Quote:
Originally Posted by Woodsy
I have to disagree here guys....
1st... No single prop outdrive is going to match the holeshot and mid range performance of duo-prop design.
2nd... Going from an aluminum prop to a SST prop might net you 1-2 MPH top end with A LOT OF TESTING but there will be drawbacks. Think of propellers as gears... Everything is a compromise. You can gear it for max RPM and speed, but you lose holeshot. You can gear it for holeshot but you lose top end. In the end its always a compromise.
3rd... Shreddy mentioned his boat is a 94 and has an OMC drive. OMC went out of business in 98-99. They haven't been in business for 18 years. So his boat/motor combo is 23 years old. My guess is the engine probably has 800-900 hours (40 hours per year on average). The motor and outdrive are tired and not making peak HP/Torque. A mistake changing a prop could cause an outdrive or engine failure...
If I were Shreddy (and not ready to totally throw in the towel) I would figure out what prop originally came with the boat, and what do I currently have on the boat. Then I would go look for a similar pitch/rake/OD prop in SST. If you go to a four blade, drop 1" of pitch to start. Merc makes the hub kits so you can use a Merc prop on an OMC drive. This gives you tons of choices. But.... a new SST prop will run ya $450-$500 or so depending.
Woodsy
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Your post a few up was the advice I was originally looking for (could a change from aluminum to SST help). I know my outdrive was not setup the same as the Volvo my brother in law has. Yes, I mistakenly said steel when I meant aluminum. I have a painted aluminum three blade and know that could be better situated with a stainless steel prop due to less flex.
I don't really care that much about top speed, I just dislike that when I get the boat going say 30+ I feel like she's working pretty hard. Boat really doesn't have issue planing out, even with the number of people I throw in there, but would be nice to have a bit more.
Yes - old school OMC. Kept it great shape. Overall the boat is a strong 8, low 9 overall on interior and exterior. The biggest benefit is that it still rides like a dream and hands wakes and chop better than most bigger boats. Like I said originally, the model year I have is apparently the largest they made the 220 horizon for some reason. Was told this by Melvin Village way back when looking to upgrade my trailer.
Engine hours are actually around 500ish. The boat was purchased about 8-10 years ago from and older couple in their 70s that didn't use it much and putted around here and there. They were family friends.
I figure $4-500 on a prop would be enough of a "face lift" to hold off on a new rig for another year or two. Unfortunately, I'm itching for the H260 or a 24-27' er.