Posts: 3489
Location: Elk River, Minnesota | Hiya,
In all honesty, power transfer is Higher with a 4 blade at the same RPM as a comparable 3 blade. Problem is, a 4 blade will lower your rpm due to the extra blade, which helps the prop stay hooked up to the water better. More blade surface area means more friction between water and prop, thus better thrust and better handling. a 4 blade will be slower than a 3 blade in most cases since a reduction in pitch is usually needed to go to a 4-blade prop.
On a 50hp motor, I would say you would not need a 4 blade, unless the motor is on a big pontoon. There, speed is not an issue....forward thrust is. On a 16 foot boat, the 3 blade will do well, and you can find various 3-blade designs to try out and get the one that best suits how you want the boat to perform.
Steve
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