2275 RCW with ESP and 250 Verado - Prop Help

[RAF]

Hi All,

I'm a long time boater but new to pontoon boats.  Had my boat for about a month now and love it.  It's a 2275 RCW with ESP, rough water package and running a 250 Merc Verado.  Only disappointment so far is the top end performance.  Dealer installed prop is a 19P Merc Vengeance (3 blade ss).  WOT rpm range for the motor is 5,800 to 6,400 however I can only turn 5,900 with a top speed of 43 mph (not GPS measured) with a very light load, calm water and fully trimmed out.  This is 25% prop slip according to the Merc calculator.  I would have expected 10% to 15% slip and around 46 plus mph.

Was thinking I need to try a lower pitch prop and have read some good things about the merc Enertia prop (3 blade ss) n higher power pontoon boats.  Was thinking of an 18P.  Any thoughts or advice would be appreciated.

Thanks   

 

[BulldogsCadillac]

I scrolled through the "List your specs here" topic and found a few with the same or similar setups to yours. Willb, and LT1GMC, but was looking for TomS because I remembered his being in depth. Here is his setup,

TomS's BOAT:

• Boat Model --------- 2275 RCW Limited
• Model Year --------- 2013
• Tube Option -------- ESP with 55 gallon tank, wave shield, and center storage
• Power Option ------ Mercury Verado 250 Pro
• Prop Specs --------- 3 Blade Mercury Enertia 14 x 19
• Performance ------- 49.4 mph GPS @5800 WOT

25 gallons fuel, 1 person, normal safety gear, anchors, coffee table option, bow filler seat, no coolers, bimini stowed in radar position. Adding heavier up trim will allow revs to ~6100 rpm but there is no more speed gain and porpoising starts. I plan to try the 18p Enertia since the Verado is 6400 rpm max and it really should be propped to spin at least 6000+ at WOT.

Here are the speeds by RPM with fuel flow:

RPM Speed GPH
1000 4.3 1.1
1500 6.3 1.9
2000 8.5 3.2
2500 14.8 4.3
3000 19.7 6.1
3500 25.1 8.1
4000 30.4 10.8
4500 35.7 13.4
5000 39.8 19.1
5500 44.7 25.9
5800 49.4 27.3

0-30 mph ~6.5 sec

***** and then he also switched and tried this setup,

TomS's BOAT (updated 8/5/13):
I went down from a 14 x 19 pitch Enertia in the previous test to a 14.5 x 18 pitch Enertia.

• Boat Model --------- 2275 RCW Limited
• Model Year --------- 2013
• Tube Option -------- ESP with 55 gallon tank, wave shield, and center storage
• Power Option ------ Mercury Verado 250 Pro
• Prop Specs --------- 3 Blade Mercury Enertia 14.5 x 18
• Performance ------- 49.8 mph GPS @6060 WOT

Full tank ~50 gallons (double last time), 1 person, bimini at radar position, light chop and wind. The 18p is much more responsive, better hole shot, and it uses slightly less fuel at midrange. The last 1-2 mph/150 rpm was all from tweaking trim, so 50mph seems reachable after burning off some fuel.

RPM Speed GPH
1000 4.1 1.1
1500 6.0 1.7
2000 8.2 2.7
2500 13.1 4.0
3000 19.2 5.5
3500 24.1 7.4
4000 29.4 9.6
4500 33.6 13.0
5000 38.3 16.6
5500 44.2 20.9
6000 49.3 26.3
6060 49.8 27.0 (WOT)

0-30 mph ~6.0 sec 

The MerMonitor peak speed @rpm screen is very nice for this.
 


Updated 8/18 on a beautiful 80 degree day, though busy, windy, and a bit choppy. Down to 1/2 talk gas but I was able to give the 18 pitch a little more trim bump than with the 19p. I hit 6250 rpm and 50.9 GPS. Very pleased as it has plenty of punch to go with it.
 

Tom is very active on the site, so I'm sure he'll jump in on his thoughts. Hope that helps

 

[TomS]

Russ,

Welcome to CB and congrats on your new boat!

It looks like Derrick gave you most of the detail of my testing. I'm on my second season with the motor well broken in now, and I can still crack 50 mph with just just me onboard and 1/2 tank of fuel, full trim. The Verado does need at least 20 hours before forming any conclusions about prop setup and further testing. One thing to note is where my engine is mounted, so I've added a picture of it here.



I'm not sure it would work on every setup but that's where the dealer put mine and it works great. They have a ton of expertise on fast runabouts (sold a lot of Baja's), so definitely know what they're doing. Fast pontoons, though, are an entirely different breed of cat, and there isn't really much "common knowledge" out there yet. Each one seems unique.

 

I've had no issues with blow out or cavitation beyond what is normal for higher trim settings. I'm very happy with the Enertia 18p on this setup and wouldn't change a thing (well, maybe a jack plate would be nice LOL). The 19p Enertia was ok, but with a substantial load I think it would have really bogged it down. The 18p seems just right, plenty of hole shot too.

Tom

 

[RAF]

Tom,

Thanks for the great info and photo - much appreciated.  I'd be happy with the performance you're getting and will check the engine mounting to see how it compares.  The engine has about 20 hours on it now so I'll probably swap the current prop for a 18P Enertia and test it out soon.  Will post my numbers in the next couple of weeks.

Russ  

 

[Willb]

Tom and I pm a good bit. I would follow his lead. If the dealer is good, they should allow you to swap props.

My boat is longer so I'm not as big of a comparison but with a 15p 250pro hit faster than you. 17p gave me the 50mph but I like to "play" so I'm back to a 16 a looking to lower my engine next.

 

[RAF]

Yes, I think I'll follow Tom's lead here and try the same prop he's using (18P Enertia) and hopefully get similar results.  I'm on a large lake (Okanagan Lake - 60 miles long) so an efficient cruise is important.  I know the motor height is a significant factor and Tom's looks to be mounted on the third hole down.  Mine is on the top hole (motor as low as possible) so I'll check to how it looks in the water at trimmed up cruise speed and if the plates are underwater, I may try raising it a hole or two to see how that changes things.    

Problem now is I'm getting a "Fuel Lift Pump" error.  Motor is cutting out at higher rpm's and seems to be starved for fuel.  So, back to the dealer next week to hopefully get this taken care of and the prop swapped out at the same time.

 

[TomS]

Yes, I think I'll follow Tom's lead here and try the same prop he's using (18P Enertia) and hopefully get similar results.  I'm on a large lake (Okanagan Lake - 60 miles long) so an efficient cruise is important.  I know the motor height is a significant factor and Tom's looks to be mounted on the third hole down.  Mine is on the top hole (motor as low as possible) so I'll check to how it looks in the water at trimmed up cruise speed and if the plates are underwater, I may try raising it a hole or two to see how that changes things.    

Problem now is I'm getting a "Fuel Lift Pump" error.  Motor is cutting out at higher rpm's and seems to be starved for fuel.  So, back to the dealer next week to hopefully get this taken care of and the prop swapped out at the same time.

By the way, since you own a Verado I would VERY highly recommend joining www.veradoclub.com. It is very low on chatter, high on technical content, and monitored by certified Verado techs for paying members. Worth every penny I pay for it.

 

[RAF]

Thanks.  I did join Veradoclub last week. Some great tips and got some good technical info specific to my recent fuel pump problem.  I would highly recommend it to Verado owners as well. 

 

[BulldogsCadillac]

Have you had any Ogo Pogo sightings yet? I bought one in a can about 23 years ago. Only have to wait another 977 years and I should have my very own Ogo Pogo!!! Hehe. Love the Okanagan area, Kelowna as well. Went to Big White and Gallagher's Canyon many years ago. Actually, one of my high school friends lives there now too. And uhhh, yeah, listen to Tom and Will for your motor stuff!(whew, had to get back on topic!)

 

[LT1GMC]

I did back to back testing on my 2574GLi ESP with Verado 250 pro using 16, 17, and 18" Enertia's. The 18 only added .5 mph and reduced rpm to 6050 or so, but was noticably lacking in out of the hole pull compared to the 17". Thats what I ended up with, and can run right at 51-52 in optimal conditions at 6250 rpm.