Prop selection for 1993 Wellcraft Excel 18SX

[jakefreese]

Re: Prop for 1993 Wellcraft Excel - help please



1. Year, make and model of boat
1993 Wellcraft Excel 18SX I/O Bowrider

2. Length, width and base weight of boat, look for boat decal on back of boat
Centreline 18 ft
Beam 7?2?
Base weight 1,900 lb (from manufacturer)

2a.What is the maximum recommended HP for your boat
Boat was ?turnkey?. Is fitted with a Volvo Penta AQ230A (120hp at crank, 110 at prop)

3. Number of people and gallons of gas normally on boat
4 persons ? 20 gallons US

4. What do you use the boat for
Cruising, Tubing

5. Is it a Deep Vee and if so how many degrees of Deadrise
Not a deep V : deadrise is 18 deg

6. Year, manufacturer and model of motor
1993 Volvo Penta AQ230A

7. HP and gear ratio of motor IMPORTANT
110HP at prop : ratio 2.15
8. Manufacturer?s recommended Wide Open Throttle (WOT) range
4,800 to 5,000 RPM

9. Anti-ventilation Plate height above the bottom of the transom of boat
pretty well flush



10. Is it a bass boat or does it have a pad bottom

Ski type hull

11. Does it have a hydrafoil, dolefin or trim tabs
No

12. Manufacturer, model, diameter, pitch, number of blades and whether SS or aluminum props.
IMPORTANT
1. Solas 3 Blade 14.5 x 19 Aluminum


13. 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.

RPM 5,000 40mph GPS (rough water) 2 adults 2 kids 500# full load of fuel 20 gal

14. Are you at sea level or a higher elevation, give us the elevation in feet

750'

15. Has your motor been tuned up lately and have you checked that the carburetor butterfly is opening all the way by only using the control on the console, checked compression, looked at the plugs and checked spark, is the bottom of the boat clean and barnacle free, and have you checked the Tachometer against a mechanics tach, all of the foregoing could be the reason your prop is not attaining full RPM.

Yes ? appears all OK, boat is clean, I am replacing spark plugs, and doing some other maintenance later this week

16. How long has this prop been on the boat and why, at this time, do you think it is the wrong prop.

Don't know, new to me boat, seems like it takes a LOT to get out of the hole but seems to run well on plane (I know its a 120hp....)

17. Does the prop show any damage that you can see

Some edge wear

18. 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:

I am not worried about having a speed demon, 40mph is plenty, I want to be able to get out of the hole quicker

19. If you are trying to attain a better cruising speed and fuel savings or trying to attain a faster speed I will want you to take your boat and run it with 1 or 2 people and give me the RPM and speed readings starting at 3,000 RPM in 500 RPM increments all the way to WOT.

I will need to do this, later this week, I need to clean the heat exchangers

I have thought about getting a 15x17 to see if that will pop up a bit quicker


Thanks guys!

 

[SkiDad]

the 17 will plane quicker but you will have to watch you don't over-rev - i would be using this prop is if was skiing but for tubing and cruising you already have the correct prop. are you trimming all the way in when taking off ?

 

[Sea Rider]

You need to go for a wot spin on calm no wind water cond with you alone and check achieved wot rpm. Then go on a second wot run with number of boaters that will go often, say a family oriented recreational combo and check achieved wot rpm. Could dial a prop that achieves at least middle wot rpm, bear in mind that if boating with less members rpm will increase, will need to have both eyes on the tach so not to over rev. No body says you must run wot at all times, just good for faster hole shot and then reduce your throttle to maintain good plane with good fuel comsumption. Post both wot rpm tests, alone and framily oriented.

Happy Boating

 

[jakefreese]

Thanks guys I will try that out, No wind water condition ?? this is Texas! This prop does have a bit of edge wear and damage, I just want to make sure that if I replace it, I get what I need, instead of collecting props. Hopefully I will get the maintenance done this week and get out first thing in the morning and try to get some data.

Jake