V8 bow riders, what prop are you running for wakeboarding???

[blubayou]

I have a 20ft Regal with 365hp alpha 1.65 out drive with 4 blade solas 21 and my driver is having a time keeping the speed constant. Looking to see what set up you guys are running and how well does it perform for wakeboarding, slow speed, trimmed up etc.

Thanks

 

[H20Rat]

Re: V8 bow riders, what prop are you running for wakeboarding???

Invest in a perfect pass or similar! Going to a lower pitch, larger diameter prop will help a little bit, but even competition wake boats need constant adjustment if they aren't running cruise control.

 

[craze1cars]

Re: V8 bow riders, what prop are you running for wakeboarding???

I found 4 blade Solas to be the best on my I/O used primarily for wakeboarding. Replacing your prop wont make any difference in the issue you're discussing. Aggressive wakeboarders pull so hard the boat can slow 2-3 MPH per trick if the throttle isn't modulated to compensate. If that change occurs while the rider releases tension and is flying thru the air the boat will tug the rider out of position and mess with his landing. Add in the fact that most boarders prefer to ride just a few MPH over planing speed, and you might be running ballast or running trim up to help the rear dig...all of which raises planing speed even closer to the boarders preferred speed...it all compounds and makes the boat want to fall off plane at the worst possible time...and it's almost impossible for ANY driver to keep truly steady speed with a GOOD boarder tugging around behind.

And inconsistent speed slows learning for the boarder. Big time. To the rider it feels like riding behind a slingshot, ESPECIALLY if you have a high tower which exaggerates all boat accelerations & deceleration. Perfectpass controls all this with split second adjustments in 0.2 mph increments, assuming the boat has enough power to respond quickly enough to the Perfect Pass commands (and at 365 HP, yours does). All the driver has to do is steer straight. Computer does the rest.

Smokingcrater is spot on. Perfectpass Stargazer is the #1 BEST investment I EVER made in that boat. It advanced my learning/riding skills several times the first summer I had it. Couldn't believe the amount of time I wasted without it...

So if you intend to advance your skills at all beyond just riding around, wakeboarding absolutely demands consistency and perfection in speed. No human can match what Perfectpass is capable of.

$1200-ish to purchase the system brand new if you are capable of installing it yourself. Add a couple hundred more to have it installed by a pro. And you'll get almost 100% of your investment back when you sell the boat because it is a VERY desirable and rare option on I/O's...

Too much $$? Skip buying new boards, bindings, props, ropes, or ballast. Spend all that money on Perfectpass instead and run your old equipment. Heck if budget forced me to choose between a Tower and Perfectpass, I'd pick Perfectpass FIRST and ride without a tower. No other option or accessory will result in more landed tricks and less faceplants your first day out after installation...guaranteed.

 

[doyall]

Re: V8 bow riders, what prop are you running for wakeboarding???

...365hp alpha ...

If this is accurate you may wind up replacing more than props sooner rather than later. Aren't alphas only rated for 300 HP max?

In any case, craze1cars makes some very valid points. I might, however, make one slightly different observation. Towing is about torque, not power. Depending upon the engine's RPM at optimal boarding speed, a lower pitched prop *may* provide some marginal benefit but certainly will not be a cure-all. If current RPM at optimal boarding speed is 3K, dropping the pitch to make the engine climb the torque curve to 4k RPM at optimal speed should tend to lessen the drop in speed during extreme cornering and therefore lessen the need for throttle modulation. (Note I say lessen, not eliminate.) Look at gearing (ratios and pitch) on dedicated tow boats and you will get the picture. Having said all that, PerfectPass is still the best option, but even then you will probably find that you want to lower your prop pitch. Maybe you should wait until you change the alpha to a bravo.

 

[jeff.nelson83]

Re: V8 bow riders, what prop are you running for wakeboarding???

I have a 21ft cobalt open bow 350cc carb and I use a 17p high five prop with 350lbs ballast in the ski locker and 350lbs in the bow and it is great.

Now someone is going to comment on how a 17p is too low and you will over rev at WOT and they are correct. But if you do alot of wakeboarding, surfing or what ever is it best choice. Also adding the weight to the front of the boat will help the wake big time but it will also help with keeping the boat at 21-23mph. We had to adjust all the time for wakeboarding at 21-23mph but as soon as we added the weight to the front it the boat held its speed also better. Top speed with this is only 45mph before i hit the max rpm and have to pull back on the throttle.

I don't run my boat at WOT so using this prop is not a big deal for me, I would rather have the aviable toque for wakeboarding. Also I have an extra 3 blade that i can swap for running over 50mph

 

[500dollar744ti]

Re: V8 bow riders, what prop are you running for wakeboarding???

I have a heavy 22ft V8 boat and I added Bennett trim tabs to help with low speed stability and taking off. I can plane at 18mph and hold speed anywhere above that by adjusting the trim tabs. Also I still get to keep my top end of 51mph.

Recently I was out at the beach and able to pull up a wakeboarder with 7 other people on board and hold 21mph, it really shows how helpful the tabs are. I could never pull a wakeboarder up with 7 people on board in the past.

 

[jeff.nelson83]

Re: V8 bow riders, what prop are you running for wakeboarding???

Trim tabs are great for planing but WILL KILL THE SHAPE OF THE WAKE. Dont use them, you want to keep that boat in the water, not take it out. High Five prop with low pitch and perfect pass or ride steady.

Now if you dont wakeboard that much and just cross the wake and dont get any air, then rock trim tabs. But if you are going to get serious about wakeboarding don't. Do what craze1cars says, buy gps speed control, hell you can take it with you and put it on another boat.

 

[craze1cars]

Re: V8 bow riders, what prop are you running for wakeboarding???

Some very valid points here. I want to echo jeff.nelson's comment on trim tabs. Bad idea if you're a wakeboarder that wants to get air. I've ridden behind 2 different I/O's with trim tabs over the years, and if we forget to pull them up all the way for boarding the wake washes out big time and becomes almost entirely useless. Sure it helps the drive keep a steadier speed, but it's bad news for a wakeboarder seeking serious pop. A lot of this depends on the skill level and desires of the wakeboarder however. I ride with a couple friends who just like riding around back and forth like on waterskis and don't intend to ever do any jumping or tricks (we're all aging "gracefully" LOL and are definitely on the downswing of our wakeboarding days). They actually prefer a washed out wake and are intimidated by a wake that is too large, so we'll put down the trim tabs for them in an effort to flatten the wake and make it easier for them to just cruise around. Then we pick them up again for those of us who haven't grown out of the specatacular flying wipeouts...

Just got off the water this morning in fact for our usual Thursday morning session...about 12 years running...'twas a beautiful day for a faceplant or two...

 

[500dollar744ti]

Re: V8 bow riders, what prop are you running for wakeboarding???

Now if you dont wakeboard that much and just cross the wake and dont get any air..

Retracting the tabs puts the wake back to normal.

I can usually hold 20-22mph without the help of tabs, my main reason for getting the tabs was to make the boat pop up on plane faster. It makes pulling multiple boarders up with a heavily loaded boat possible when it wasn't before.

I guess I read into the first post wrong. I wanted fast acceleration without sacrificing top end, that's why I ended up with tabs.

I've tried the high thrust props and they do provide stern lift and stability, I just can't stand the slow cruise speeds. Some of these places my friends and I go to for boarding are 30-40 miles down river and capping my cruise speed and top end with a lower pitch was eating away at my gas money.

 

[jeff.nelson83]

Re: V8 bow riders, what prop are you running for wakeboarding???

You are right on the top speed cap 500dollar744ti. I boat on a lake that is only 8,000 ares, but i love to wakeboard and wake surf so i deal with it. Things to think about when buying a prop.