poudlysailor

Great Boat!

Kraftei

Thanks for the information. Me being me I already sold the old prop so I am now on the hunt for a new one. I called BBLades and tried to contact a fellow named Brett (supposed to be the Baja expert), left 3 messages for him and no call back so I am moving on.. I read historically on the forums that my boat came with a 23 pitch Mirage Plus that was too small and people were bumping the rev limiter. I thought the 24 pitch would be perfect. Problem is the next step up is a 25. I also read where the hull design was best suited for a 3 blade, since I already tried a 4 blade I would not mind trying a 3.

I have kinda decided in my mind that a Mirage Plus 24 p would be perfect but because they don't make one does someone make a similar prop in a 24p ? Thanks !!

PA.WOODCHUCK

BBlades is VERY busy, so go to site and use the contact and wait. He will get to it but maybe awhile.

Kraftei

I spoke to Mercury Racing (got right through to a fellow), he recommended the Bravo 1 FS in either a 24 or a 24.5 pitch. I am not familiar with this prop, apparently its a redesigned version of the Bravo 1. Thoughts ?

Bavanew

Knowing your RPM will really tell you if you've got the right prop. I also have a boss 232, so I'm familiar with it's characteristics.
If you're achieving 65-67 mph with a 25P 4-blade, then I'll guesstimate that you're reaching close to 4,750 RPM at 67 mph. And that's impressive with a 375HP engine and that boat.

I have a carbed 509 that was dyno tuned to 570HP at 5,200 RPM. It takes all of those ponies to get my boat to 73 MPH with a 26P 4-blade, lab finished .I also have a 24P 4- blade prop that gets me to 67.5 MPH at 5,200 RPM. That equates to roughly 2.5 MPH difference per inch of pitch. A 25P should get me to about 71 MPH at 5,200. I figure you're in the 4,700 range. If you went to a 24P blade you would probably get to 4,900 rpm. I'm not sure what your rev limiter is set to, but I set mine to 5,200, as the 502's performs well there. I could trim higher to get 5,400 and more speed, but I rather play it safe. Besides, I'm not trying to get any more speed from my boat, as it's already being pushed to its limits IMO. At 73 MPH the chine is quite evident, thus I feel relieved as I start to decelerate. lol.

With my trim tabs set parallel to the hull, I can eliminate the porpoising. I keep my tabs set there full time. (That's two to threes bars down on the trim tab gauge.) Of course I still adjust my tabs to compensate for list, if necessary. But once you know where your tabs should be set for best overall performance/balance, just keep them there as a default starting point.

Yes, if you want to keep the bow down while not on plane, you'll have to fully engage your tabs. Mine does the same thing. However, I find it creates more bow steer doing that, so I just keep the bow up high when coming in slow. (5 -7 mph) That doesn't bother me. Usually it's the passengers on the rear bench who are stuck looking into the sky. lol.

IMO a 4-blade prop has better handling characteristics for the 232. Some have had different experiences, but my vote is for the 4-blade.

Cheers,
Blair

Kraftei

Thank you for the informative post. I read on the forums that my rev limiter is set at 4950, that said I spoke to a fellow with the exact same boat with a 23p 3 blade and he is running 65 MPH @ 5100 rpm (not hitting his rev limiter). He wants to prop up as he is over revving so he waiting to see how I make out.. I read the Bravo 1 FS literature and it notes that coming from a REV 4 to a Bravo 1 FS requires a 2" increase in pitch to maintain the same rpm. Based on that information I am suggesting I run a 24.5 or even a 25.

Good information on the tabs, the previous owner suggested they are not required (when we were talking), probably just to cover his ass because of the repairs that the tabs required. I experimented with them a little but not under speed, I will for sure set them to 3 tabs and see if that helps with the handling under WOT, in theory that should extend the length of the hull and maybe assist with the chime walking. That said it sounds like maybe chiming is a issue with the 232.

I think I will go with what the Merc guy suggested, just need to be sure on pitch. A 25p will increase my RPM so maybe that will put me in the sweet spot.

PS. I am at 2200 elevation, the GPS was a Garmin (assume its accurate), the previous owner claimed the boat was a HO but nothing I have found to date indicates that, his belief is possibly why he went with so much pitch. That said, I personally don't think my boat should be running this fast with the current prop so maybe the engine is a little healthier, dunno.

Regards Jay

Bavanew

Before you purchase another prop make sure you record your rpm/speed with your current setup. Go for a run and record your speed and rpm at different intervals. X RPM at 20 mph, X RPM at 30 MPH and so forth. Then you can truly compare and make a calculated decision when you try a different prop.

I wasn't aware that going from a rev 4 to an FS requires a 2" increase to maintain the same RPM.
I assume that it has a similar effect of a lab finished prop, it cuts through the water easier?
Or is it that it's undersized when compared to a rev 4 of the same pitch?

Every boat has its limitations. These 232's were not designed as race boats, and they did not come from the dealer capable of 70 mph.
Once so much of your hull is out of the water you are literally performing a balancing act on water. There's only a fraction of the hull making contact.
As per Newton's 3rd law, "For every action there's an equal and ..........."
Prop thrust/torque is shifting your boat, your factory steering has play in it, so your prop is shifting left to right without you even noticing it. The pivot point is on the pad of the hull, so it takes very little influence to shift the direction of the boat. And there are other variables that come onto play.

As for your trim tabs, I have the insta trim set. So unless you have the same ones, don't use the 3 bar marker as a reference. Put your boat on the trailer and adjust the tabs until they are parallel to the hull, then take note of the bars on your gauge. That will always be a good starting point, and they'll require very little adjustment to correct porpoising. Also, when you make adjustments with your tabs, simply depress the switch incrementally for say, half a second, then wait 5 to 6 seconds to see how the boat responds. It doesn't take much to make a difference.

Also, you may or may not have experienced this before, but I'll share with you to spare you the unnecessary excitement.
If you decide that you're going to lower/extend your trim tabs 100% while moving less than say, 5 mph or stopped, make sure that both tabs are in the same position. Last year one of my magnetic sensors was asking up, and it caused the port side of the gauge to show that the port tab was fully extended. Anyway, I had planned to raise the stern /lower the bow because I was moving slowly and my passengers couldn't see anything. Seeing as my port trim tab was already in the down position 100%, I decided to lower the starboard side 100%. Once that was done I accelerated to get going. Well, holy ****, let me tell you, I realized in a hurry that my port tab wasn't down! It drove the port side of the bow down so aggressively wile raising the starboard stern that it caused the boat to turn to port.
Everyone in the boat was jolted as though I had just taken an unexpected high speed turn. It certainly gave me an appreciation of how much those tabs can influence the boat. Had I been on plane while lowering the tab, then I would have felt an immediate change in list and realized that something wasn't kosher. However, because I was barely moving there wasn't enough pressure pushing against the tab to influence the boat.

Moral of the story: Do not put all of your faith into your gauges. They're great when they work, but when they fail, things can get out control pretty fast! Whenever I'm uncertain of the actual position of the tabs vs what the gauge is showing, I always bring my tabs up 100% before starting to adjust them. Can't go wrong when starting from a fully raised position.
Anyway, I thought I'd share that with you since you seem like you're still new to tabs.

Blair