Help me find the right prop !!!!
 

I just purchased a 2002 baja 25 outlaw with a 496 HO Mag, a bravo drive with 1.5 gears, trim tabs, mufflers - yuk, and a 23 pitch mirage prop.

I was wondering if anyone had tested props on this setup. Can you tell me what prop worked best, RPM's, speed, what work was done on the prop and how a labed prop allows you to go up in pitch and what work needs to be done on a prop to make it work better.

Does anyone have a spare prop for this setup that wants to sell it or let a boating buddy try it?

Thanks in advance....

You have the best prop already, get rid of those muffelers quick, get some ss angle tips from www.eddiemarine.com

I've tried several props, running a bigger wheel may sound cool but you need to keep it in the 5,000 rpm range

Call Matt at Throttle-Up Props. 727-531-2255
He knows his business and is hell of a nice guy, he will treat you right.

I've been running a 25"P Mirage Plus that has been lab-finished. The diameter was cut down 3/8" the blades thinned, cupping added and the diffuser ring cut off. I can achieve about 4950rpms with this prop lightly loaded and it gained 3.5mph over my stock 23. I still like the 23 when I'm haevy, though. It planes better and handles the rough better and accelerating.

Next, would be to lab-finish my 23, it may perform as good as the 25.

Thanks guys for the info. It sounds like I'm already where I need to be. Can you tell me what lab finishing and cupping props is all about?

Thanks a lot

In a nutshell, lab-finishing is an metalurgical artform, perfected by only a select few, which consists of fine-tuning a propellor in the areas of weight and balance, optimum blade thickness, rake angles, pitch, cupping proportion and many other variables.

The cupping on a prop blade is a little curl on the trailing edge. It acts much like a flap on an aircraft wing and changes the lift(thrust) of the blade. It also affects how a prop lifts the stern or the bow. Some props carry the bow up high, while other will lift the stern more.

Many good prop experts can customize props to best achieve maximum performance out of a certain boat/engine/drive combination.

In other words, it's black magic! :D:D

Thanks Nick..sounds like you've been there done that. Would you recommend anything that I should do to get maximum performance out of my 25? Not just top end but also hole shot, cruising, efficiency, etc.

Thanks a lot..You have been very helpful

I have also heard that Baja boats have a hook in the stern of the boat that causes them to porpoise more than other boats. Is this true? Does it hurt the performance if it exists? How much hook is there and how do you tell if it exists? If there what can be done about it or should I not even worry about it.

Thanks

Not sure about the 25, but I have a hook on my 24. Yes, it does porpoise at about 55-58 or so, not above or below for the most part and can be corrected with some trim or tabs. It is annoying as hell though. The hook is at about the last 6" of the hual....it actually hooks down. Think of it this way.....

Rocker and Hook are like left and right. One is the opposite of the other. Well, a wake board or a hockey skate blade have rocker in them...then bend up at the ends....so a hook is, ofcourse, the opposite. The lowest part of the hook is at the very end where the bottom of the boat sqaures off at the transom. You can feel it or see it if you know what you are looking for, not very hard to find typically.

I have heard nightmares about removing the hook, the handle of the boat goes to hell and it is hard to get dialed in right. Just leave it be is my .02

BTW...anyone ever buzz a Rev4 or B4blade on a 25. Man, with the improvement I got on mine, the right 4 blade oughtta really help a 25....although I am aware of the big hual diffs. Find one that lets you spin 4900 or 5000 and that should be a great piece, don't ya think?

Good luck...hammer down:)

oooppssss,

mistyped, meant to say "they" bend up at the ends, not "then" bend up at the ends.

If I were Daze I could click and paste and move and all sorts of s*** and get it all fixed without this post to tell you about it....but I'm not......:D ;)

Baja Daze :I've been running a 25"P Mirage Plus that has been lab-finished. The diameter was cut down 3/8" the blades thinned, cupping added and the diffuser ring cut off.

Who did that job????

I can achieve about 4950rpms with this prop lightly loaded and it gained 3.5mph over my stock 23.

What was max rpm with the stock Mirage plus 23" ????

I still like the 23 when I'm haevy, though. It planes better and handles the rough better and accelerating : The 23 ??


Thanks
JS232

Allan's right on with the hook issue. I think of a hook as a built-in Trim tab...Some manufacturers put hooks in hulls for a reason...Worst part is that, you'll never know exactly what the results will be until you try it...At that point it may be too late and you may not like the results.

------------------

JS232,
I got your PM...good questions. (1)I have no idea who did the lab work, but it was many people from what I understand. The prop is a loaner that I've been borrowing. It was once a prop from an old B-Class Boat. (2)The rpms with my stock 23P Mirage Plus were very close to the rpms of the 25 I've been running; just a touch over 4950, but just under 5000. (3)I was referring to my original 23P Mirage Plus that came with the boat. Sorry, I left out that part. ;)

I suppose labbing the 23P would benefit speeds if I could turn it faster, but I would then be hitting the rev limiter. I'll just stick with 2 props for now, the 23 when heavy, the 25 when going all out when light.

Wonderwick,
The biggest bang for the buck, as you'll hear frequently around here, is to go for a blower. Most of the other smaller performance mods will just nickel and dime you to death for that extra 1/2 mph here, one mph there.

I have not done any mode to mine yet. :) I'm getting used to the idea of good reliability. There's something to be said for a turnkey boat.

I agree a turnkey is nice to just get in it a go.. but like the rest of you I like the speed too. At some point I may put a procharger on it at 3.5 pounds boost and see what happens but that will be a while yet. From what I was told on the board, if I do anthing to the motor now I'll loose my warranty and I have the extended warranty so I'm not going to mess with it for now.

Can you tell me what the effects of a 4 blade prop are? And can you go up in pitch using a four blade and still get the bottom end performance too? Would a 4 blade help any?

I do appreciate all the info you guys have provided, you have been very helpful.

Wonderwick,
Anything to help an OSO Brother! :D

General rule of thumb, when going from a 3-blade to a 4-blade, you should go down one inch in pitch. A good match for your 23P Mirage Plus would be a 22P Bravo1 prop.

A 4-blade will help tremendously getting on plane, will net much better mid-range cruise performance(lower rpms at mid range speeds) and acceleration should be improved. Another benefit is a 4-blade prop will hold turns better without blowing out(veltilating and losing bite).

The downside is usually a reduction in top speed.

If my 25 outlaw was your boat would you consider a 4 blade or leave it like it is with the 23 mirage?

Thanks again for everyones' help.

I just thought of something else. Sorry... I acquired a land and sea varible pitch prop a few years ago and have it on the shelf in the garage. Has anyone ever tried one of these? I have never used it but was told it was an expensive prop. It has adjustments on it that allows you to set it for different top end pitches and it is supose to shift to higher pitches once the boat plans out and you trim the drive. Anyone know anything about this prop.????

I wouldn't mess with an adjustable prop with a boat like ours. They'll self-destrust in far lower horsepower aplications...I doubt it would last 5 minutes on your boat.

Personally, I would like to have one of each...Like I mentioned, the 4-blade would probably be the preferred prop for most situations, except top speed. If you just cruise a lot, a 4-blade should prove more reasonable. Also, if you frequently carry a lot of people fully loaded, a 4-blade would make it easier to plane and maintain cruise speeds.

The 3-blade will be faster and more agile at the top end.

But, of course everyone's likes can be different. Try one, see if you like it. There should be a number of prop shops that will allow you to try a prop before you buy.

Or maybe someone here can loan you one...Unfortunately, I don't have one.

:)

Thanks again, The shops around here will not loan props and if you buy one its yours no exchanges so I'm kinda stuck in this regard. Must be nice to live somewhere where you can work with local businesses. I had to go to Pittsburg to buy the boat - they wanted $15,000 more here for the same piece I bought in PA.

A Procharger and 3.5 will get you about 76 on a 496magho 25 Outlaw. CFD5 has that set up and has seen about 76 or so GPS.

Runs strong.

My boat works against the normal theory, probably due to the deep X dimension, but the 23Rev4 was the best handleing, best mid range AND fastest prop I tried. Daze is correct though, but I would like to hear about someone spinning a 4 blade to 5K on a 25 Outlaw and see what happens. Just curious....

Good luck, have fun.

A4:)