Is it better to buy a factory "labbed" merc bravo 1 prop or buy a non labbed prop and have it Labbed aftermarket. Any advantages or disadvanges ?

That is a tough call and you will get a lot of different answers. I have had a labbed prop crack before on my outboard tunnel. It was a mercury labbed prop...not that it was their fault...labbed props are thinner and will have a tendancy to flex leading to cracks. I would choose whoever will work with you or reworks getting the prop to do what you want it to do.

Buy stock, run it. See what you want-- more bow lift, more stern lift, better mid range, better top end?, more cup or cut the diffuser off?. There's a lot of things you can do when you get a prop labbed. My point being, have it worked for you instead of a generic lab. And call Bblades.

exact answer I was going to type...before I read mastercrafts.

Iv'e been testing a B-1 26 p non labbed for my second season and have decided that going to a "labbed" prop for my boat is the best option. The real question is when I buy new and Labbed at the factory, are the specs / tollarences better than taking a chance that some one will meet the standards of the factory.

The reason for me buying new is the prop I have, developed a crack that can't be repaired

Still the same answer. 2 labbed props from Merc or someone else can be different (unless they were made to be a matched set)

I believe BBlades was at one time a Merc Employee that did thier labbing...he may be a good choice for you.

Teague is selling b-1 factory labbed for $895 non labbed $549This is a good price for the Labbed. I know that you can get a better price for the non labbed but lets say I purchase the B-1 for $549 add the lab price of bblades $360 for a 4 blade prop. I know you get what you pay for but on a normal labbed prop the expectation is to get 200-400 more rpm so I would say 250-300 could be a realistic expectation, I'm talking factory. Could some one like b blades or an independant get more out of it? The perfect senario for me would be 400 rpm. I already know that pitching down to a 24p prop won't help.

BBlades is great.

The advantage of buying Labbed Merc props from Teague is that you get them in 1-3 days...instead of 2-3 weeks wait time to have a prop labbed by someone else.

Another advantage of using Merc Labbed props, is that you can get them in 1 inch increments as opposed to buying a stock Merc prop in 2 inch increments and then having it labbed.

Third advantage to Merc Lab props bought thru Teague... is that I think they are cheaper than buying a stock Merc prop, and then having it labbed.

Just my opinion,

Chris

P.S. The $895 price for a Merc Lab prop bought through Teague also includes a new solid hub...which you won't get when buying a stock Merc prop...making this deal even sweeter.

Ditto.

Merc has a standard lab finish recipe. It may work well for some boats and not others.
BBlades will lab the prop to your exact needs.

In my case, a Merc lab would not have worked and would have put me on the rev limiters. BBlades labbed mine, increased the rpm by about 100-150 and added some pitch/cupping. I'm right at 5100rpms now just shy of the rev limiter and picked up 2-3mph.