prop guard

[SeaRay245]

anyone got any thoughts on this prop guard http://www.iboats.com/mall/?prod_id=668 i was thinking of getting one seein that i usually bend up 2 props a year from small hits in a shallow river{vermilion river} that my boats is kept in and have hit just small stuff just enough to bend a fin or 2 i was wondering if they work and if they make them for merc 260 i/o thanx in advance

 

[johndezman]

Re: prop guard

dont know what kind of boat you have, but with 260hp it'll probably top 35mph. i'd expect a loss of at least 5 mph top speed with that much extra drag.<br /><br />might help slow speed and getting on plane though.<br /><br />are you running aluminum or SS now? SS usually doesn't take a ding from small stuff!

 

[Mike M2]

Re: prop guard

You know i never realized those things were made of plastic? Doesn't sound very strong to me. Notice how they dance around the question about losing top speed...

 

[SeaRay245]

Re: prop guard

i have a 245 which is a 25ft searay cuddy fishermen walkaround im runing the stock alum prop id like to go to a SS but have heard instead of dingin up the prop u tear up the out drive which i already have had rebuilt due to something i hit in the lake last year and dont want to do that again my boat tops out at 35mph and will troll as slow as .8mph so i really dont need the speed but i need the prop

 

[terryc]

Re: prop guard

My only experience with a prop guard was when my son purchased an inflatable Oz Duck with a 50hp tohatsu, it was the fastest thing on the water i had ever experienced. With the boat came a stainless steel prop guard, which we decided to fit to the motor and see if it made any difference. Well the results were horrifying, it was like he had lost half of his horsepower. Needless to say it was quickly removed and thrown in the corner. There may have been a problem with this particular guard, i dont know, but it has made me very skeptical about fitting one ever again.