2003 Fever 29 prop pitch
 

Running a 28 pitch 4 blade prop on Fever 29 525. Very Very Slow plaining with more than 2 people and half tank of gas.
Need tribal knowledge from fellow Fever 28 owners. Will a 26 pitch 4 blade get on plain in less time and less strain on the
engine? If it will get me out of the hole faster what will be the result in speed loss. Excellent ride and top end with 28 pitch
once you get out of the hole, but the issue is getting out of the hole. Title should read 28 prop pitch not 29

I know alot of people on the Fountain Facebook page run 26s and are okay with sacrificing a little top end speed for the quicker getting on plane. I have the stock 28P bravo on my 29 with a 525 also and with 4 people and coolers its 15-20 seconds to plane and feels like you are just slogging. I am going to see if anyone has a 26-27p to try when I am at the shootout this year, but I know a ton of guys that put a 26 on there and lose 3mph top end, but state it is a much better boat.

Im assuming you are using full trim tabs when getting on plane and then raising them up when she starts to open up? When I have more 3-4 people on the boat I cant even get on plane without tabs.

4 people in boat, half tank of gas, full tabs, stern all the way in. Full throttle. Takes forever to plane and when she does plane and opens up I come off the tabs and it flies. Just really annoying waiting for boat to plane with a number of people in boat.

Agreed, when you get new people on your boat and they look at you like something is wrong and you just have to assure them everything is fine, just takes a while.

Ill let you know later this month if I find a different prop to test out and what the results are. I am getting high on hours also and plan to pull the engine to rebuild the top end this winter, not sure if I could be down on power, but boat definitely doesn't go as fast as people on the internet say it should. seeing 68 pretty regularly.

Not really worried about speed. Just the enjoyment factor. With 28 pitch prop running 3 clicks out on drive, very little to not tab, boat runs 77mph to 79 mph, probably could do better if I had more experience with the step hull. Considering fuel consumption at 52 to 56 gph at full throttle, there will be very few times I will be running over 60 with family. I have a 26 pitch that came with purchase of boat. I will take it to my prop repair professional and have it checked for balance and trueness. If he give me the GO I will swap out prop this weekend and give you an update. Thanks for your input. Just wanted to make sure that I did not have some type of mechanical issue considering the slow plane.

Engine and Outdrive has documented rebuild of 80 hrs. Can not complain on performance or condition of engine

what RPM are you hitting when you are at 77-79?

Also, what is your drive ratio?

5800 rpm

Bravo Racing XR - 1:50:1

If you go down to a 26 you are going to be all over the rev limiter with that setup. You will probably get on plane faster but the setup you have now sounds spot on from a performance perspective.

Have everyone move to the cabin when taking off.....maybe that will help pop you up faster?

Are you sure on this? The 525's are limited @ 5400, unless they have been reprogramed.

I run 78 at 5200 rpms with a 28 B1. You should be upper 80's at 5800.

Im assuming this is legit GPS speed?

Yes.

29 fountain fever with a stock 525EFI?

Plaining with 28 pitch
 

Any suggestions on how to get out of the hole without dropping to a lower pitch prop. Just had my 26 re-hubbed and balanced ready to go on the boat.

I switched from 28 b1 to 28 Hydromotiive 5 blade. Much easier to plane.

Jim,

A Good Read

This might be a weird question, but are you sure you're getting what you think you should out of the engine?

Thanks. Brad.
(937)545-8991