Posts: 3508
Location: Elk River, Minnesota | Hiya,
I have no doubt in my mind that you are over-pitched by about 2 inches. If you drop to a 13-1/2 x 17 pitch in a stock aluminum, I would bet you will get out of the hole much easier and you will probably see a minimal loss in speed since you will be getting some needed RPM's at the top of the throttle range. If you went with a 19 pitch with 4 blades, I would highly doubt you would get out of the hole at all...the motor just is not strong enough with that much resistance in the water.
If you go to a 4 blade, you would need to drop another inch in pitch to a 16...possibly a 15 pitch. For really heavy loads, a 15 pitch would be needed. That is a very heavy boat for the horsepower you have on the back. You might be able to get away with a 4 blade 17 pitch along with moving the motor up another hole. If this is something that you would consider, I would suggest trying a solas 4 blade aluminum in a 13" x 17" configuration.
If you are in the twin cities area, I have a stock 17 pitch you could try out....
Steve |
