4 blade vs 3 blade prop

[sea sea rider]

Running a 1999 222 Fisherman w/2003 Honda 225 4 stroke. boat has a 92 gal main fuel tank aft, 56 gal aux tank under the console. Heavy when both full or near full. Add several or more people and gear, gets pretty heavy. present prop is a 3 blade 15 1/4 x 15 aluminum. Does anyone have any suggestions on how I could improve acceleration to plane, cruise speed etc. Am presently looking into a SS prop, poss. 4 blade?

 

[gwwannabe]

I've just spent 2 months finding the right props for my Gulfstream with twin 140 hp Suzukis. You didn't provide enough info in your post to help very much - need to know what your speed and RPMs are at WOT with full fuel and load. Also speed and RPMs at cruise. Additional info such as speed and RPM to get on plane and speed and RPMs when it falls off plane.

Just going from that aluminum prop to a SS of the same diameter and pitch will change things a lot because a stainless prop will slip far less since it's not as flexible. I suggest you find a prop shop that will work with you so you can try different size props to find the one that works best for you. You need to establish a starting point using a stainless prop so you have numbers to work with. Hopefully others with the same hull/motor combo will post what they're using and their numbers.

A four blade prop slips less than a 3 blade prop so you'll get out of the hole faster and usually cruise a bit faster/more economically, However, you usually lose a bit on the top end. A four bladed prop will also hold better in rough water and tight turns - less cavitation. I went with 4 bladed Power-tec's and they're great but I was greatly restricted because of my motors. You have a much wider choice of prop manufacturers than I had so you should deal with someone who carries a wide range like Propgods.com. Let us know where you're located and we can recommend more local shops.

Gary 93 Gulfstream

 

[sea sea rider]

Thanks, my tach has been broken, picking up a new one Thursday. I think I was running about 5,800 rpm at wot and 4,000 rpm Cruising about 30 mph. I found a local dealer that is going to work with me. Picking up a 4 blade aluminum prop 14 3/4 x 15 to test. I'm in Salem MA. Very High tides recently has caused a lot of submirsed debris which I have hit twice in one week, destroying 2 props, but no other damage. Paertly because if this the Dealer had convinced me to stay with aluminum. Il let you know how I make out.

 

[gwwannabe]

You destroyed 2 props in 1 week? Wow. If you'd had stainless props, it probably would only have been 1 prop because it likely would've damaged the lower unit and kept you out of the water for a while waiting for repairs. Touch decision to have to make but probably the wisest on considering the conditions you're encountering. Maybe you can save your pennies and buy 4-bladed stainless props off ebay over the winter. Usually people get good deals on used props. Then you'd have the best of both worlds. If you decide to do this, seek advice on comparable prop size from knowledgable pros.

Gary 93 Gulfstream

 

[Tuna Man]

I was going to respond and share my experiance, but I realize you are in a very different situation with all that debris in the water. I much prefer stainless to aluminum ninety-nine percent of the time (better acceleration, cruise faster when conditions warrant, use less fuel (sometimes), less likely to get damaged). However, in your case I think aluminum may be the right choice.

 

[sea sea rider]

After test today in rough seas I was pleased with the 4 blade aluminum prop. Hole shot was better, overall control framed to be better, ran 5800 rpm at WOT at 41 mph. Not sure if ant loss at top end, very windy and rough today because of Igor. Was able to get up quickly to WOT in the chop and ride on top----thank God fir SeaV2 hulls! After today's results I'm not sure why I would need to go to SS .

 

[jtsailjt]

You destroyed 2 props in 1 week? Wow. If you'd had stainless props, it probably would only have been 1 prop because it likely would've damaged the lower unit and kept you out of the water for a while waiting for repairs.

Gary 93 Gulfstream

...but only if he had a solid hub stainless prop, and those are getting pretty rare. I have a stainless Mirage 2 and it has a plastic hub (Mercury calls it flo-torque) so if I hit something, the hub is the weak link so will give way long before the lower unit is seriously damaged. The hubs cost about $40 so if you manage to destroy the plastic part, that's what the cost of damages will be, unless you hit something hard enough so your stainless prop also needs to be repaired. But if you hit something that hard, an aluminum prop would be completely shredded.

 

[sea sea rider]

That's interesting, I'll have to look into that SS prop with flo-tourque hub for next season possibly. Maybe I'll be able to borrow a SS prop for testing to see how much, if difference in performance over the aluminum. Thanks to all for the input!