correct prop selection
 

hey gents i am new here with a new boat to me as well, she is a 2005 26 ft new era
i am wondering what the correct prop selection for a 496 ho with headers would be
i prefer 4 blades over 3 the boat currently has a 22 pitch 4blade but i feel this is a little under where i should be and i am adding the headers over the winter months
regards M

Welcome!

This isnt an exact science to say the least. The "right size and pitch" depends on how and where you boat and how you boat as much as the power you have.

In other words if you always have a 6 person family in it and you boat at 3000ft then you are going to need a smaller pitch prop.

If you boat at sea level and its you and the GF and you "tour" long lakes vs water ski where out of the hole performance is badly needed- then you can consistently run a steeper pitch.

The headers will set the stage for any more performance mods to come and "buy you" a few hundred rpm more and a bit more midrange.

Explain what you mean by "under"- are you hitting the rev limiter while it's still pulling hard?


I think you'll find you'll end up with at least 2 if not three or more props.

Uncle Dave

First off, congrats on the boat :drink:

The current 22 pitch prop you have is definatly to small.
There are two different setups you can do depending on your boating style....
If the type of boating you do is mainly family boating with a full boat and tubing and such, I would recomend a stock 24 pitch bravo1 4 blade.
But, if you're boating style is more of the light load with only a couple people then you could go with a labed 26 pitch bravo1 4 blade.

hey uncle dave and lavey junior thanks for your replies..... light load full of fuel and running around with my hair on fire and last but not least just slightly above sea level i live just north of the border in bc canada one thing i find strange though........ i havent hit the rev limiter but she get a new set of sparks in the spring along with the rest of the tune up.
also i am going to cut out the noise restrictor in the tips ,let this puppy breath a bit more anyways if its to loud after the headers i will fabricate by own silencers and ty for the input will keep the 22 i have for wakeboarding with the juniors
regards M

Good to see you on here Marc
I have a 24" labbed Bravo we can try, and we can also try Sciotti's 26" Bravo.
And for a real fun test, we can try my labbed 30" Bravo and a 100 shot of NOS!!!! :lolhit:

hey huge .nice to see you you get around some dont you doesnt surprise me though cya soon mate

well i tired the 24p bravo 1 over the last 2 days great water lake was almost completely flat even though it was somewhat cool out
sat with 3 bodies aboard and a full tank of fuel i hit 66 mph at 4900 rpm
sun i went out alone 1/2 tank of fuel just myself hit 68 mph at 5000 rpm or slightly higher rpm shut it down.. other than the fact that i dont like running at that high an rpm for long distances the back end of the boat was coming unglued somewhat mostly chinewalk tried lots of different trim angles tabs were zeroed and she still seemed a bit loose in the back end
an other thing i noticed was that as long as the motor was pulling hard and there was lots of thrust the boat is amazingly stable
but after about 64 mph and the hard pulling and big power curve is done with she still climbs in speed although very slowly and this is when the back end seems to get a bit loose
i am thinking that this is normal and i have to keep driving or could it be something else that im not doing properly even trimming didnt seem to correct you gents know these machines far better than i do just wanting to know if this is normal or corrections are needed
looking forward to getting the labbed 26 p wet next weekend weather and freshet pending of course

well ...... i tested the labbed 26 last week end and im a bit disapointed....... topped out at 67
tach is hooped so i dont know what rpm im at reading 6400 rpm new tack on order...
it lies it lies!!!!!!!! damm moist air here abouts we dont age here on the wet coast of canada we just slowly rust away........
anyways had my boy and a friend of his aboard and made several passes with the boys and alone , the speed was the same
will be contacting greg at CEP this week to talk about tuning the
prop to see if i cant do better
after that im kind of at a loss maybe a 27 pitch labbed 3 blade ?
i defer to you gents with more experience and knowledge than i have
by the time im done i will have a prop selection leading back to where the boat came from:lolhit:

Hello,

Well I've been following your thread and in all honesty, the Lavey 26 NuEra is not the "speed racer" of the NuEra family.
From the factory the 26 NuEra w/ 496 HO is sent down the road with a 24" bravo1 4 blade. And for the most part, that is what everybody runs. With this set up 65 is about the average top speed the boat will see.
You are definatly on the right track with the 26 lab, 68mph at 5000rpm (light load). Therefore when you add a bit of load the rpm will still be around peak.
68 mph with an HO is actually one of the faster 26's built.

Well how fast were you expecting from the boat........?

I hope you find what you're looking for.
Stay safe :boat:

I think youll find that for your power and size you are running pretty well.

Take a look at whos running what and then look at power.

UD

Great post Dave!

thanks jr and uncle dave.......
i did touch 70 with a 25p labbed 3blade bravo full load of fuel and 2 bodies.......... having said this we were trimmed out and on a 2 ft chop
i though the cmi headers would put me over the top .....70 is the mark for a small high performance boat
you ask what i expected........ i really expected 72to 73 mph
but having said that my expectations are high....... grins.......
thats why i asked about the 27p labbed 3 blade
at the moment my tack is hooped the beedy gauges that came with the boat i believe are not factory sealed..... my whole array of gauges is fogging quite badly in the morns and when i first put in till they get vented.... not a problem where your from just a fact of life on the wet coast where im from
changed out the water pedo for a gaffrig gps
in the process of doing the same for the tack
regardless gents..... and young son she is an awesome machine..... and i couldent be happier.... you wouldent believe the compliments i get ....
and i must compliment lavey on the quality of construction and quality of the finish i tip my hat to all involved
once i get the tack instaled i will know what rpm i am running with the labbed 26p
the stock 24p b1 prop got me to 66
the labbed 25 p i think mirage 3b got me to 70
and the labbed 26p to 68
all props ive tried and tested so far were stable virtually no difference in handling 3blade versus 4blade
that why i asked about the 27p 3b
after all one can never be fast enough:lolhit:
\now on a side note.......\
should any of you gents or young son ever get up my way........
we have a really fun poker run....... one of the few events sanctioned by poker runs america north of the border as well as some scenery that is almost unequaled
thanks gents......

If I ever get around there Ill take you up on it!
I actually do get up there a few times a year and am practically Canadian myself I as was married to a quebecois for a decade and got another one after her here now..

Nothing wrong with wanting a few more mph!
It's kind of what we are all about.

I know what you mean about the look I have a 20 year old boat from them that looks like it rolled out of the showroom- gets stares everywhere. Especially in the East where they still dont really have anything like it.

I've always like the 26, and I would be proud to own one.

At this stage you can just enjoy it till you wear out the engine then go for it, or you can start modding it.

A raylar kit will get you the few MPH you seek, or you can go "parts" like exhaust then heads etc.

Either way- were here to help you.


Uncle Dave

i have thought of a raylar kit....... if i decide to do it i will most likely have it done at raylar in california combining it with a trip to havasu and the poker run in the spring
having said that considering that the 496 is now a discontinued motor i have to also consider drive upgrades the x drive in place has limitations as well
an other serious consideration is exceeding what the hull itself is capable of it also has limits
there is resale value
many things to consider
the cost here in canada for performance is just about double what it is in the states
all or most of the parts and equipment come from the states
taxes for import , higher labor costs
and a really good season here for the average person is 50 to 75 hrs for this style of boat
i was careful in my selection of hulls and had 4 choices of what i wanted
lavey, howard,eliminator and nordic where my choices
i truly though that this hull with the power was capable of better than 70 and with the correct mod i still believe that it is
i havent explored yet the x dimention mods a 2 inch shorty and semi cleaver prop
what it boils down to here in canada is really making the correct choice considering the costs
and yes she is a head turner virtually every time i launch i get several compliments or folks just staring in awe
i would be curious to know how many of these hulls are registered here in canada and bc not many i think
all your help , comments and input is greatly appreciated
regards Marc

well ive been a bit busy the last month or so and just got done with our local Poker Run this past week end for those that want to check the web site out, Harrison Lake Poker Run .com. other than some rain we all had a blast,good lunch stop and a terrific banquet/dance this past sat evening
top dog this yr ran somewhere in the mid to high 120ies mph
the larger entries consisted of a 42 MTI and a 47 Outerslimits
what a rush having these guys blow by at over 100mph

well 68 for me is about just where im going to be got my new tack in and at 4800 rpm 2 bodies and a 3/4 tank of fuel thats about all im going to get with the labbed 26 from CEP
with a labbed 24 by CEP im right on the rev limiter at 64 mph will not give me any more
im sure its been tried but has anyone tried to change the x dimension and what kind of results did they get
i know that you told me that the 26 isnt the speed racer of the lavey family Jr but i still feel that this hull is capable of more
will be talking to CEP sometime in the next couple weeks to see
if removing the cupping from the labbed 26 might give me a bit more rpm and a mile or 2 pr hr
anyways gents and young son keep jawing at me im all ears or eyes as it may be
perhaps the 496 ho is just not enough power i have considered a built for over the winter months ,some of my mates here are serious marine gear heads
talk to you soon
regards Marc

Glad to see you enjoying your Laveycraft. They are one of the best built boats ont he water for sure. I tried various 4 and 5 blade props on my 29 Nuera and actually had Bob Teague water test it for me while he did some motor work. He selected a 5 blade Hydromotive P5X and it provided the best overall performance of all the props tested with great mid range speed and top end.


p.s. let us know when you travel down to Havasu so you can hang with a few other Lavey guys while you are on vacation.

well winter is back....... das bot is tucked away
and the gales of november start blowing..........
and im still trying to squeeze a few more mph out of my new tub
boat ran really really well this summer and i had a blast
the way she sits with the 496 HO headers and 26 labbed is all i am going to get out of the current set up
so now with this mostly stock setup if im going to change anything
i would think it will be the x dimension
shorty lower upgrade to get the last 2/3 mph
any input or suggestions on this gents what works and what doesnt?
surely im not the first to go this route
regards Marc

Hello,
glad to hear you are enjoying your boat. You are about at the max speed you're going to see with a Merc 496 HO.
I don't recall and can't find it, is your boat a closed or open bow?

its a closed bow model Jr

Ok cool.
Well to be honest, 65mph is about the max you will see with a Merc 496ho. The 26 is not the speed demon of the NuEra line.
In regaurds to the shorty, I would not recomend it because you will not gain very much from it. The 26 has transom lift wich in return gives it a bit of bow steer. So if you run a shorty it will decrease the amount of leverage you have with the drive when triming it out.

If you already have the shorty in hand it's always worth a try.

thanks jr
thats the type of info i need to make a good informed decision
and then if i try well so be it
no i dont have a shorty in hand
it would have been a purchase over the winter and install in the spring
and although i have thought about it and thought about it and thought about it.........

installing bigger power is silly as well\cheaper to buy the boat with the power in it for my current application 496 B1 drive it involves replacing everything
i would like to thank everyone for their input it is all greatly appreciated
regards Marc

No problem.
I hope everything goes well, keep us posted.

Still standing bye..
Greg Hittner
Cutting Edge Propellers
949-701-0900

check your pm greg

Centsless,

My 26 came with a HP500EFI and I run a Bravo 1 26p. A few years ago I installed a GT Performance 950, extension box, full hydraulic steering, larger tabs, new gages, Imco -2" lower and a Maximus 30p.

With this setup the boat became unsettled above 75mph. I did have it to 85mph a few times (still had more throttle). Broken drive once a year was the norm. I tried different dive heights and props, still when pushed above 75mph the boat would become unsettled. The biggest benefit was a 50mph cruise @ 3000rpm. This setup was fun and very sporty just not the big top end numbers without bottom work.

The lower strakes at the stern need to be removed (these make the boat work well with mild HP) or at a minimum have the drop part of the strakes ground off. This is something that is easy to do on Lavey's 27 but not so easy on the 26. Lavey's 27 you can remove them without any structural changes (damage) to the hull, on the 26 if you remove them you end up cutting away some of the bottom of the hull and will need to reinforce it from the inside (removing motor and tank from the boat). I looked at all the options and decided that it was a good family boat and not a speedster.

I have taken the extension box off and went back to a HP500EFI (the way it came from Lavey) and am getting another boat more suitable for higher speeds. The full hydraulic steering is nice and at the end of the day with the baot loaded it's 70mph with a Bravo 1 26p.