Prop for ~600HP Rage
 

What prop(s) has(have) worked well on a Rage with 1.5:1 Bravo and ~600hp. I run at 900' elevation.

Probably a 28 bravo.. Labbed if you need a little more rpm.

Chris

Thanks CB-BLR.

Is there any Rage out there with 600hp +/-? What prop are you using?

Hey Bill,
I rode in Jon's yesterday. I'd have to say it's prop'd absolutely perfect. I pulled him skiing at 30mph smooth as silk and popped him right out of the water. Then we went for a 81-82mph ride at 5600 with no hint of chine walk.
This is with a locally labbed 26 at 5000 feet elevation.
Not sure it could get any better (other than a lab 30 at lower elevation. 90+ seems like it would be pretty easily achieved :drink:)
Dave

Thanks Dave. That sounds so sweet! Particulary the part about no chine walking at that speed. No question that your local prop guy will be doing my next prop. I am just trying to learn what pitch Bravo has worked well for my hp and 900' elevation on a Rage. The final prop pitch choice will come after I get down to Bob's for dyno work.

Bill

I have a 25 Rage setup with a Whippled 496. According to Whipple I should be in the 650hp range. At Lake Havasu in the spring I normally see 90-91 mph (cooler temps). I use a locally labbed 30 pitch Bravo 4 blade. 90 mph is about 5400 rpm on my tach. My boat starts to chine walk at about 85 mph. :lolhit: At 80 mph it runs like it is on rails.

Interesting post. I am currently running a 21 Superboat with a 300X and have been considering moving up to a 25 Rage as it is still trailerable and and runs well with one engine. My major concern is stability. The Superboat is NOT fun to drive over 75 MPH as you are constantly sawing the wheel to keep it on the pad, especially when boating alone. Do you have external hydraulic steering on your boat? Is the 25 Rage basicallly an 85 MPH boat or do you feel it could run a stable 90 with rigging changes?

Yes I do have external steering and trim tabs. However it is still a handful at WFO. Currently I don't know how to rig it to make it stable at 90. However my tech at Havi wants me to try a Hydromotive 5 blade prop that really settled down another customers boat that chine walked bad. :eek: I expect to try it out in about 2 weeks. I will report back on whether it works or not.

On a Heat.. the Hydromotive P5x's help a lot with chinewalk.. but do not cure it completely.
I think it is because of their smaller (15") diameter. I have also had good luck with the Hering five blade in a 15" diameter.

At least on my boat.

Chris

How about speed, are they slower?

xcpilot,
In most cases they help, and particularly with high X dimensions, they are often faster. The factory has been building the late model Heats anywhere from 19.25" to 18.25" XD. Since these boats are about as big as you can go and still run fast with a single, they require more blade area to lift the hull than a comparable shorter/lighter hull.
The old paradigm that more blades = better handling and planing, but are slower on top end doesn't really apply any more. The Hydromotives and Herings are really fast propellers. The Mercury Maximus is a windmill (thick blades/large dia.) and so far takes a lot more work to make it run on our boats. The Bravo 1 has been one of the better 4 blades on Nordics, but they usually require attention to XD and some custom work.
You'll have to do some testing to see for your application.
Good luck and keep us posted.
Regards,
Steve

I have found the P5x and the Hering 5 & 6 blades to be a couple of mph faster than a Bravo prop. The Herings are the fastest, but dont hook up as well coming on plane as the P5x. Meaning that I can regularly do between 91-93 with a p5x, and 92-94 with a 5 blade Hering. I can also do a consistant 89-91 with a labbed bravo prop. I pull my kids on innertubes and such.. all the time. I think that the p5-x is a more versatile prop overall on my boat and that is what I am running most of the time. When I do a poker run.. I saddle up my Hering.

Hope this helps,
Chris

Here's some of my experience. I have a Rage, B1XR, & whipplecharged HP500 EFI. We guess 750hp range. I run a 32 labbed at Havasu. 5500-5600 & 91ish. The same prop at my 4500ft elevation gets me low to mid 80's @ 5100-5200. I bought a 28 labbed thinking it would help. It doesn't make much top end difference, but runs in the 5500rpm range. I usually keep on my big prop to keep me from running such high rpm & I like the 60+mph cruising speeds. I have skied behind it, but take a deep breath & hang on for a while! The 28 should suit you fine, but if you lab it, you may want to step up to a 30. I would like to get rid of my 28 labbed, & if your interested let me know. And by the way, no chine walk at any speed. Trim tabs up & single IMCO steering. My B1 props were labbed @ Merc.

Thanks for the info.

Do you push your drive trim out to the limit to get your best top end speeds?

Who labbed your 28?

On my mechanical trim gauge, I'm about 2.5-3 up. Any more just gets rpm, not mph. Of course this all depends on conditions. 1' chop head on is best. I bought the 28 from Teague & it was factory labbed. I liked the results, but it's too small for my HP, so I sent my 32 to Merc. It was about $300 + shipping. Everyone told me I needed a 26. Prop calcs told me 30, so I split the diff. Should have gone w/ 30.

Are all your props 4 blade Bravos and no chine walking? Good for you, wish I could say that.

Labbed Bravo props tend to chine walk less than non-labbed props, because of the reduction in trailing edge cup and the thinner blades.

Chris

Prop has been tried and unfortunately the pitch was to far off to work on my boat. I normally run a 30 and this one was only a 26 so we didn't learn much. What does a new Hydromotive 5 blade cost? I think I want to try one.

I think the P5x's are around $900 +/-

You can demo one from Hydromotive for around $50 plus shipping.

Chris

Thanks Chris. I found a 31 P5x here in Havasu. Should be able to try it out tomorrow. The other P5x was a 25 (not 26). It was only good for 75 on my boat. I think I need a 30 but this 31 should give me a good idea what I need.

Terry

I am AMAZED!!!!!! We are in Havasu driving my Rage for the first time with full hydraulic steering. What a difference! Easy effortless steering and NO MORE CHINEWALKING!!!!! We have been on the lake and the river the last couple days making lots of miles. i can now drive my boat at 90 mph with one hand on the wheel! :drink: I thought the first pass was a fluke. Now ten passes later I know it was not. My old Mercruiser-hydraulic hybrid was a POS. Love this new setup! Also love my new CMI E Top headers. They are kick ASS!
Not to mention huge mental horsepower.

Good to know what the real fix to chine walking on a Rage is.

Still let us know how the Hydromotive performs.

Was this with steering "and" the P5-X or just the addition of steering and same prop?
Just curious as the prop alone can change chine walking characteristics dramatically.
Dave

Congratulations! There is no point to having a lot of HP if you can't drive it.

Ditto. Were you running with the labbed 30P Bravo or the Hydromotive with the full hydraulic steering?

I have been running my 30 Bravo and enjoying the new stability. :ernaehrung004::ernaehrung004: Yesterday I located a 31 P5X Hydromotive and took it out for the day. Unfortunately it was too much wheel and it pulled my revs down from 5400 to 4900. Speed dropped a couple mph to a best of 88. The prop man thinks a 29 P5X would likely get me 400 rpm more which would be about right. Going to have him tweak my 30 just a bit tomorrow to drop me maybe 150 rpm as I am on the rev limiter quite often. This may gain me a bit now and for sure will gain me some when the temps drop a bit. Need to find a 29 to test.

What make/model of full hydraulic steering did you install? Is it single or dual external cylinders?

xcpilot,
Congratulations man. Sounds like you're getting her dialed in. What do you have your limiter set @? I know a guy out your way who has a badass 28" P5-X he might let you borrow :D. hint, hint
Best Regards,
Steve

To quote an old friend "Its all good!!!
Today I saw an all time best of 91 mph. Conditions were glass water and the temp was about 105F. This would be a 1 to 1 1/2 mph increase over any previous speed. My rpms were about 5200-5300 as a result of my propman giving me a bit more cup. I expect more speed as the temperature drops.
Not sure on the limiter, it kicks in at 5400 on my tach, which may be out 100 or 200. i was so impressed with my steering today that "I TOOK MY HANDS OFF THE WHEEL AT 90 MPH"
my wife just shook her head! No problems! Now I need more power!

Terry

What make/model of full hydraulic steering components did you install?

Terry,
Welcome to the "hands off the wheel @ 90 club" :drink:........
Best Regards,
Steve

My steering system for the past couple seasons has been a hybrid consisting of the stock Mercruiser helm, cable, ram, and power steering pump. This was tied to a set of hoses and Mayfair rams (2) that were bolted to my outdrive. This setup did not work well. When docking at low speed if you moved the wheel to quickly the steering would go solid (the wheel would lock!). When going fast (85+) I would chine walk. The changes made were to add a hydraulic helm, hoses to the transom, and remove the stock ram. Now I can spin the wheel as fast as I want when docking and I must have lost a bunch of play in the outdrive because the difference in control is HUGE! I know from YEARS OF EXPERIENCE in making outboard powered boats go fast that the number one cause of chinewalking is slack in the steering or soft motor mounts allowing the drive to "fishtail". I will get the make of the hyraulic helm from my installer for you. Or give you his phone if you want to contact him directly.

Help me out here. Who has a 28 P5-X? Our next trip is the beginning of Nov. Could do testing then.

Terry

Yes please on the component info. What was the cost?

Hi Terry,
I think Chris still has one :kiss:......................
Regards,
Steve

Steve,

I sold the 28 P5x.

I am spinning a 30 P5x to 5630 rpm at 93.3 mph with a current prop shaft depth of 3.5 inches.

I have P5x's in 29, 30, and 32 inches of pitch... all labbed by Hering.

Chris

Terry,

Hydromotive will demo props for $50 plus shipping

Chris

Merc Labbed Bravo 1
 

Will Merc demo their props for a fee?

That would be nice....
Not that I know of.

Chris

Hi Chris,
Good talking with you this week. I need to do some prop testing this fall before I winterize. I am turning my 29" P-5X 5800 in summer heat with a normal load @ 4.5"s PD. I love these props....it acellerates like a drag boat, seems totally impervious to loads, handles great top end in flat to rough water. I will try to pry Bubba's Herring you sold him loose to test............
Regards,
Steve