Turbo Ultima vs Stiletto Bay Pro III

[JARB]

Hello!

I am keen to try a Turbo Ultima 4 on my boat but it seems easier to get a good deal on a Stiletto Bay Pro III. Are these props similar in design and characteristics and if not what differs?

 

[Dhadley]

Re: Turbo Ultima vs Stiletto Bay Pro III

The Ultima may have bit more bite but they are very similar.

 

[JARB]

Re: Turbo Ultima vs Stiletto Bay Pro III

Thank You for your answer Dhadley! Since i have seen that You seem to know a lot about the Turbo/Stiletto-propellers I continue with more thoughts and questions.

My boat is a 20' Cuddy Cabin boat with a Yamaha F150, mounted one hole up on the transom, AV-plate 3/4" above bottom. The hull has a 21 degree dead rise. Today I am running a Turbo 1 14,25 x 19 with a top spedd of 49 mph at 5800 rpm, I have also tested a T1 17" which gave me 48 mph at 6100 rpm. Orginally the boat had a Black Steel 13,75 x 19 but it didnt have the bite and lift I wanted. Switching to the T1 also gave me a reduction in fuel consumption at cruising speed, around 28 mph. The T1 has so much bite that I will raise the motor 1 or maybe even 2 holes more, AV-plate being 1 1/2 to 2 1/4" above bottom.

What I am looking for with a Ultima or BP3 is a bit better ability to keep the bow high in heavy seas and a little better hole shot heavy loaded. I am thinking a 4-bladed T1. Which of them do You think suits my needs best, the U4 or the BP3, or should I look at the 2+2TH or BP2 design? What do You think about pitch, I want to stay around 5700-6000 rpm at WOT, I am thinking 17"?

 

[Dhadley]

Re: Turbo Ultima vs Stiletto Bay Pro III

All of your thoughts are on track. Something else to consider is the Offshore series. Both the 3 blade and 4 blade are designed for heavy boats in heavy seas. The idea is to keep the prop hooked up even in large following seas and maintain good load carrying ability while retaining lift. Go to my website (www.props-plus.com) and click on the picture of the Turbo prop on the home page. That will take you to the Turbo website where you can read all about them.

Don't get me wrong, the Ultima 4 is one heck of a prop. In fact thats what I run on my flats boat.

 

[Dhadley]

Re: Turbo Ultima vs Stiletto Bay Pro III

And yes, the Turbo 1 is really hard to beat.

 

[JARB]

Re: Turbo Ultima vs Stiletto Bay Pro III

Looks like the Ultima 4 is the way to go then since I think my boat is too small (20 feet) and lightweight (3000 lbs) for the Offshore Series. I have also heard that you should not go over 14 1/4" in diameter with the Yamaha F150. The picture is my boat I will get back with the results, hopefully before winter lay-up or otherwise I will have to wait until next spring.

 

[Dhadley]

Re: Turbo Ultima vs Stiletto Bay Pro III

Sounds good, keep us informed.

 

[Sailor61]

Re: Turbo Ultima vs Stiletto Bay Pro III

Hi Jarb,
I just installed a 14 1/4 x 19 Bay Pro III on my 19' Triton Fish n Ski. I had a 14 5/8 x 21 Mercury Tempest Plus 3B SS. My boat was fast with the merc but had a lot of bow rise and was slow to plane. The BP III made a huge difference out of the hole. The boat now comes out like a ski boat, you get bow and stern rise immediately and great acceleration all the way to 50 mph gps. I lost 3-4 mph top end but the trade off was worth it for me. We ski and fish so getting on plane quick and hole shot were important and 50 mph is fast enough on the top.
I'm running a 150 Mercury XR6 Classic rpm range is 5000-5600 and I'm turning just under 5200 about 5150 with the BPIII. I could go down to a 17P but I'm very happy with my performance now... not going to fix it if it ain't broke

 

[JARB]

Re: Turbo Ultima vs Stiletto Bay Pro III

Thanks for your input sailor61. Have an Ultima 4 17" on order now. I too think I will loose some top-end with the U4 compared to the Turbo 1 but hopefully I will regain some of that by raising the engine. That will be a project for the winter although. I am living in Sweden (Europe) and it is soon time for winter lay-up. But it will be very good to have tested it a bit so I have all winter to decide if i should raise one or two holes. Even the good old Turbo 1 will most probably benefit from a higher engine mounting.

 

[JARB]

Re: Turbo Ultima vs Stiletto Bay Pro III

Sailor61, what height is your engine mounted? If your slip-figures is comparable to me my speed will be around 46 mph at 5700 rpm and 48 mph at 6000 rpm. If I reach somewhere in that range and get better hole-shot and heavy seas performance I have reached my goal and will be more than satisfied. Time will tell..

 

[sethjon]

Re: Turbo Ultima vs Stiletto Bay Pro III

Hello!

I am keen to try a Turbo Ultima 4 on my boat but it seems easier to get a good deal on a Stiletto Bay Pro III. Are these props similar in design and characteristics and if not what differs?

Close enough whereby you couldn't tell the difference.

 

[sethjon]

Re: Turbo Ultima vs Stiletto Bay Pro III

Thank You for your answer Dhadley! Since i have seen that You seem to know a lot about the Turbo/Stiletto-propellers I continue with more thoughts and questions.

My boat is a 20' Cuddy Cabin boat with a Yamaha F150, mounted one hole up on the transom, AV-plate 3/4" above bottom. The hull has a 21 degree dead rise. Today I am running a Turbo 1 14,25 x 19 with a top spedd of 49 mph at 5800 rpm, I have also tested a T1 17" which gave me 48 mph at 6100 rpm. Orginally the boat had a Black Steel 13,75 x 19 but it didnt have the bite and lift I wanted. Switching to the T1 also gave me a reduction in fuel consumption at cruising speed, around 28 mph. The T1 has so much bite that I will raise the motor 1 or maybe even 2 holes more, AV-plate being 1 1/2 to 2 1/4" above bottom.

What I am looking for with a Ultima or BP3 is a bit better ability to keep the bow high in heavy seas and a little better hole shot heavy loaded. I am thinking a 4-bladed T1. Which of them do You think suits my needs best, the U4 or the BP3, or should I look at the 2+2TH or BP2 design? What do You think about pitch, I want to stay around 5700-6000 rpm at WOT, I am thinking 17"?

If you go to a 17 you might blow the engine.

 

[Dhadley]

Re: Turbo Ultima vs Stiletto Bay Pro III

If you go to a 17 you might blow the engine.

Really? How so?

 

[JARB]

Re: Turbo Ultima vs Stiletto Bay Pro III

If you go to a 17 you might blow the engine.

Are you kidding with me? As you can read further up I have already run it with a 17" Turbo 1 at WOT 6100 rpm not even hitting the limiter at 6200 rpm.. Still using the same power head I would be surprised if the Ultima gained rpm compared to a same pitch Turbo 1.

 

[Sailor61]

Re: Turbo Ultima vs Stiletto Bay Pro III

Jarb,

My engine mount has 5 holes, my engine is in the second from the top. My anti-cav plate rests 1/2" above my keel at the stern. This was set up this way by the delivering Triton dealer when it was new. With the BPIII @ anything above 3500 rpm and trimmed out I'm only touching at the stern plate. WOT is very stable but a lot of torque steer.
Sounds like you have a higher rpm range on your motor, mine is 5000 - 5600. I went out with 3 onboard 500 lbs, 30 gallons, skis etc. (heavy). I got 5100 WOT, 50 mph gps, and a great hole shot. I pulled skiers and tubers for 4 hours when I top off I'll be able to get a fuel burn.

I could handle the 14 1/4 x 17P BPIII It would bring my light load rpms near max for me, but would be ideal for normal to heavy loads.

 

[JARB]

Re: Turbo Ultima vs Stiletto Bay Pro III

The Ultima arrived today. The weather is a bit rough here in southern Sweden but hopefully I can do a testrun tomorrow. Right now I have a Reliance prop on the boat so I put the Turbo 1 19" side by side with the Ultima 17". The blades looks similar in shape but the Ultima blade is thinner at the trailing edge and has more cupping than the Turbo 1. Maybe the Ultima has a little bit less rake than the T1 but maybe the difference in pitch fools me. Am I right here Dhadley?

 

[JARB]

Re: Turbo Ultima vs Stiletto Bay Pro III

Tested the Ultima today, it wasnt so much wind but the the sea was still heaving, some rain too.. The grip of the Ultima is fantastic, like someone put glue in the water. It doesnt matter what I do with the trim or the steering it just doesnt loose its bite. This is gonna be a perfect heavy seas prop. The holeshot is somewhat better than the Turbo 1, about 0,3 seconds faster to plane. The Turbo 1 dont like to go slower than 26 mph, with the Ultima the limit is 18 mph and the fuel economy is best at 23 mph. All over the fuel economy is better with the Ultima.

I lost about 4 mph and 300 rpm at WOT, 45 mph @ 5500 rpm, and this is at 100% trim. More trim gives me more speed and rpm all the way to 100%, max trim for the T1 is about 85% then I start to loose speed. This concerns me a bit since I really dont want to be below 5700 rpm. The engine is obviously too low but I am in doubt that raising the engine another 1?" will give me at least 200 rpm. The engine now is in its second hole with the AV-plate ?" above the bottom of the boat. Raising it to its fourth holes will put the AV-plate 2?" above bottom. What do You think Dhadley?

I Think that going to a 15" will be too small, is there any modification that can be done to the prop that will raise the rpm if raising the engine isnt enough. Raising the engine will be a project for the winter but I would be very happy for any input!

 

[Dhadley]

Re: Turbo Ultima vs Stiletto Bay Pro III

Max trim (without venting) at 85% and top speed indicates the set up was about as good as it gets for the T1. 100% trim and no venting indicates the U4 can run higher. Basically we are comapring a 3 blade maxed out set up to a 4 blade set up that has room for improvement. We see this a lot and it would not be unusual to find that when the 4 blade set up gets maxed out the speed is very comparable to the 3 blade and still retains the 4 blade advantages.

 

[Dhadley]

Re: Turbo Ultima vs Stiletto Bay Pro III

And if raising the motor gains some top rpm back (less drag) we should see an even better holeshot. Keep the F150 as close to 6000 (top capable rpm), that will help acceleration. The 4 strokes need help with that.

 

[Tail_Gunner]

Re: Turbo Ultima vs Stiletto Bay Pro III

Max trim (without venting) at 85% and top speed indicates the set up was about as good as it gets for the T1. 100% trim and no venting indicates the U4 can run higher. Basically we are comapring a 3 blade maxed out set up to a 4 blade set up that has room for improvement. We see this a lot and it would not be unusual to find that when the 4 blade set up gets maxed out the speed is very comparable to the 3 blade and still retains the 4 blade advantages.

In your opinion is this due to rake and cup in disturbed water flow