1988 Doral 260 Citation - Do I have the right prop?

[TommoT]

I recently purchased a 1988 26' Doral Citation. The boat has a 13.75" x 15" stainless steel prop with a rebuilt aluminium one of the same size as backup (which has been rebuilt one too many times). The location where I will be boating is very rocky and I want to get a new aluminium prop put on instead of the stainless.

Now to my question...is a 13.75" diameter big enough for a 26' boat? Should I go with the 15.5" x 15" instead? The guy who owned the boat prior seemed very happy with the performance and efficiency of the current set up.

We will primarily be at cruising speed and efficiency is my top priority. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[goose25]

Re: 1988 Doral 260 Citation - Do I have the right prop?

Need more info such as engine type and size, drive type, also what is your current wot and at what rpm ?

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: 1988 Doral 260 Citation - Do I have the right prop?

Yep, the more info as stated will give us all a better shot at assisting.

 

[TommoT]

Re: 1988 Doral 260 Citation - Do I have the right prop?

Yep, the more info as stated will give us all a better shot at assisting.

It is a stern drive Mercruiser, 5.7 260hp with an Alpha drive. I don't know my PRMs at WOT as I haven't had it on the water as of yet.

 

[goose25]

Re: 1988 Doral 260 Citation - Do I have the right prop?

I think 13.75 is a little small 15 sounds a better choice but you should get on the water and check for wot and rpm with current prop. what does the manual say top rpm should be. You want get rpm around 4400 at top speed. I wouldn't spend money on a new prop until I check the old. Hopefully others will chime in with other thoughts

 

[gaugeman]

Re: 1988 Doral 260 Citation - Do I have the right prop?

As a rule you need a little more pitch with aluminum as they 'flex' a little more under load. That said, you NEED to get on the water and see what the boat is doing in order to determine what prop you will want to get. Do some timing of how long it takes to get on plane, what your RPM is at WOT. It simply is a WAG (wild *** guess) to use the info you have provided. The MOST efficient is if you get to the point of where the boat will just get to the redline at your maximum speed as suggested by the manufacturer of your motor.

Of course having said that you can increase the pitch and use less fuel, but getting on plane will take longer (and at some point will be impossible if you took it too far)

 

[gaugeman]

Re: 1988 Doral 260 Citation - Do I have the right prop?

Keep the stainless prop. It is more efficient. Just avoid the bottom... ;-)

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: 1988 Doral 260 Citation - Do I have the right prop?

It is a stern drive Mercruiser, 5.7 260hp with an Alpha drive. I don't know my PRMs at WOT as I haven't had it on the water as of yet.

Great start. Do need the current performance information to make some form of educated decision and also to save you some money. Many prop shops will let you try before you buy, however it's nice to have the courtesy to actually make the purchase at the same place. Good Luck and post those results when you can.