350V Ranger/115 merc/Ballistic Prop

[roger3645]

I'm running a 1983 Ranger 350 V, it is powered by a 1988 mercury 115hp with a 13 3/8 X 19 Ballistic prop. The boat is 17? 10? with a 6? 10? beam and a dry hull weight of 1050 lbs. By GPS I?m toping out at about 46 mph @ 5900 rpms. According to the tach it?ll reach 5200 rpms with the motor still trimmed all the way down. I tried a 13 X 21 aluminum (Mich Wheel) and could only hit about 35 mph before exceeding 5500 rpm. Should I try another prop if so what size do you recommend or is the mph about right for the setup and tach just off a bit?? Thanks

 

[Texasmark]

Re: 350V Ranger/115 merc/Ballistic Prop

I'd leave things alone. I ran an '89 115 for 7 years with WOT at 6000 and my son-in-law, still has and uses it. It was the Ranger fisherman. I checked your numbers on the BAM calculator and adding 1" to pitch for cupping, you are running 18% slip, which I think is pretty high for the Ranger, on pad, at WOT with a Ballistic.......but that's just my opinion, having run the 115, a very similar Ranger, and 3 Ballistics on my current rig.

I ran either the 19 or 21 Merc prop, don't remember what it was called. Had regular looking SS blades with the normal goodies, and it had round porting which really helped the hole shot. Don't remember WOT mph, but didn't have GPS at the time so doesn't matter. We did water ski with it so it was probably the 19P.

If you start cutting your rpm's down, you are going to start messing up your hole shot and you don't want to do that.

From personal experience, you can't compare a Ballistic to an alum prop.

HTH,

Mark