I know that the Blackhawk props are "piercing" props, but what would be the pros and cons of running them on a bravo 3? Is there a B3 propset better designed for speed without being cupped?

The normal B3 comes in a version with and without cup(it used to, anyway). Then there is the B3XR for high speed. You can always have the cup taken out of them. I think you should put this question in the prop section, and see if Bblades has some good advice. If someone knows, it's him.

Even if the Blackhawk props would not hit the cavitation plate you do not want to run a surfacing prop on a non-surfacing drive. Here is an old thread on BIII prop sets that might interest you.

http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/p...-prop-set.html

If you are looking for more speed, the cheapest all-around solution is to bolt on a B1 lower. Props are plentiful and cheap, and you'll pick up some mph.

MC

Thanks for the link! I sent Brett an email

There's also a new pair of 4 blades available for the B3...

We are still running the original setup on the Donzi Black Hawk. 31 Pitch, 1.5 Blackhawk, 502 w/ 415 HP ... boat will just barly idle without snuffing out and throws a huge wake at idle because of the lack of slip with blades being completely submerged vs half out of water at speed. We have done some mild engine modifications but I feel like we are not much above the original horse power rating. The lowest pitch that I am aware of for the Blackhawk is 27, but I think you would still need decent HP to idle and come out of the hole (with a 1.5 drive ratio). The more common pitches are 29 and 31 (not sure, but maybe only originally available 27, 29 and 31).

Why would you want to do that to your boating experience unless you were really going to enjoy true thrill of a surface drive? Also, unless you stumbled on a deal for a set of Blackhawk props, I would guess that they would be more so expensive. If you ended up with a set of Blackhawks, consider selling them and buying into a decent B3 setup.

Andy

We were just throwing out some ideas. I ended up buying a B3 that we will be switching out the lower gears on. I am doing a bit of homework on the props, but it is fairly tough on this setup, because not many people use this setup to get any kind of speed. Mercury has the new XR props that look interesting. I am not that far from BBlades, sop we may just need to venture up there to do some testing. Whatever we do, its gunna hurt ($$$$$)

Signature Propeller's Four by 4...available in 18, 20, 22, 24, 26 and 28 inches..

www.signaturepropellers.com

$1294 for the set..according to Sportboat Magazine...

I had not looked at these. Thanks for the info!