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Posts: 31
| Hi All, I am looking for recommendations for a prop for my new Ranger Angler 1880MS. The boat has an I4 Merc Verado 200 and a 19 pitch Tempest Plus with the vent holes open. I now have 20 hours on the motor and am getting 49 mph at 6200 rpm with just me, my fishing gear and 1/2 tank of gas. Hole shot is good, 0 to 30 in about 7.5 seconds, but not awe inspiring. I am looking for good overall performance. Most of the time I am fishing inland lakes, but some of the time I just cruise, pull skiers or tubers and I also want to fish lake Michigan and Green Bay occasionally. I am hoping to see 51 or 52 mph without loss of hole shot. Has anybody with this rig tried a 20 pitch Bravo FS? Any other suggestions? |
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Posts: 31
| Anyone? VMS? |
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Posts: 47
| Finding a correct prop for your situation covers more than prop pitch alone. Total weight and its distribution in your boat can change things drastically: two guys and a lot of gear vs just you, full tank of gas or no, where your batteries are located can all change performance without doing anything else. The more weight you pile in the more your performance suffers. Pulling skies/tubes is a whole different deal than getting up and going on your own.
That said I'd say your right in the wheelhouse for "enough" prop. Merc lists the "max RPM" as 5800 - 6400 RPM WOT range. In a perfect world, optimum conditions and perfect setup you would see over 53 mph with a 19P @ 6200. That indicates <10% prop slip so the rest of the setup looks good.
Changing props, assuming the same amount of slip, going up an inch in pitch will decrease your RPMs by 150 -200 which your motor will "tolerate" and still remain within the recommended MAX RPM range and should hit a little over 50 MPH @ 6050 RPM everything else being equal. Going to a 21 you'd get almost 52 @ 5900 RPM. The thing is your hole shot may be reduced and it will most certainly be more difficult to get those skiers up and out of the drink. Lots of folks keep a couple of different props and swap them based on the use of the day.
Stupid question: Have you played with the trim to optimize performance with your current prop or are you just "lining up the marks" on the trim gauge? Use your ear, GPS and tach to tell you what your rig likes.
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Posts: 31
| Otto, thanks for your input! Yes, I am tuning the trim to get the best performance. I don't think that I want to go up in pitch as hole shot and the ability to stay up on plane will suffer. I talked to D&H propellers and they recommended sharpening the front edge of the blades on my Tempest Plus and adding cup to reduce slip. This may allow me to raise the motor up a notch as well. They does not think that the Bravo props will help me much as I need a prop that lifts the boat. They recommended a Solas 4 blade prop for times when the boat is loaded down or when I'm pulling skiers or tubes. |
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Posts: 37
Location: MN | I bought this same boat 3 days ago-new....same motor. Sales guy said this boat should go mid 50's all day long,
I've had it out three days in a row and best I could get was 47 with 1/2 fuel and trim.... My RPM's max at 3500 for some reason at full throttle.... |
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Posts: 31
| Something is wrong then. I suspect a tach issue as I don't see how you could be getting 47 mph at 3500 rpm. What prop do you have? Tempest plus 19" pitch? |
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Posts: 37
Location: MN | Ya I think you are right....the tac guage must be reading low....The PSI guage was also inop until the third time out as well.... I'll get both checked when they replace the dash board that they mangled when cutting the hole for the depth finder.
This is my first fiberglass boat and four stroke motor so I was not sure what to expect with performance.... I think it will be a good overall match up....I would not have wanted the standard 150 HP for sure....But if it was rated for a 250HP I would upgrade to have better out of the hole performance and better top end....
It was impressive to troll and change spots for 8 hours and only use a 1/4 tank of gas....My old 2 stroke would have used double or triple that amount.... |
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Posts: 31
| I agree, I'm really liking the Verado!
I think that you will see a little more on the top end if you tweak the trim a little bit. I think that we will need to have our props professionally re-done if we want to see 50 mph. |
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