We started to high jack the "Lets see ur Girlfriends & there rides!!!" thread talking about boats. So thought I'd post a new thread and see if any boaters out there wanted to talk about thier boats and maybe we can help each other out with our boats too.

First: What boat do you have? (Make, Model, Year, Size)
Is it an Outboard or Stern Drive (I/O)?
What size engine?
What do you use it for most? (IE: cruising, water sports, fishing, etc.)

I have a 19', 1976, Marquee, open bow, Stern Drive, all stock 5.0L (302) Mercruiser V8, with an 888 Mercruiser out drive and a 14.5" - 17P ss prop.

It launches out of the hole like a rocket "instant plane". Lifts skiers like they are not even there. But at about 3500 rpm it starts to fall on it's face. Engine is running great it just looses pull then and it tops out at only 4100 rpm at full throttle in the water. "It just has no more pull left."

Does it need more power? (I always need more power but is that why it can't climp past 4100 rpm) Would a new prop fix it? (Apparently the PO ramped this one because it is flat on all three blades) So I am getting a new one this week but I don't know if I should stick to the same size, or try something else with it. Maybe like an ss 14" - 19p ???

 

Someday I will own a 36' or 39' SeaRay Sundancer... I'll use it to cross over to Canadian waters and see hootie-cans exposed.

Which one will depend on the finances more than likely...

 

I can't afford to buy the truck it would take to pull that ^^^^!

 

I remember having 2 different props for a 200 efi Merc outboard on a 18' pro-craft boat. You could really tell a difference in the two. I'm not sure on the specs of the props, but they each worked great in different places. One was for hole-shot and the other was for speed.



I just have a jet ski now (personal watercraft)


Yamaha XL1200. Not bad for now, but would like some more power to propell me past 60mph.

 

I have a 1990 20ft. Bluewater that I use for Wakeboarding.

 

If any of you peeps Wakeboard check out my pics here. http://www.wakepics.com/member/Saltywaltyhttp://www.wakepics.com/member/Saltywalty

 

just wanted to delete my picture...

 

When changing props, please make sure you know what you're getting. Its not just a matter of getting a new one in a different size or material. Most SS props dont come in the same size as aluminum. Theres aome calculations that must be made and you have to know what the optimum WOT RPM is for your engine. Just say your engine is rated for 6000RPM @ WOT, I would prop it close to that but not exactly at 6000 empty. This way, when you load all your gear , beer and friends, the R's will drop a little and you wont be running at the breaking point at all times. This is unless you have a new 4stroke, then prop em right at the top and run the hell out of em. A good rule of thumb is this...for every inch of pitch INCREASE your RPM's will DECREASE by roughly 200rpm, And just the opposite, if you Decrease pitch, you INCREASE rpm by 200rpm. Proping can become somewhat of an art form if you want it to. You really need to decide what you want, hole shot or top end speed. You have to sacrafice one for the other in extremes, or just find the happy medium and go with that, which is what most guys do. Theres a lot to count for, pitch, rake, diameter, slippage. Another thing that may help you is the deffention of pitch...this is the theoretical distance in inches the prop (boat) will move forward in a solid substance. So lets say its a 19Pitch, if you were to screw the prop thru jello it would move 19" in one revolution. Of course water is not a solid, therefore slippage has to be counted for. I could go on, but im affraid my way of explainig this may only confuse you. So instead of me typing more jiberish, I'll enclose a link that should help you out. But first of all, if your prop is as bad as you say it is.. GO GET A NEW ONE!!!! its amazing how much speed you can lose with just one blade being out of whack. Good luck...http://www.fishwis.com/articles/Prop..._right_one.pdf

 

Holy Crap!!! You guys are getting some serious freaking air in some of those! I so have to try that some time! We just tube, knee Board, and ski!

TritonXLT, I'm not sure that qualifies as a "Boat"... I think thats either a Yacht or small ship! LOL
Just kidding you, thats awesome!!! Some day I might have one of those.... definatley will need a bigger truck first! Seriously though first I'll get a bigger power boat than what I have now to play in and I'll need a lot more available time for both of them!

 

Is this you? Pretty sick bro Ive been thinking of gettong into wake boarding myself. We tried it alast year but then had a problem with the boat and never got back into it. Im tring to decide between a ski boat or a fishing boat..HMMMM

 

I was wrong it is not a SS it is currently an aluminum Prop. But yea I'm not sure but I think it's pretty bad...

 

Thas not a prop...thats a paper weight.

Throw that piece of crap out and get a new one

 

Yea I know...

I just bought the boat about 3 weeks ago... Kind of a sad story and trying to help out... Basically I have been the only one using it the last 3 years due to the PO's sons health. It has been slightly negleted but still floats and runs, so shouldn't be to much to get up to par. I spent the first day cleaning and de winterizing it. The next two days tuning it up and running it up and down the lake. 1 day the next week fine tuning it on the lake. Now I can start improving it... Prop is the most immediate "Obviously". Then some rewiring from previous repairs and work arounds to get everything working properly as intended. Next winter we are going to reupholster and add some convience items to it. Probably sale it next spring and upgrade to something newer, bigger, faster, and smoother... But know I don't have to call around to everyone and ask to borrow a boat "if they arent using it" anytime we want to go out....

Edited to add...
I'm going to keep that one around just because. My brother inlaw just moved and there is a nice lake near him that we might go up and play on/ visit him. I will put this one back on until I learn the lake. Just incase I might find something with the prop under the water that I shouldn't. Then I won't tear up my good prop if I do.... LOL

 

I hear ya...good idea. Then once you figure out the lake, put the new one on and see how that boat really performs. Throw that old one and a prop wrench in the boat just in case you find a rock pile with the new one and need to make a change out there to get back to shore.

 

There is two lakes that I am familiar with locally "basically ran on them all my life." I will run a new prop on them and not worry much about it.. I'll see what the boat can do with a new prop soon as it warms up again here. Now that I dewinterized it we are in a freeze warning from midnight until 7:00 am tomarrow morningt.

Hopefully it will be warm enough this weekend and I am going to take it to a mariana that a friend told me about. They let him try a couple of different props out in thier cove and find one he liked. Once I find one I dont mind paying $300-$500 for one that I like... But when I explore new water I can slap the old one "the paper weight" on and if I hit rocks, trees, or anything else who cares? It's definatly not going to hurt it much worse. I would cry if I end up paying couple hundred bucks for one and then thrash it.