ron hill marine Signature 'pleasure five' prop review

[drewactual]

19p 14.125" diameter...

Impressive build, blades thinner than any other prop I've owned, cupping dramatic, progressive pitch obvious, viewing from the exhaust side, the leading edge of the blade is overlapped by the trailing edge of the adjacent blade..

square hubbed..

Speed GPS, shop tach.

Rinker 212 captiva, 2005, 4.3lx, alpha one 1.84:1 (i thought it was a 1.62:1 prior, but no, I counted.. ) ... Around 4k#'s with loaded gear, full tank, but just me on board.. all #270 of me...

Down and dirty numbers:

Speed at idle (650~700rpm) 4 mph
Lowest plane: 2650rpm, 16~17mph, if I drop that fifty and to low 16, it slowly falls.
Best cruising speed: 2900~3000rpm @ 26~28mph sits on plane like it's nailed to it.
Top speed: 4650rpm @ 43.7mph...

Temp 82*, humidity around 95%, flat surface calm winds... sea level.. waited for the right day...

I haven't ran my numbers through a calculator yet to see if they're off... this is what the gadgets told me.

Impressions: The 'hole' is missing, or didn't show itself during my test run.. the smart tabs I'm sure play into it.. within a boat length the boat is on plane, but with a strange attribute.. it feels like turbo lag in a poorly tuned boosted car, a second of nuthin, then it grabs and goes quickly, but very smoothly... It's not violent like I was told to expect.

Low speed below plane, handling is a dream and I'll not let go of this prop because of this.. the boat is on rails.. it's on rails on plane, and a touch of the trim on hard turns there is no loss of grip at all.. I went to the inlet and played on the tides, running plane and below on beam seas, following seas, and headlong into the current... These conditions is what made me consider the prop, and it didn't disappoint in this regard at all.. it sticks..

Reverse wasn't a problem, at all, as it was reported to me that it would be just like 'any' five bladed prop... a matter of fact, it bit hard and fast, without slip I'm accustomed to with the turbo22p.. again, handling superb..

The prop will gladly tell you where it wants to be trimmed.. I'm guessing that has to do with low slip, the diameter and volume of water it's displacing, and balance.. it's easier to find the right trim, and when you do it launches a noticeable (both GPS and levis dyno) mph or three...

The water is cut just behind the helm.. the bow lifts readily due to the rake.. the stern is on blocks, it feels like, riding a couple inches higher than the previous 22p precision turbo three blade... Trim is altered but easy to figure.. at lower speeds it sits deeper than the other prop, but at wot is was close if not the same as the other prop.

What I don't like: I didn't nail 4800rpms,.the top of the range... The added blade and unique geometry made guessing what pitch I needed more of a roulette than I anticipated.. I didn't even knock on the door of 4800.. I'm guessing swinging a wheel this big and heavy has bearing on that.. either I need a pitch less, or about a quarter inch less diameter.

The speed indicates a really low slip at wot... I haven't calculated it yet, but it is really low.. like, below or at five, low.. the speed, though, is akin to a straight pitched 19p, not a progressive pitched 19p, which should act like a 20~20.5p at wot or nearing the top of the cams range.. that tells me there is, in fact, slippage that I'll never be able to get a grip on, no pun intended... It also tells me that hitting something is going to hurt, maybe the drive instead of just the hub... Synchronized balance and disruption, all that jazz...

I'll be curious to see how this thing behaves with a crew on board... It's just a hunch, but I'm betting it isn't going to drop too much, or at least as much as my other prop does/did.. I'm mobile right now... I'll come back and edit, address, and fix this post later, as well as possibly, if there is any interest, combine my notes and compare all the props I've ran on this rig. Sorry for the wall of text, folks, I just noticed there are absolutely zero in-depth reports on this prop anywhere on the web, bit there are plenty of conflicting notions on how it works.. I'll end this by saying: this thing would be a monstor with a small block... Even with a small block and 21p... Furthermore, I'm thinking I need a tune up.. I'm thinking maybe a tune would get me that 4800rpm and 46~47mph..

Edited.. ran the prop calculator.. 43.7 @ 4650 through 1.84 gear is just under 4% slip, or, the progressive pitch is a bit above 20p and I'm getting 8% or so slip.

hope this helps someone looking to buy this prop and looking for information... Like I said, I haven't seen any around anywhere...

 

[doyall]

Good review, but is whatever was gained worth the $$$ the thing cost?

 

[drewactual]

Nope... Well, maybe.. for a person/crew who wakes or skiis, without doubt.. it carves the turns and holds plane low, and top end really isn't hurt- it holds the same.. at least with my rig.. I can't wrap my brain around why, but I've heard thks about this prop, as well as.the h5.... My guess, fwiw though I've no proof, is the leading edge of the blade is overlapped by the trailing edge, and that dang cup is something to behold... I'm thinking, maybe, there is some turbulance off the leading edge as the fluid slips across the blade that allows the trailing edge to push it harder in the same direction the inertia has already started it on.. I ain't certain that makes any snow sense, but it's all I got, because it doesn't lose speed at wot.. Worth it? Dunno.. I bet it will ultimately pay for itself, over the next three to four seasons, in the fact I can hold plane at such a engine speed that allows vacuum signal to stay high, which equates to fuel savings... This works for me because my boat is basically a water taxi..