26sonic

what would be the difference between a 25p mirage plus vs the 26 p bravo 1 in performance. i'm sure the bravo 1 would run less max rpms then the mirage plus. would it be worth lab finishing the bravo 1 to get the rpms up to were the mirage plus runs? i want to run at 5000rpms wot.

Griff

If you're spinning a 25 Mirage+ at 5000, you will probably need to run a 24 Bravo 1 to keep the rpms there. You'll get on plain quicker with the B1 and have higher cruise speeds but will probably lose a couple mph on top. I doubt if you'll be able to spin a 26 B1 fast enough even with labbing.

Whiteknuckle

You have to remember all boats and all props are somewhat different even though they are supposed to be the same,( does that make any sense)? Lee,from this board, who runs a 32' Sunsation race boat let me try one of his 26" Bravo 1 labbed finish props on my 24 Sunsation Rocket. Hole shot was great, cruise was great but at WOT the prop gave my boat to much stern lift. I was pulling almost 5100RPM. Right now I am running a non labbed 25" Mirage Plus at about 4600 at about the same top speed as the Bravo. I liked the Bravo except at top end. Your boat may react totally different.

CheckmateF1

26Sonic, I am assuming you have a 260 Prowler. What motor do you have? A good friend of mine(Sydwayz23 here on the board) has a 99 prowler with a 500EFI. He runs a stock 24 Bravo1. And is probably going to get it labbed this winter. You may loose 1 or 2 mph on top by switching to a four blade, but the increase in plan time, cruise speed, acceleration and handling will be well worth it. If you have a 25 Mirage now then the 26 Bravo would be about the same. Remember, Bravo1 props are light on pitch. That 26 pitch is more like a 24-25 pitch. So you should stay close to the WOT rpm your at now.
Good luck, Eric

26sonic

checkmatef1, yes i do have a 26 prowler with 502efi that is currently running a 23p mirage plus lab at 5000rpm for 69-70mph gps.i have spoke to sydwayz23 on the sonic forum before. the reason i'm looking into the prop change to either a 25p mirage plus or 26 bravo 1 is i'm thinking of putting on the vortec maxflow kit and changing to a diff. exhaust and from what i've read and diff. people iv'e talked to that have used this set up they recommended a prop change to the next size up. then determine what works the best and have it lab finished. any helpful tips would be appreciated.

Griff

In that case, I would definately do ALL the mods first and go from there. A B1 24" will still most likely be the best candidate to try first. In general when going form a Mirage+ to a Bravo you go down to the next pitch.

liquid asset

go up one pitch from mirage+ to bravo, a bravo 22 = mirage 21, bravo 24 = mirage 23 and so on

GRH

Listen to liquid Asset... go up one pitch from the Mirage Plus.... B1's are not as much pitch as they are labeled... The 26" B1 is closer to a 24" then a 26"... Another good choice would be a Hydromotive... thier 24 is a 24... you might need a 22 in that prop... but those people will exchange with you if you "guess" wrong the first time... if you meet thier criteria.... good company though... good luck...

Uncle Toys

Don't know if this helps as I have a 26" Daytona with twin 6.2. But we got the boat wet just after Christmas and have run ~12 hours. Half the time with the 25" and half with the 26". CherkmateF1 was very close, the 25's where a little bit of a pain to get on plane, but turned in the best top end (84mph at the rev limiter - 5100rpm). The 26" planed without blowout and once on plane, accelerated like my Nautique. But we lost 3mph at the top (best was 81mph and 4700rpm). Guess it comes down to what you want. A rookies two cents.

tomcat

Characteristics of Mirage and Bravo1 props, based on testing on my Excaliburcat.

25 Mirage - 80 @ 5200
26 Bravo1 - 78 @ 5000
27 Mirage+ -80 @ 4800

The four blades got on plane faster but showed no other advantage at this drive height. They were slower at top speed because I already had enough blade in the water with the Mirage props. Then I raised the drives 2".

25 Mirage - 83 @ 5500
27 HydroIV -84 @ 5000
28 Bravo1 - 82 @ 4800
27 Bravo1 - 82 @ 5000

An extra 3 mph was gained from raising the drives and using the original 25 Mirage props, but planing was difficult with any load, there was almost no trimming ability and the boat would blowout easily. The HydroIV was better than the Mirage at planing but didn't carry the bow any better, and would still blowout a bit.

The Bravo1 props planed as well as the Mirage props did when they were 2" deeper, carried the bow better, and did not blowout no matter how much they were trimmed. This is how I ran the boat last summer. Props were turning in for all tests. Propshafts used to be 6.5" below the hull, are now 4.5" below the hull. You can see how drive height has to go hand in hand with prop style. This is why we have Bravo props; because performance boat builders keep raising the drive heights for speed. It's also why we now have five blade props on the market.

Uncle Toys - I saw your pics! You have a great looking boat. By your performance results, it sounds like you are set up almost perfectly for three blades, a little hassle down low goes with the territory. I know you are thinking of more power in the future, so if you add enough power to need 29" pitch, you'll have to try the 29 Mirage. It has a little bigger diameter (15" instead of 14.5") and might be just right.

I don't remember if you already have the 2" short drives. By your results it sounds like the four blades would like to run higher.

[ 01-09-2002: Message edited by: tomcat ]