craze1cars
Lieutenant Commander
- Joined
- Dec 26, 2004
- Messages
- 1,822
1999 Stingray 200LX open bow I/O with Volvo Penta 5.0GL 2bbl motor, 220 HP, 1.60 gear ratio. 20 ft long. Stingrays are know for being relatively high speed performance hulls. Probably a little lighter than most 20 footers because the build quality doesn't seem all that great. I just bought it this week used and a quite neglected. But after a bit of tuning and maintence I took it out tonight and it runs very strong. Compression is between 165 and 173 across the board. It pulls out of the hole strong, rips me out of the water on deepwater slalom wtih ease, planes quickly, reaches top speed of 53mph GPS (58mph speedo) after trimming out with my "normal" load...3 people, 30 gallons fuel, ski toys etc. RPMs were turning 5,000, which is a bit beyond the 4,400 to 4,800 recommended range.
Current prop that provided above data appears to be maybe stock Volvo? Or maybe a Michigan wheel or similar generic black 3 blade aluminum prop. 14.3 x 21, and very, very chewed up along all the leading edges. It has obviously hit bottom a number of times. I hammered straight and filed the edges the best I could before the test run, but it desperately needs replacement. Has a couple 1/2" chunks taken out of a couple blade tips. I don't have any other props to test with at my disposal. I'm wondering if the chewed up blades are partially to blame for the slight over-rev at top speed? I was actually quite pleasantly stunned when I was able to push it 53 GPS 58 speedo with this crappy wheel.
Primary use will be pulling for water sports. Biggest current handling characteristic that I would like to correct: At 30mph cruising/slalom skiing speed it porpoises. Only when it is trimmed ALL the way down will the porpoise stop. At higher speeds of 40+ the porpoing goes away and only then can I trim it out. It handles great at those high speeds. Unfortuantely I usually go slower than 40. Would a 4 blade help give me some more stern lift at 25 to 35 mph cruising speeds to help combat the porpoising in that range?
I also would like to try to hold consistent speed easier at wakeboarding speeds (20mph-ish). It seems to fall off plane and on plane, fluctuating between 17 and 22. Seems to manage to stay on plane at about 18 or 19-ish, which is OK, IF I can feather the throttle to hold it there. I'm hoping a 4 blade might again provide a bit of stern lift and help me hold this 20-ish speed range more consistent? Perfect pass may be in the future, but for now we're doing it manually.
I have also noticed that on hard take-off from standing start (pulling a slalomer in a deepwater start), the steering wheel pulls HARD left until the boat planes, then the pull goes away completely and it tracks nice and straight. Power steering system seems to be working fine. My previous I/O did not do this on take-off. That pull caught me and my other drivers a bit off guard...really gotta grip the wheel on launch. I have no idea if this is a prop issue or something else. Thoughts?
I have Smart Tabs on my old boat. They work. I know they will correct the porpoising, and I know they help provide slower planing speeds. But I also know they have a significant detrimental effect on the current BEAUTIFUL wake this boat has for wakeboarding, so I would much prefer NOT to buy them again as I know first hand that they really destroy the good, tall, ramped wakeboarding wake this hull currently provides.
Top speed is not important. I have no reason to ever exceed 40 to 45 (barefooting). I would like to chop 200 off the RPMS and get it spot-on 4,800 to maintain the strong holeshot if possible.
I was considering a 20 pitch Stilletto Bay Pro 4 blade. A little concerned it will drop my RPMS too far. Also concerned that the 18 pitch in the same prop would keep me in the over-rev range. I would rather not waste $400-ish and discover I bought the wrong size for my boat. Thoughts or other suggestions before I pull the trigger?
Please don't waste a post by suggesting I buy an inboard. I am just as aware as everyone else that an inboard would be better at doing all of these things. Instead, I'm looking for prop suggestions for THIS boat to maximize it's watersports ability.
EDIT: Forgot to mention I'm running in Indiana, low altitude...maybe 650 feet.
Thanks for any help you knowledgeable folks here can provide!
Current prop that provided above data appears to be maybe stock Volvo? Or maybe a Michigan wheel or similar generic black 3 blade aluminum prop. 14.3 x 21, and very, very chewed up along all the leading edges. It has obviously hit bottom a number of times. I hammered straight and filed the edges the best I could before the test run, but it desperately needs replacement. Has a couple 1/2" chunks taken out of a couple blade tips. I don't have any other props to test with at my disposal. I'm wondering if the chewed up blades are partially to blame for the slight over-rev at top speed? I was actually quite pleasantly stunned when I was able to push it 53 GPS 58 speedo with this crappy wheel.
Primary use will be pulling for water sports. Biggest current handling characteristic that I would like to correct: At 30mph cruising/slalom skiing speed it porpoises. Only when it is trimmed ALL the way down will the porpoise stop. At higher speeds of 40+ the porpoing goes away and only then can I trim it out. It handles great at those high speeds. Unfortuantely I usually go slower than 40. Would a 4 blade help give me some more stern lift at 25 to 35 mph cruising speeds to help combat the porpoising in that range?
I also would like to try to hold consistent speed easier at wakeboarding speeds (20mph-ish). It seems to fall off plane and on plane, fluctuating between 17 and 22. Seems to manage to stay on plane at about 18 or 19-ish, which is OK, IF I can feather the throttle to hold it there. I'm hoping a 4 blade might again provide a bit of stern lift and help me hold this 20-ish speed range more consistent? Perfect pass may be in the future, but for now we're doing it manually.
I have also noticed that on hard take-off from standing start (pulling a slalomer in a deepwater start), the steering wheel pulls HARD left until the boat planes, then the pull goes away completely and it tracks nice and straight. Power steering system seems to be working fine. My previous I/O did not do this on take-off. That pull caught me and my other drivers a bit off guard...really gotta grip the wheel on launch. I have no idea if this is a prop issue or something else. Thoughts?
I have Smart Tabs on my old boat. They work. I know they will correct the porpoising, and I know they help provide slower planing speeds. But I also know they have a significant detrimental effect on the current BEAUTIFUL wake this boat has for wakeboarding, so I would much prefer NOT to buy them again as I know first hand that they really destroy the good, tall, ramped wakeboarding wake this hull currently provides.
Top speed is not important. I have no reason to ever exceed 40 to 45 (barefooting). I would like to chop 200 off the RPMS and get it spot-on 4,800 to maintain the strong holeshot if possible.
I was considering a 20 pitch Stilletto Bay Pro 4 blade. A little concerned it will drop my RPMS too far. Also concerned that the 18 pitch in the same prop would keep me in the over-rev range. I would rather not waste $400-ish and discover I bought the wrong size for my boat. Thoughts or other suggestions before I pull the trigger?
Please don't waste a post by suggesting I buy an inboard. I am just as aware as everyone else that an inboard would be better at doing all of these things. Instead, I'm looking for prop suggestions for THIS boat to maximize it's watersports ability.
EDIT: Forgot to mention I'm running in Indiana, low altitude...maybe 650 feet.
Thanks for any help you knowledgeable folks here can provide!
