Author Topic: Props (Read 919 times)

Savage · « **on:** March 31, 2003, 05:46:51 PM »

What brand/style/pitch props have you tried, and which one's gave you the best performance on your bass boat?

Savage · « **Reply #1 on:** April 02, 2003, 03:33:15 PM »

What-----------no interest in props!!!!!!! Ok, I'll start it off. I have an 18' Bassmaster boat with a 150 Johnson GT. I tried Rakers/Hooters/Preditors and Bandits before settling on a 27" OMC Shooter four blade. The propshaft is 3" below the pad and setback 6" by the jackplate. This setup allows me to get on plane quickly and plane at low speeds. I can run 68mph by GPS @ 5700rpm. Not as fast as the Raker but allmost ideal for the timber with easy low speed planning and no wheel torque.
Good Fishing,
Savage

Skipper · « **Reply #2 on:** April 02, 2003, 03:46:36 PM »

Sorry Savage, I'd just make a donkey's hind end out of myself here. I'm no prop expert. With that 300 lbs of batteries in the back of my Ranger, it doesn't make much difference anyhow. I just asked my mechanic which one and go with it.

The only prop tinkering I did on my own was on an old Lowe I had before I bought the Xpress. I had a 40 Johnny Rude on it, and ended up running a 21" prop. That thing would haul the mail, close to 50 mph. 14' jon with a bored out 40.

Skipper

Savage · « **Reply #3 on:** April 02, 2003, 04:05:05 PM »

Skipper,
When I first joined the bass club here on my home lake there was a 10hp limit on the lake. Of course everyone ran 15s and 18s with 9.9 decals. The boat race at the begining of each tournament was a kind of tradition. We all looked for ways to get a little more speed out of our evenly matched boats. We did a lot of expermenting with engine height and set back as well as props. We used to pull the boats off the trailer and clean the bottom with soap pads, then we would silicone wax the bottoms to get another mph out of them. Some of the guys even modified the bottoms of the old Lowes and alumawelds to try to get more lift. Just about all of the little boats went over 30mph. Now there is no HP limit and we run what we want. Sorta miss the old club when everyone ran the old flatbottoms. I still have mine and my wife's. We still use them when we don't want to bother with the bass boat.
Good Fishing,
Savage

jerrl · « **Reply #4 on:** April 14, 2003, 12:25:17 PM »

No expert status here either but I received quite an expensive education a few years ago and thought I would pass a little of it on for free.

First of all a prop's pitch is the distance it would travel in one revolution in a solid medium like sand. Secondly, most outboards have a 2 to 1 gear ratio. Therefore if you are turning 5700 RPM your prop is turning 2850 times every minute or a total of 76,950 inches (27 X 2850). Divide this by 12 and you get 6,412.5 feet and that number divided by 5280 feet equals 1.2145 miles per minute or roughly 72.87 miles per hour.

Why is this important? Because this is a measure of the efficiency of your prop. This becomes important when you are talking to the prop salesman and he is telling you his 24 pitch super titanium gollywhompin will run 70 mph if your 50 hp motor is running right. This is what happened to me. The prop guy was blaming the motor and the motor guy was blaming the prop and it was costing me time and money. I hope this helps somebody.

Savage · « **Reply #5 on:** April 14, 2003, 02:11:59 PM »

Jerri,
Right you are on the caculation of theoretical top speed. Of course you have to factor in the slippage factor, which is roughly 10% with stainless and 20%+ with aluminum. When buying a new rig the better dealerships will let you try several props to see which one performs the best on your rig. A good rule of thumb when buying a new rig is to equip it with max rated HP for the hull. If you go with less you're going to be dissapointed!
Good Fishing,
Savage

jerrl · « **Reply #6 on:** April 15, 2003, 04:25:53 AM »

You are right of course. My first bass boat was a V16 MonArk which was rated for 115 hp and carried a 115 Johnson. Other guys had 16' boats that would run about 50-55 MPH. The MonArk was lucky to hit 40 and to get the recommended 5500 RPM I had to go down to like a 18" prop and still couldn't turn over 5000 RPM. The prop shop owner was insisting the motor had to be bad and the mechanic was blaming the prop. The thing was resolved when I took it to Nashville TN to some true experts. What they found was the MonArk that was susposed to weigh 700 lbs or less actually weighed in at something over 1200. The weight of a 181/2' Ranger! I fought the manufacturer but wound up selling the boat to a guy with a pond and bought a Hydra Sport.

Savage · « **Reply #7 on:** April 15, 2003, 09:44:44 AM »

Jerri,
I can see your experience with the MonArk happening. I have had simular experiences as well. I see guys buying a 20'+ bass boat and hanging a 150 on it. By the time they get the boat loaded and ready to go fishing they are very dissapointed with it's performance. I don't deal with a dealership that won't let me try the boat/motor combination I'm buying. Even then finding the right prop/setback/and engine height can be a challenge. I've found it best to deal with someone who specializes in the size and type of boat I'm interested in. They can usually get it set up close to right the first time.
Good Fishing,
Savage