4 blade or 5 blade prop

NateElble

Recruit
Joined
Mar 17, 2007
Messages
3
I have an 06 Bayliner with a 3.0 Merccruiser engine with standard 4.75 gearcase. I'm looking to upgrade my current stainless 3 blade 21 pitch prop to a 4 or 5 blade for better holeshot. I run just over my recommended RPM rating with my current prop. Was planning to drop down to a 18 pitch if i bought a 4 blade but not sure what pitch i should drop down to for a five blade. Also, after some searching I've come up with very little feedback on the 5 blade prop. I'm interested in the QST5 or the Mercury High5 as far as 5 blades go if anyone has an opinion on them.
 

hwsiii

Commander
Joined
Jan 25, 2009
Messages
2,639
Re: 4 blade or 5 blade prop

Nate, there definitely is no such thing as a 4.75:1 gear case. I need much more information if you would like my help.

You might try reading this for a better understanding of changing props for better performance, and for the major differences between aluminum props and stainless steel.

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=369057


If you would prefer to not go to this much trouble there are many other people who will come along and gladly help you.

1. Year, make and model of boat
2. Length, width and base weight of boat, look for boat decal on back of boat
2a.What is the maximum recommended HP for your boat
3. Number of people and gallons of gas normally on boat and what do you use the boat for
4. Year, make. manufacturer and model of motor and recommended Wide Open Throttle (WOT) range
5. HP and gear ratio of motor IMPORTANT
If you don?t know the ratio, you need to pull the plugs out and put a piece of tape across the prop and the lower unit and then cut it between the prop and the housing then do the same thing on the flywheel and turn the motor until the tape lines up with each other on the prop, it is easier if two people do this, so one can watch the prop while the other counts the revolutions of the motor
6. Anti-ventilation Plate height above keel of boat if it is an outboard in inches, use a straight edge under the keel and sticking out to the anti ventilation plate for a reference
Motor Transom Height
AntiventilationPlateStraightEdge-2.jpg

7. WOT RPM and speed from your current prop and how much gas and how many people were in the boat for the test data and is the speed by GPS. Make sure you trim the prop up until it starts ventilating and then just trim in until it quits ventilating.
RPM _________ Speed ______ GPS ______ No. of people ______ Gal. Gas ________
8. Make, model, diameter, pitch, number of blades and whether SS or aluminum prop and does it have a hydrafoil, dolefin or trim tabs
9. Has your motor been tuned up lately and have you checked that the carburetor butterfly is opening all the way by just pushing the throttle at the helm and not at the carburetor, checked compression, and looked at the plugs and checked spark as well as timing and advance, all of the foregoing could be the reason your prop is not attaining full RPM
10. What problems are you trying to cure or what are you looking for the boat to do that it is not doing the way you think it should or to your expectations and does the prop show any damage that you can see

REMEMBER, The numbers I give you will be NO better than the information you give me. I use a computer program I designed to find the correct pitch and then knowledge to pick a Better prop design for your boat.

The only thing I ask of you is to come back and give me a report of WOT RPM and speed for my database.



H
 

180shabah

Rear Admiral
Joined
Mar 26, 2005
Messages
4,995
Re: 4 blade or 5 blade prop

Nate, there definitely is no such thing as a 4.75:1 gear case.

He is referring to the dia of the gearcase, not the gear ratio.

OP - provide the info H has requested, suggestion will only be as good as the info you provide.
 

hwsiii

Commander
Joined
Jan 25, 2009
Messages
2,639
Re: 4 blade or 5 blade prop

LOL Shabah, you can definitely tell I wasn't paying near enough attention, sorry about that Nate, Thank you very much Shabah.



H
 

Bayliner175xt

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Mar 20, 2010
Messages
130
Re: 4 blade or 5 blade prop

Hi we have a same type of boat and motor, we run a 13" 22P 4 Blade for skiing and tubing, and change blades to 13" 20P 4 Blade for wake boarding.
We have found these props combinations work well for us.
We are using a Piranha prop system.
We also have a set of SX smart Tabs, all we do is lift them up for wake boarding.
Also with this type of boat remember to move some weight forward, this helps allot. We can run over our WOT with the 13" 20P blades but not by much and I do watch my taco closely.

Enjoy your summer.
 

northernmerc

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Apr 6, 2009
Messages
401
Re: 4 blade or 5 blade prop

We switched from a 21 aluminum to a 19 five blade stainless steel on our 4.3 SeaRay. It did improve the hole shot and made getting up on one ski easier. The downside is that we lost about ten mph; top speed dropped from about 50 mph to just over 40 mph.

Going from 21 to 18 in one jump sounds like a lot. Doing so should improve your holeshot but one concern could be overrevving the engine. If I understand you correctly, you already are able to redline the boat with the 21 pitch prop. You'll have to be careful not to blow the engine if you switch to the 18.

Another option might be to increase your horsepower.
 
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