Ya that's why I am gonna try, trying to figure out why the 29p hydro kept blowing out. I couldn't get on plane at all, just blew out right before it roll over.

Prob just not enough cup in the blades.

With the prop slip calculator my slip for the 28p is around 17-18 percent. I mean it hardly sounds like the motors working to get to the rev limiter. The motor dynoed 735hp, will a 30p help this or will I have the same problem getting on plane? Really don't want to jump up to a 5 blade.

boat should be dead in the 80's...even before, need to get rev limiter up...need to turn 5600-5800, make sure running LH prop, either 28 or 30 hydromotive should be the trick, make sure that you are getting boost, if not take off flame arrester and run without to see if that changes...something not right with your setup...

Not sure if I missed it somewhere but where did the motor make peak power at? With 735hp in a stepped hull 29 fever set up correctly you should be hitting the 90's or damn near close to it. Its kinda weird that the hydro is blowing out, fountains pre 2000's love hydro's, some people do experience a negatives here and there getting up on plane, but nothing crazy that I have heard. With 735hp and a 5 blade probably is not the best idea, specially with a LH rotation drive (if you are LH rotation you should look into getting a billet top cap), and really if you have a stock x dimension a 5 blade shouldn't be necessary. I have a 95 27 stepped hull fever and I am right around 4.5" below the bottom on prop center line. At 77mph you are way off the mark of what that boat should run with that power.

Hydro props are true to pitch, where bravo props are a little under pitch. A 28p bravo 1 is around 27.3-27.5 where a 29 hydro is a true 29.

Original motors power was unknown. New engines he ran 77 banging the limiter. Not 77 mph max.

I've seen it many times when a prop simply has the cupping washed away, or a poor repair removed much of it. I've seen high x SSM boats not plane with 18" 5 blades, but lay right over with 17" 4 blades. Its not always x dimension or blade count.

Another thing to keep in mind. Sea level, salt water can be a lot faster than a freshwater boat in a bit of altitude.

Is there a dyno sheet to see where this engine would be happy at rpm wise ?

I got 17.26% using 27.3 for the pitch on the 28p bravo 1. Without knowing where you made peak power, and with it being rev limited at 5400 its really hard to say where you need to go prop wise. Since you are having problems with the hydro, try a 30p bravo and see if that keeps you off the limiter, then you can make a determination of what you are really at. Was either prop new? Or do you know the history of both props? 1 or both may have been worked on or refinished at some point and is the reason your slip is up there. I am on average around 11% slip in my 27 with a 26p hydro set up by hydro for my boat, and all it is is the diameter is cut down to 15" and the blades were sharpened, not thinned, just sharpened. I bought the prop new from hydro with the work done. I picked up 2-2.5mph and about 100rpms from it on the big end. If you get your slip down in the 13-15% range and can spin a 30p bravo in the 5600 range the boat should be in the 90-92mph range. I would take it out with 2 people, and half of a tank of fuel, and test a 30p bravo 1 and see if it puts you on the 5400 rev limiter still. If it does you should be 86-88mph area there, and then you need to raise the limiter, or prop up if 5400rpm is where it made peak power, which I am sure it was higher then 5400.