 - 5800 rpm ,also that it is mounted in the proper hole 

I also have a very heavy boat ,I would also bet that the arch is most likely the weight of an additional person .

But I was correct ,the rpm's did drop with the 15.3 X 14 . 5400 on the 15 X 15 -5200 on the  15.3  X 14 

I noticed too that you have ( and Carl ) have strakes on all 3 tubes .

I am sure that makes a difference .

Trim while testing we tried every increment 

Either way ,we don't tube or ski I can be happy with 34 

kaydano said:
Was that under the same test conditions?  Mostly wind speed, but also lake chop.  What Mercury told you about how a lower pitch can't drop rpms sounds right to me.  Is it possible you got the numbers mixed up?  Or the props mixed up?  I'm not doubting what you are saying, just saying what you are saying doesn't make sense, so trying to help get to the bottom of it.

Also, were you trimming for max speed?
Click to expand...
 
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