Need help with choosing a prop for my 86 Formula F3 LS

tipspeed

Recruit
Joined
Jul 14, 2009
Messages
2
Hey guys my dad has an 86 F3 LS with a 350 chevy small block with roller cams. Its only about a year old. It also has a high rise manifold. I'm guessing the HP is around 300? Now the prop that is on the boat is a quicksilver mirage and the pitch is 19. At WOT the RPMS are at 3900 and GPS is showing 45 MPH. Any suggestions for optimum RPM and speed? Thanks
 

hwsiii

Commander
Joined
Jan 25, 2009
Messages
2,639
Re: Need help with choosing a prop for my 86 Formula F3 LS

Tip, welcome to Iboats prop forum and we will try to help you as much as we can, but there is certain information that is needed in order to help you. Working over the internet and not being able to see the boat or prop the question is about, and most people don?t know the make and model of the prop, makes it much harder to propose a solution to the correct prop that you need. When we get information in bits and pieces we are continually having to look back and forth to try and piece the information together. The following form has all of the information that is needed to help you with your problems in finding the right prop. If you do not know all of the information that is asked for on the form please give us the most information you have available as I have a program I designed to find the right prop for any planing hull boat that needs this information. It requires time to find all this information when we have to look for it and in my defense I expect you to be willing to expend as much effort in finding the right prop as I do. We hope to be able to help you get the best prop we can for your particular uses, and this information is required to do that.
It is not as simple to pick the right prop as most people coming to this forum think it is, that is why we ask so many questions, it is for your benefit we ask all these questions. And if you have a stainless steel prop or are changing to one the blade geometry of the prop can make a lot of difference in speed and RPM. ALL of my calculations are done assuming an aluminum 3 bladed prop will be used, when changing to a SS prop or changing within SS props we need to discuss what you are trying to accomplish.

Iboats Boat and Motor Info

1. Year, make and model of boat
2. Length, width and base weight of boat, look for boat decal on back of boat
3. Number of people and gallons of gas normally on boat
4. What do you use the boat for
5. Is it a Deep Vee and if so how many degrees of deadrise
6. Year, make and model of motor
7. HP and gear ratio of motor IMPORTANT
7A If you have a mercruiser and don?t know the ratio get your serial off the outdrive and go here http://www.sterndrives.com/mercruisersterndrives.html
8. Manufacturer?s recommended WOT range
9. Anti-ventilation Plate height above keel of boat if it is an outboard in inches
10. Is it a bass boat or does it have a pad bottom
11. Does it have a hydrafoil or trim tabs
12. Make, model, diameter, pitch and whether SS or aluminum prop
13. WOT RPM and speed from prop, how much gas and how many people in boat for test data
14. What problems are you trying to cure or what are you looking for the boat to do that it is not doing the way you think it should or to your expectations

REMEMBER, The numbers I give you will be NO better than the information you give me

The only thing I ask of you is to come back and give me a report of WOT RPM and speed for my database.

H
 

tipspeed

Recruit
Joined
Jul 14, 2009
Messages
2
Re: Need help with choosing a prop for my 86 Formula F3 LS

Thanks for the welcome. I will try and get the gear ratio as soon as I can.
 

Putinbaybum

Cadet
Joined
Feb 26, 2011
Messages
11
Re: Need help with choosing a prop for my 86 Formula F3 LS

I had the same boat and I experimented with a couple of props. The 19 pitch is about the best all around performance you will get. I did put on a Mirage 21P and had a few more mph on the top end, but the hole shot was not that great. Btw, thats a great boat. Went from the F3LS to a 242LS now I have a 26PC..
 

Bondo

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Apr 17, 2002
Messages
71,082
Re: Need help with choosing a prop for my 86 Formula F3 LS

I had the same boat and I experimented with a couple of props. The 19 pitch is about the best all around performance you will get. I did put on a Mirage 21P and had a few more mph on the top end, but the hole shot was not that great. Btw, thats a great boat. Went from the F3LS to a 242LS now I have a 26PC..

Ayuh,... Please don't be postin' on antique threads,...

This 1 is almost 2 Years old....
 
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