Switching to a stainless prop

[Sarum]

I’m switching to a 4 blade stainless steel prop
my boat:
2002 Sting Ray 220 DS
22.3 feet long, approx 4000 lbs
engine 5.0 GXI-multiport
rated at 270 hp
Rpm range 4500-5000
top speed according to the “window sticker” 51 mph
one that came stock was 14x23 3 blade which I also have still, no idea why they would put that on it, probably the slowest prop possible (top speed crap 45mph if you have a tail wind and 10 minutes to get up to that speed-horrible prop)

i have several 4 blade aluminum props
14x21 - way too slow
14x19 - seemed like the best all around
14.5x17 - absolutely LOVED the whole shot, but RPMs went to 5100 and at 3000 RPM cruising speed was barely doing 25 mph- also, when motor is still cold, I hit the rev limiter at wot, does don’t happen when it’s warmed up, and top speed at 5100 RPMs is about 39 mph

i was thinking an aluminum 14.5 x 18 would be prefect

But I want stainless steel and the extra performance I can get with it for tubing and waterskiing etc.

ive read and read and read
got confused with cupping and not cupped and the drop down in pitch needed.
i was thinking 14.5x18 cupped but not sure how it will compare to my aluminum 14x19 and will it get the whole shot like my 14.5x17 does now (probably not)

i would also like to know,
what is the best stainless steel manufacturer for stainless steel props

I know the hitting things with a SS prop got lead to severe gear damage and I’m willing to take that risk

thank you in advance (sorry for the long winded post)

 

[Sarum]

Also forgot to mention, new boat to me had it about 2 months.
i like the maneuverability of the 4-blade props over the 3-blade
i like my top speed but I like my whole shot too

last weekend I had its weight capacity on board (maybe a little over)
had the 14x19 4-blade aluminum prop on, and I could not get it to plane for very long time, unless most of us crammed into the front bow area

i have Bennett electric tabs installed now but they were not working last weekend when I may have slightly overloaded the boat. (Which I do t normally EVER do)

 

[Faztbullet]

4 blades are slower than 3 blade but have better hole shot. If you like holeshot and pulling power stay with 4 blade but your not going to get the speed.

 

[jimmbo]

I would put a Enertia on it. These props have great Holeshot and Top Speed, they also have a tenacious grip on the water too. Since you never mentioned what RPM the stock prop provided recommending a pitch is a crapshoot.
FWIW, going WOT with a cold engine is not smart, it will shorten its life considerably

 

[Sarum]

I would put a Enertia on it. These props have great Holeshot and Top Speed, they also have a tenacious grip on the water too. Since you never mentioned what RPM the stock prop provided recommending a pitch is a crapshoot.
FWIW, going WOT with a cold engine is not smart, it will shorten its life considerably

Hi, thanks for the replies,
Jimmbo, on the stock 23” pitch blade I could t really get above 4000, not sure why the sticker says 23 and why it came on it when I bought it (probably a replacement considering the boat is 15 years old

with the 14 x 19 (wot @ 4500-4600) it seems go well but would still like a bit more hole shot, but the 14.5 x 17 is way too low.
hard to tell when it is warmed up, I taxi it slowly out of the harbour then start to get up some speed (all within about 6 minutes or so, and when I get to 3/4 throttle it cuts out like I hit the rev limiter, I immediately slow it down and wait another 5 or 10 minutes and I can go wot without cutting out but I’m at 5200 rpm (only do it for a few seconds)

does enertia make them for volvo-penta ax drives (another thing I left out, sorry)

going with another aluminum I feel 14.5 x 18 would be perfect, but now that I want to change to SS prop, I’m not sure what pitch to do.

 

[porscheguy]

I would say Enertia or mirage+. Jimmbo and I disagree on this, but the Quicksilver variant of the Enertia is the Q3 which costs a fair bit less than the Enertia. As for the mirage+, depending on your location, you can find one used. Just make sure you get one with vents. I’ve got a standard mirage that I bought from letgo for $25. Had it polished and Hubbed for $85. Bought a new castle washer for $15. I’m into for $125 and it’s essentially brand new at this point. Mirage+ costs more used but they’ve got flo torq hubs and they’re better props overall. It’s not unreasonable to get one used and have it fully refurbed for 50-60% of new cost.

 

[porscheguy]

Your cutting out at 3/4 throttle doesn’t seem normal. This could very well be it’s own issue.

as for them making props for VP, it’s not the prop, it’s the hub kit. You can buy a mercury prop and then you put in a mercury flo torq hub kit for a VP application.

 

[Sarum]

Enertia and mirage plus are only available in 3-blade i think, i do really like the 4-blade feel and maneuverability at low speeds and nice hole shot, did a search and a lot of people are raving about the Enertia being so advanced and a replacement for Mirage plus.
im thinking i would lose a lot of that with a 3-blade


it takes about ten minutes to warm up.. anything above 4600 RPM will start to cut out, however after running 10 minutes, it will go all the way above 5200 RPM with no cutting out.
it scares me when it cuts out, i try to keep very good care of my boat

 

[dingbat]

i think, i do really like the 4-blade feel and maneuverability at low speeds and nice hole shot, did a search and a lot of people are raving about the Enertia being so advanced and a replacement for Mirage plus.
im thinking i would lose a lot of that with a 3-blade

Dont assume.....went from 14.25 x 17, 4 blade stainless to a 15 x 15, 3 blade (Enertia) Better maneuverabilty, better hole shot and higher top end speed.

The 4 blade is now my spare

 

[Sarum]

Thank you for the reply Dingbat,
Hmm
if I got an enertia 3-blade, how will I size it?
especially confused when you said you replaced a 14.25x17 with a 15x15

if I’m replacing a 4-blade aluminum 14 x 19 “turning point, Hustler” to an Enertia 3-blade with a little more bottom end what size should it be?

-I have a 4-blade aluminum 14.5 x 17 Turning point, hustler but it is too much bottom end and sends the RPMs too high, the 14x19 is closer to what I want

the enertia 3-blade sounds like it’s right up my alley

also, what’s the difference between Enertia and Enertia ECO?

 

[porscheguy]

Enertia Eco is a large diameter prop primarily designed for high horsepower outboards on big center consoles. I don’t say this often, but it would really be unsuitable for your boat.

If you go with an enertia, look for a Quicksilver q3 and save $200 or more. Jimmbo disagrees that it’s the same as the Enertia, but he does concur that it’s pretty close, so I’ll grant him that. To save 25-30% I’d go for the q3. One good thing about either prop is that both are available in odd and even pitch increments.

If you opt for the q3/Enertia, it would be a good bet to go for the 18P.

If you go for a mirage+ get a 19P. It’s also sold as the Quicksilver thunderbolt, but those aren’t easy to find this year. the thunderbolt comes at considerable savings over the mirage+. The mirage+ is an older design, but it’s been a best seller for 20+ years. Old doesn’t mean obsolete.

all 4 props I’ve mentioned (q3/enertia/mirage+/thunderbolt) are vented. They’re fitted with solid plugs in the vent holes. These plugs can be changed for plugs with various sized holes to make the vents functional and to control how much venting you allow. Venting increases the prop slip to aid in improved acceleration. It may buy you some rpm at the top of the range as well. You can buy each size as a 5 pack from amazon for about $15/pack.

 

[jimmbo]

The mirage+ is an older design, but it’s been a best seller for 20+ years. Old doesn’t mean obsolete.

Come on, everybody knows 'New and Improved' means the previous version is suddenly 'Old and Lousy'

I concur about an 18" Enertia, fortunately the Enertia is available in one inch increments. On my VP the supplied prop was a 21" Al, I replaced it with a 20" Raker and had good results, but about 3 - 4 yrs later I replaced with the Enertia when it was released, that was 12 or 13 yrs ago. I was lucky and my dealer sold it to me for his cost, he may have lost money as he had to pay the Amex charges.

 

[Maclin]

jimmbo What pitch did you go with on the Enertia. Was it an improvement over the Raker. Not trying to hijack

 

[jimmbo]

Same as the Raker, 20”
there are subtle diffences between the two, easier to feel than to describe.

 

[Sarum]

Thank you everyone, especially Jimmbo and Porchesguy for all the info, and dingbat for the final convince on the Enertia.

the way im understanding it, is when you get a boat with a standard aluminum 3-blade prop, and you decide to go for a 4-blade OR a Stainless 3-blade you drop down a size (2p)
So me getting an 18p which I think would be best if replacing my 4-blade with another 4-blade aluminum.
going for an enertia 3-blade stainless, would be the same thing dropping down.

in theory, if i were to go for a 4-blade SS, would that mean i would drop down to a 17p?
would make sense using the drop pitch rule with 4-blade and SS.

Im confident the Enertia 3-blade 18p is exactly what i need, thank you again guys

 

[dingbat]

Bear in mind the Enertia pushes in a pretty flat plane. Not much bow or stern lift with this prop.

I’m running an outboard. I have a whole lot less weight sitting on the transom and the prop is not cantilevered off the back.

On top of that, my hull (walk around) is pretty well balanced bow to stern. I have very little if any bow rise coming out of the hole. Much less than the I/O I had which was almost impossible to get on plane in heavy chop. Needed a lot of stern lift it didn’t have.

I selected the Enertia after wtalking with a guy that props offshore boats for a living.

This is is what I have....this is what I like and don’t like about my existing prop. He had experience propping my boat motor combo which helps

 

[jimmbo]

The Enertia has great lift, look at my avatar. The engine is not overtrimmed( easy to see in enlargements)

 

[Tail_Gunner]

If your boat is missing when cold don't do that...anyways your efi is probably running lean or your temp sending unit is going bad very cheap replacement. The way your system works is at low temps there is a enrichment mode perhaps that's not functioning quite up to snuff since your fine at wot when warm. Run some seafoam thru it for a while.....snake oil yeah kinda but it does work and I don't know how or why but it does....most of the time.a good four blade prop will keep it simple Solas or Turbo are great mfg. Bear in mind most spend 10% of there time at wot that is where the 3 blade shines a tad and the four blade is superior up to about 45mph....generally. Before anyone jumps out of there seats take slip measurement starting a 40mph 3blade vs 4blade you might be surprised. On a boat of that size and horsepower that is.