what props for black thunder
 

Hey im looking for some insight on what props I should buy. The boat came with a set of 26 bravo's that seem to run out well, no problem getting on plane (with four people in boat), and top out at around 68 at about 4600rpm with stock 500 EFI's and XR drives. I was going to buy a backup set of props and was wondering if I should just buy another set of props or if a set of 24's might be more efficient especially when loaded with people

You need to be in the 5,200 to 5,350 range to truly achieve the HP rating for that engine. At 4,600 (assumimg you're at a1.50 ratio)you're only in the low 400 HP range, so dropping 2 inches of pitch will almost get you there.
Good luck!

Steve's the man! Take his advice! He knows set ups very well. And yes, the 24's will work better with more load in the boat. The 26's are a tad much for the 500's and the older steps in the '02 BT. If the 24's work well, you may want to have the 26's bent back to 25's for lighter load long runs. Tommy

Something is wrong, mine has 500efi and when I am loaded with 6 people and rear I put on the 26 bravo's and when it is just me and the girl I put on the 28's and get 5mph almost at cruise. Just for your info

can u post pics of your bt excursion i forgot what it looked like