Posts: 3514
Location: Elk River, Minnesota | Hiya,
The 3 blade prop will allow you to go to a higher pitch in most cases as you don't have the extra friction of the 4th blade. What you give up in losing the 4th blade is handling for the most part, but speed is what you normally gain.
Some of the really heavy boats need the extra blade for the increased lift it provides. A great example of that is in the Ranger 690 series of boats where the gas tank was located more toward the bow of the boat. The 4th blade on the prop helped with bow and stern lift giving better performance and less slip.
No matter what you do with propping a boat, there will always be compromises that need to be made. Usually it is a balance desired by the driver for holeshot and handling vs speed.
Steve |
