What exactly would I notice if I switch from 3-blade to 5-blade prop, same pitch?

[snake77]

Re: What exactly would I notice if I switch from 3-blade to 5-blade prop, same pitch?

Kdavid..repost your question in a NEW THREAD. We are praying for Rain in Texas. God Bless Texas.

AMEN brother let it rain.

 

[Jennifer "water-wolf"]

Re: What exactly would I notice if I switch from 3-blade to 5-blade prop, same pitch?

.....If a 5-blade would have made "a world of difference" in handling, holding a steady speed while wakeboarding, or keeping the nose down at low speeds, then I would have seriously considered it. The wife has to fight to keep the boat at a comfy speed when I wakeboard, since it is right at or about the planing speed.

This is EXACTLY where a good 4 or 5 blade prop will do you good.... It will grip the water much better than any 3 blade and give her more constant speed with changes in load as you hit wakes, go airborne, and hit the water. I just went through the process of going from a 3 blade alum to a Mercury Quicksilver Typhoon 4 blade SS prop. It made a HUGE improvement in outright grip and direction control in waves. Hole shot was better too. I got mine used, but would also consider a Solas 4 blade from here on iBoats,...also check out Ken's dealership at PropGods.com.....Ken as a huge selection too, and he will work with you personally to make sure you get the best pitch and rake for your application. Although I am quite happy with the Typhoon 4 blade, at some time in the future we might jump into 5 blade territory for strongest possible pulling and grip in rougher conditions. Some people keep 2 or 3 good props on hand, and mount the one that fits the best performance needs of any given boating day.

Jennifer

 

[Knightrider2]

Re: What exactly would I notice if I switch from 3-blade to 5-blade prop, same pitch?

Lake has dried up and they closed all the ramps. So won't have a chance to try out the prop change for a while.

Praying for a hurricane, or at least a nice tropical storm.

here is a picture I took this morning at our lake. We are currently down 7.4 feet. The drought is killing us.

Unless that is your boat on the lift (which means you will not be able to transport for a while), you need to bring it an hour North on 59 and put out at Lake Livingston. We are only down 14 inches.

 

[scooper77515]

Re: What exactly would I notice if I switch from 3-blade to 5-blade prop, same pitch?

Yes, we are going to try livingston tomorrow morning. And NO that is not my boat on the lift. I could never afford that house. Hell, that boat is probably worth more than my house!

And I went and checked out my props today. I have to correct myself. The original one that came with the boat is a 14.25" 23P prop, and the one I have been using since I got the boat is a 14.25" 21P. So I put the original one on and may swap them out tomorrow and test them both out for rpms, WOT speed, and WOT RPMs. Then I may start shopping around for a 4-prop, if it will hold the speed better while wakeboarding. The wife is more sore than I am after a day of wakeboarding, and she has to work way harder than I do with constantly adjusting the controls to keep it at the speed I want.

 

[Varago]

Re: What exactly would I notice if I switch from 3-blade to 5-blade prop, same pitch?

For the OP I use both a 3 blade SS and a 5 blade SS. My 21 blackmax, 21 enertia and 21 highfive all give about the same rpm +- 100 rpm.

The enertia is about 4-5mph faster top speed then the highfive but the 5 is about 15% quicker on acceleration. They both trash the blackmax on acceleration.

The enertia is a bow lifter and the 5 is a stern lifter. The difference is just about 2 holes of adjustment on my Smart-Tabs. A stern lifter will come out of the hole faster and stay on plane slower then a 3.

Plus with the tabs and 5, I can set my speed and not have to work it that much towing a wakeboard/kneeboard.

But having said that I think that what QC said is GOLD in your case.

 

[scooper77515]

Re: What exactly would I notice if I switch from 3-blade to 5-blade prop, same pitch?

Well, I did WOT with my 23 pitch prop, and hit 4400 rpms, 43 mph (semi choppy, just a touch of trim up, so i could have squeezed a touch more out if I had tried). I like the holeshot better with the 21 pitch. The book says engine WOT is 4200-4600 so this prop seems to WOT right about where it should.

With the 21p prop, it spun to 4800 rpms, and hit just a touch shy of 50mph, like 49.7, and had a much better hole shot.

So, should I try out a 21p 4 blade stainless?

 

[SparkieBoat]

Re: What exactly would I notice if I switch from 3-blade to 5-blade prop, same pitch?

that may be a good choice....a set of trim tabs would help out your hole shot a lot..also you could get a vented 23P. a prop shop could vent the prop you have. this will help some with hole shot.