Back to the main site

Wrong Prop Or Motor Height

L

Landscaper2009

Well-Known Member
Messages
409
Reaction score
175
Location
Queen Creek, Az
Hello everyone. I joined the forum when we purchased our new Benny in June of this year. I have done some posting of pics as well and have had the pleasure of discussions with several great owners on this site. I have now had the boat out probably 6 times and around 20+ hours. I have noticed that I am only getting ablout 5200 rpm @ WOT with 8-11 passengers and around 43 mph depending on water conditions. Everything I have read is suggesting that I should be getting closer to 6000 rpm @ WOT loaded. I called Evinrude and they said either the motor was sitting to high or it was propped incorrectly. I called the dealer that installed the motor as it was different than the dealer where I purchased the boat. Evinrude required the dealer to have a authorized Evinrude dealer install the motor as it was speced for the boat by the manufacturer and not ordered by the dealer where boat was purchased. Hopefully not too confusing but long story short is I called the installer and they told me that the height was set o what the manufaturer (Bennington) told them and they did not provide the prop. I called my dealer and they said bring it in and they will look at the prop and make some calls. I am just trying to be pro-active and see if anyone on here might have knowledge of this boat/ motor combination. I have heard the the Etec motor likes to run high mounted but exactly how do you know whether its the height or the prop. I am new to boating so please bear with me and let me know what info if any will help with my question. I am not sure of the current prop size and could not find it stamped anywhere on the prop. I do know its a Rebel stainless 3 blade prop. Any info or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
 
Well you might be ok as is, 8 to 11 is a pretty big load. Mostly it is all about preference, are you looking for the most power or speed, and is it just 2 of you most of the time or 11 of you most of the time. If you want the most speed with 2 people and your normal gear. Then you would want to be propped around 6000 with 2 people and normal gear, your height is probably ok, but with that setup you will lose speed and rpms with 8 to 11 people. And if you are normally running with 8 to 11 people then you can prop for that load, you will gain some power but not nessasarily gain speed. But with that set up you might be over propped with a light load (2 people let say) and over rev. Hope this helps
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Thank you for the info. Yes we probably run with anywhere from 6-10 people all the time. Not really concerned with more speed or power. The boat seems to be performing on both ends pretty well. My concern is the longevity of the motor and Evinrude says that 5200 rpm is to low.

clrd said:
Well you might be ok as is, 8 to 11 is a pretty big load. Mostly it is all about preference, are you looking for the most power or speed, and is it just 2 of you most of the time or 11 of you most of the time. If you want the most speed with 2 people and your normal gear. Then you would want to be propped around 6000 with 2 people and normal gear, you height is probably ok, but with that setup you will lose speed and rpms with 8 to 11 people. And if you are normally running with 8 to 11 people then you can prop for that load, you will gain some power but not nessasarily gain speed. But with that set up you might be over propped with a light load (2 people let say) and over rev. Hope this helps
Click to expand...
 
You should prop it for the way you are going to use the boat most of the time. Ours is proped for the 2 of us.
 
I have about the same rig as you have but mine is 2014 RL with etec 225HO outboard and 17" Rebel SS prop (see below for features).  With full tank of fuel (54 gal) and two people it's max speed is 46.5 mph @ 5800 RPM.  But with 8 or 9 people that speed goes down dramatically to around 40 mph.

I think you will be pleasantly surprised at what yours will do with only 1 or 2 people on board which is the way most of the published test data is recorded.  If most of your operating is with heavy load as you described, I'd drop the pitch and get the RPM's up in the range specified by Evinrude.  
 
Last edited by a moderator:
cwag911 said:
You should prop it for the way you are going to use the boat most of the time. Ours is proped for the 2 of us.
Click to expand...
Umm..... except that there are 3 of you! ;-)
 
Evinrude states the redlines on the 250 hp HO to be 4900 to 6000 rpm's.  You're at 5200 rpm's, however your 43 mph is not that much less than expected performance.

Most people talking on this forum about about properly propping 4 stroke motors are looking for 6000 rpm's.  That's because 4 strokes rev a little higher than most 2 stroke motors.

You're just a different prop change from getting your boat performing like you would like.
 
TRIM??????  Where are the people sitting?  Are you trimming the motor up when loaded?  When its just my wife and I get my best performance trimmed almost all the way down. This last weekend with 14 people on I trimmed 3/4 way up to get best RPM/Speed performance.  
 
sunnyside360 said:
I have about the same rig as you have but mine is 2014 RL with etec 225HO outboard and 17" Rebel SS prop (see below for features).  With full tank of fuel (54 gal) and two people it's max speed is 46.5 mph @ 5800 RPM.  But with 8 or 9 people that speed goes down dramatically to around 40 mph.

I think you will be pleasantly surprised at what yours will do with only 1 or 2 people on board which is the way most of the published test data is recorded.  If most of your operating is with heavy load as you described, I'd drop the pitch and get the RPM's up in the range specified by Evinrude.  
Click to expand...
I see that you do have almost the exact same rig. Nice boat by the way. I have been out with only 2 people and even up to 5 I am getting about 48 mph. I am definitley happy with performance. I just want to make sure my motor is running at factory reccomendations. Just curious what hole height is your motor mounted? Mine is set the be the lowest in the water and I was thinking about raising one ore two spots.
 
JIm_Andrea said:
TRIM??????  Where are the people sitting?  Are you trimming the motor up when loaded?  When its just my wife and I get my best performance trimmed almost all the way down. This last weekend with 14 people on I trimmed 3/4 way up to get best RPM/Speed performance.  
Click to expand...
The weight is usually pretty even and I allways adjust my trim to get the best speed but just cant get the rpms up.
 
Landscaper2009 said:
I see that you do have almost the exact same rig. Nice boat by the way. I have been out with only 2 people and even up to 5 I am getting about 48 mph. I am definitely happy with performance. I just want to make sure my motor is running at factory recommendations. Just curious what hole height is your motor mounted? Mine is set the be the lowest in the water and I was thinking about raising one ore two spots.
Click to expand...
My 2014 Evinrude etec 225HO has a 25inch shaft but most of the higher HP etec outboards have a 20 inch shaft. Mine is mounted as high as you can mount, ie, bottom holes.  I suspect your etec G2 250HO has a 20 inch shaft so be careful when comparing motor heights.

Just in case you aren't aware, here is some performance test data for your Evinrude etec G2.  Note speed, rpm, prop pitch and hole mounting.     http://www.evinrude.com/en-us/tools/performance-reports-library?engineId=ETEC_250_HO_G2&boatBrandId=&boatTypeId=Pontoon

What prop are you running?  I suspect either a Rebel 18" pitch or Rebel 17" pitch would work well.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
sunnyside360 said:
My 2014 Evinrude etec 225HO has a 25inch shaft but most of the higher HP etec outboards have a 20 inch shaft. Mine is mounted as high as you can mount, ie, bottom holes.  I suspect your etec G2 250HO has a 20 inch shaft so be careful when comparing motor heights.

Just in case you aren't aware, here is some performance test data for your Evinrude etec G2.  Note speed, rpm, prop pitch and hole mounting.     http://www.evinrude.com/en-us/tools/performance-reports-library?engineId=ETEC_250_HO_G2&boatBrandId=&boatTypeId=Pontoon

What prop are you running?  I suspect either a Rebel 18" pitch or Rebel 17" pitch would work well.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the great info. It seems maybe my motor is mounted a little low. Not sure of the prop. It is a Rebel but no stamp or markings noting size or pitch. The guys at the shop are going to pull it and let me know if they find a size marked anywhere.
 
Okay... so here is the latest. I took the boat to the dealer and found out the current prop is Evinrude Rebel 15 3/8 x 18. Instead of changing prop like I requested the just raised the motor one position and told me to let them know how it performed. I took the boat out today and here is what we got.

3 adults, 3 small children

27 gallons of fuel

Water was a little choppy and medium wind

WOT trimmed 100% down = 40 mph@ 5000 RPM

WOT trimmed 50% = 45 mph@ 5200 RPM

These numbers still do not meet mfg. specs. Any suggestions or info would be greatly appreciated. I am attaching the serial number and model number as I thought this info may be helpful.
 
 
My dealer installed an 18" pitch Rebel prop (same as yours) to do the first test run on my new boat.   Only the service tech and myself were on board for the test run with full tank 54+ gallons of fuel and trimmed out at optimum yielded approx 44 mph gps and 5300 rpm.   He felt the rpms were too low so then installed the 17" pitch Rebel prop and that test yielded 46.5 mph gps and 5800 rpms.  That is what is on it now.  I believe my engine with 25" shaft may be mounted too high because the prop will ventilate with little more than 1/4 trim, even worse with 1/4 tank of fuel and light load and/or turning. 

Dropping your prop pitch to 17" will probably put you in the range where you should be.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
sunnyside360 said:
My dealer installed an 18" pitch Rebel prop (same as yours) to do the first test run on my new boat.   Only the service tech and myself were on board for the test run with full tank 54+ gallons of fuel and trimmed out at optimum yielded approx 44 mph gps and 5300 rpm.   He felt the rpms were too low so then installed the 17" pitch Rebel prop and that test yielded 46.5 mph gps and 5800 rpms.  That is what is on it now.  I believe my engine with 25" shaft may be mounted too high because the prop will ventilate with little more than 1/4 trim, even worse with 1/4 tank of fuel and light load and/or turning. 

Dropping your prop pitch to 17" will probably put you in the range where you should be.
Click to expand...
Thank you for that info. I really appreciate it. I will change to a 17  and update.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
sunnyside360 said:
My dealer installed an 18" pitch Rebel prop (same as yours) to do the first test run on my new boat.   Only the service tech and myself were on board for the test run with full tank 54+ gallons of fuel and trimmed out at optimum yielded approx 44 mph gps and 5300 rpm.   He felt the rpms were too low so then installed the 17" pitch Rebel prop and that test yielded 46.5 mph gps and 5800 rpms.  That is what is on it now.  I believe my engine with 25" shaft may be mounted too high because the prop will ventilate with little more than 1/4 trim, even worse with 1/4 tank of fuel and light load and/or turning. 

Dropping your prop pitch to 17" will probably put you in the range where you should be.
Click to expand...
Pontoon boats usually cannot take a lot of trim, not like a bowrider.
 
Hi Landscaper,

  I have a 2012 model 2275 RCW with a 250 H.O. Etec G1. I am currently running a BRP RX4 18 pitch prop and my motor is mounted in the highest hole. My WOT is 5650 and 45mph and I'm able to trim to 50% without blowing out. I previously had the 18 pitch rebel and it would do 42mph, but I could not raise the engine above the third hole since the rebel would lose grip on the water. The dealer originally rigged mine with a 19 pitch Rebel and it would run 49mph, but it would only turn 5400rpms WOT so I went to the Rebel 18. I really like the RX4. It performs better than the Rebel You might want to check it out.

Just some info for you to consider.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top