Thanks for the suggestion! I do have a couple of 4-blade prop (steel vs current 3-blade stainless) that I can swap in. I think I'll try that---mostly concerned about pull/start vs top speed.
I have a 1990 Mercruiser 350 Magnum Alpha One (SN# OC757852) that runs very well. I'm located at 3000 feet above sea level where it normally operates and have been told that since its a carbureted engine that I'll want to tune it for a lake we're going to spend a week at in the near future...