what prop do I need?
 

I need prop recomendations.Any one have advice? My boat is a 230 scorpion 260 merc. I have a whale tale and trim tabs and just want to cruise but enjoy the occasinal 50 mph blast ,and to keep up with my pack. So far the 21 mirage just doesent seem to set the world on fire

Re: what prop do I need?
 

That is prob all you can go.I doubt you will spin a 23.

Re: what prop do I need?
 

My boat isnt actually stock but its close. I run an 18 and at 5200 I am running about 52 to 54. The 21 was a slug but was also aluminum. I am planning on going to a stainless 21 this year.

I used to have an aluminum 14x19 on my Scorpion 210 and it jumped out of the water quick so it was good for draggin the kids around on the tube.
However...I wanted to go fast so I bought a 14x21 STAINLESS and it was like night and day! The boat was a slug climbing out of the water but top end galore!!! My tach was reading about 4800 WOT with the stainless and you don't want to go much higher than that.
Go stainless for sure and good luck. Stainless does NOT flex like aluminum and cuts the water better.

Thanks , I used to think that maybe me 260 was weak ,because it just doesnt want to turn any more than 4200 or so and will get me 43 on the GPS. But after my brother bought an identical boat at the tail end of last season with a terrible tune on it (just had to try it out ) it would not even pull my 21! Had to slip a 17 on it just to get it to plane out. So I think my 21 mirage is the right prop I just need to tune on the motor some. I think the 600 holley is a little small on it . I found if you pull out of the throttle a little while pounding it ,it will bring on more RPMs .So I am going to try some different carbs to pull more. I just bought a Predator carb to try I cant wait. 390-900 variable venturi

600 cfm is plenty, if it is running out of rpm up top look at fuel and timing, you can make 400 hp with a 600 cfm carb.

I had a 87 230 Limited Scorpion and it ran best with a 14.25x19 for all around use. It ran in the upper 40 mph range but wouldnt hit 50 mph. I also ran a 14.25x21 prop and it gave me a few extra mph and the boat would hit 50-51 mph, but it was VERY sluggish at takeoff and didnt handle at well at lower speeds. I would put the 21 on If I was running to the islands buy with just myself or one other person. I would switch to a 17 If I would have over 4-5 people and everyone's bag of weekend clothes and a couple coolers of beer. But all in all, it seemed best with the 19 pitch. All the props I had were Stilletto's. I tried a 23 once for laughs and the boat had no performance whatsoever. Dan

I also have a 19 stainless laser II and just as you mentioned it pulls harder out of the hole and lays down faster by about 20% is all , I really dont notice a big difference between the two. I have a whale tail on it too . I have had many people tell me to ditch it there junk . So I tried it with out for a weekend . Big mistake plows bad with the 21 , No difference in top end speed. So no matter what I have tried weather it be timing ,throttle position verification,prop,whale tail,trim tabs,nothing I have tried got me over 44MPH and 4500 RPMs. It is a 355 with a mild cam and aluminum intake and has through hulls.

I forgot to mention, the engine in my 230 Scorpion Limited wasnt the stock 260. With the stock 260, I would only see about 42-45 mph tops. I dropped in a GM crate 330hp engine and that gave me about 5-6 mph or so. It sounds like you need more hp. But be careful, the Alpha's are only good for so much HP and you have to ease into the throttle with the bigger motor. Dan

Thanks ! I too think I can turn the screws on that 355 and get a few more HP out of it. Do you think it would make any diffrence If I changed from 3 inch to 4 inch exhaust? Only reason I have not is the 3s are stock and I like the way it looks.