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Posts: 223
Location: Minn. | I have a 1850 Fishhawk with a 135 Optimax with a 14 1/2 X19" prop.
I would like to get a stainless steel prop. Should I stay with the 19" prop.
Or go to a 13 3/4 X 17" prop. I'm told that a 17" will give me a good hole
shot but slower speed. Is this correct? Thanks for any help.
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| I have a 03 fishwawk that has a 135 opti also. My only complaint about the boat is it has a huse hook in the hull and cant get any speed out of it. 40mph all day long. The more throttle i put down the more spray i get. What is my solution anyone???
Besides buy a Ranger  | |
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Posts: 1096
Location: Hayward, WI | I have ran a 1850 with a 150 Opti with a 19 pitch Rev 4 that did great, holeshot and topend were great. I also tried a 19 Tempest but likee the Rev $ better. I would think with a 135 the 17 would be the choice.
As far as the hook Crestliner was taking theese back at the factory and fixing them under warranty back when there were some issues with hooks. I don't know for sure how they fixed them at the factory.
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| Has anybody tried a Mercury Enertia Stainless Prop 18 pitch? I'm looking to get one of these. | |
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Posts: 3508
Location: Elk River, Minnesota | muskyfvr - 2/21/2011 10:40 PM
I have a 1850 Fishhawk with a 135 Optimax with a 14 1/2 X19" prop.
I would like to get a stainless steel prop. Should I stay with the 19" prop.
Or go to a 13 3/4 X 17" prop. I'm told that a 17" will give me a good hole
shot but slower speed. Is this correct? Thanks for any help.
Hiya,
In the situation you are working with, going down 3/4" in diameter will help keep your rpms up when you switch to steel. So in your case, you would see roughly a 300 - 500 RPM drop due to a switch to steel in the same pitch, but roughly a 300 RPM gain for reducing diameter (every 1/4" is roughly 100 RPMs). Should almost come out in a wash if you stayed 19 pitch, but there is a point of diminishing returns in this and performance goes down significantly if you get too much pitch for the motor. Going to 17 pitch might reduce your overall speed a little (very little... I think), but your hole shot would be great as compared.
In the aluminum prop, chances are you are not getting the full 19 inches of pitch that the prop is marked at anyway...reason for this is due to how much aluminum will flex, and aluminum props slip quite significantly, reducing the efficiency of the motor (result, wasted gas) While under load, that 19 pitch aluminum is probably running more along the lines of a strong 17 pitch anyway due to the flex.
I would say going to the 17 pitch in steel is a good move. The steel will not flex anywhere near as much which means the prop will be running at a true 17 pitch. With most steel props, there is a designed cupping on the trailing edge and fin tip, which will essentially make the prop hook up more, which reduces the amount of slip in the prop with the water. It will lift the entire boat out of the water more, and the prop will not ventilate anywhere near as much as compared to an aluminum prop in a turn. A cupped prop in 17 pitch would then act more like an uncupped 18 pitch. The other benefit of running steel....you can usually raise your motor up off the transom a couple of holes...especially if you find a prop that hooks up really well in all RPM ranges.
The best thing you can do, though, is find a dealer that has a demo prop program (demo props in many cases I have experienced are blue), try different brands, diameters and pitches, and head to the lake for a day of testing. One prop will stick out above the rest in terms of speed, hole-shot and overall handling. The process can get tedious, but well worth the time, since the prop that performs the best is the most efficient prop as well.
Good luck, and I hope this helps you out some..
Steve
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Posts: 3508
Location: Elk River, Minnesota | Ryan Marlowe - 2/22/2011 1:09 AM
I have a 03 fishwawk that has a 135 opti also. My only complaint about the boat is it has a huse hook in the hull and cant get any speed out of it. 40mph all day long. The more throttle i put down the more spray i get. What is my solution anyone???
Besides buy a Ranger ;-)
Hiya,
If there is a hook in the hull, I would definitely be checking with Crestliner about whether or not the boat is still under warranty. If it is still under warranty (not sure if the boat is used, and/or whether or not the warranty is transferable if you are not the first owner of the boat), by all means, take it to them and get it fixed. Your hard earned pennies should get you a boat that runs correctly...especially from that manufacturer.
To fully determine if you have a hook in the hull, take a straight edge and lay it flat from the transom edge forward. If the hull is hooked even 1/16" anywhere from right at the back to about a foot before the transom edge, as shown by a gap between the straight edge and the hull, your bow isn't going to have much of a chance to rise...your prop will blow out first. Fixable? Yes... Fun job...no, and definitely best left to the manufacturer to handle...especially since crestliner is a welded hull...
The hook helps in some ways to get the stern higher in the water, which helps keep it on plane at lower speeds, and helps pop the boat out of the hole faster, but top speed is what suffers overall. Handling is good since the bow is down and will cut the water well on turns, but the boat would be running quite inefficiently.
If you can check it out with Crestliner about a warranty issue and that hook, I would say follow up with it. They are a reputable company and should take care of you, unless they can prove negligence on your part. I have heard that a rear-roller trailer improperly set up can potentially create a hook in the hull, which they may not cover, so that is something to be aware of as well..
I do hope it is something they can help you with if you decide to follow up....
Steve | |
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Location: Hayward WI | Guest,
I"ve got an 1850 w/ a 150 Opti and run the 18p Enertia, max rpms 5400. Top end is 49mph, hole shot is instant. No complaints with the prop. I"m not into squeaking out every mph I can, so there are things I could do like move the motor height but don't care to. | |
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Posts: 1096
Location: Hayward, WI | Ryan, what prop do have on our boat? If you have not tried different props that maybe all you need. They may have come from the factory with a small hook in them on purpose. Crestliner designed a small hook in some hulls, not sure which ones, to help with porposing. Theese boats really like a prop with some lift. I woud recommend a 18" Alpha 4 alum prop or a 17" Rev 4 prop as both have good lift. | |
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Posts: 30
Location: Going Fishing | VMS - 2/22/2011 9:40 PM
In the situation you are working with, going down 3/4" in diameter will help keep your rpms up when you switch to steel. So in your case, you would see roughly a 300 - 500 RPM drop due to a switch to steel in the same pitch, but roughly a 300 RPM gain for reducing diameter (every 1/4" is roughly 100 RPMs). Should almost come out in a wash if you stayed 19 pitch, but there is a point of diminishing returns in this and performance goes down significantly if you get too much pitch for the motor. Going to 17 pitch might reduce your overall speed a little (very little... I think), but your hole shot would be great as compared.
Steve,
On the question of the Mercury Enertia with a 18 pitch, would it be better suited for the boat? Or do you think the 17 pitch would give better performance? Everything I've read about the Mercury Enertia has rave reviews.
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Posts: 3508
Location: Elk River, Minnesota | Hiya,
The best thing you can do is try it out. No matter what boat and motor combination you have, rigs set up with identical components will not perform the same. Thus, the prop on, say...rig A may not work on rig B.
I have not run the Enertia prop, but would agree with you that it has great reviews... If you can find one to try out, I would highly recommend it.
Steve | |
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135 Optimax Prop?