02 Nordic Rage Labbed prop
 

Looking for some input on what type of labbed prop some of you may have used for a similar application I currently have.
-496 Ho w/bravo x drive 1.5 gears
-Whipple stage 2 ecm reflash
-Dana flow torque exhaust (last night was 1st with these on)
- Stock bravo 26 4 blade
-5050 or 5100 @ 76 (gps) really wanted 80!
- 6%-8% prop spin
-1'-2' chop, 60 deg air temp
Did a lake test last night had full fuel (bad idea for top speed test but what do you do) I am exploring a few options and would love to hear of any trial and error with your rage.
1. Mercury racing labbed 28
2. bblades labbed 28
3. Hydromotive 4 blade need to talk to Todd over there tomorrow.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Sorry I don't have anything to answer or add to your question but just curious if you had any speed data etc. from before the ECM and Dana upgrades? I have a friend that just bought an 04 Rage....

Prior to the ecm re flash max speed was 74-75 with only me in the boat and probably 10 gallons of fuel not sure of rpm.
After the re flash gains were huge in the mid range top end had a slight increase as well 77-78 gps low fuel just me in the boat very light chop on the lake. Surprised my result after Danas dropped top end assume something about the conditions? Again not sure of rpm I recently started to educate myself in rpm when looking to change out props

I hope to see better performance next time out with less fuel and a longer stretch to open it up. The run I had was pretty short

Reflash has been the most cost effective for gains to date

Decided to try a Hydromotive P5X 25 pitch. More to come. Anyone else have any results for this prop. Will be starting stock to see if the desired result is attained.

Did you gain any rpm vs before after adding the Dana exhaust? I thought about adding a set to mine if the gains are there. I ran my VR1 yesterday for the first time with the Whipple Stage 2 and echo your sentiments. Nice improvement for the money. Noticeably stronger midrange and topend. I observed 32-34* max timing at various ranges on my scan tool vs stock 24* FYI with mine.

I did have bad transom soot after the prop testing yesterday. Did you notice more soot vs stock?

Get ahold of Bblades, very knowledgeable and helpful. Cannot beat Todd @ Hydromotive either. Worked with him on a few projects.

Link to my prop testing for comparison.....
http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/v...2-numbers.html

To he honest on the rpm gain before and after the Dana I am uncertain I did not watch rpm like I should before. Can't speak for the gains on the top just yet I want to run with less fuel probably 10 gallons or so and have a longer stretch to open it up. Picked up on the midrange for certain boat had great acceleration from 30-75 and the Danas look very nice. Was kind of a pain to get them though. Bob worked very diligently and was a nice guy but a 2 week lead time turned into 5 really quick.

Transom soot with the stage 2 is pretty common. Keep fresh wax on and wipe down after every use and it won't be a big deal small price for a decent gain.

Spoke with bblade, merc racing tech and Todd at Hydromotive after speaking with him I believe Hydromotive can provide me with the prop I need to achieve my goal with the P5X 25 more to come. The exchange program similar to bblades helped seal the deal

Short answer would I buy the Danas again probably but I think I need to do a few more runs on a better lake to make a definitive assessment.

Like your pic nice boat and appreciate the info

I was in your exact shoes last year, I did cmi stops on my HO, no reflash just exhaust, stock it ran 74 @ 5100, bow cover on, 1' chop, mid 70's temp low humidity, 1/4 tanks both sides with the stock bravo 26, did countless tests with props from cutting edge, long story short, auggie got me to 78 @ 5000 with labbed bravo 28, I'm still gonna tweek it a little more but 80 is def realistic if at or around sea level, side note, add external hydraulic steering, its worth every penny

My friend has a 04 closed bow 25 Rage with a stock 496 HO and stock 26 bravo prop. He says his does 80 here in Oregon in this configuration. Two people, 1/2 fuel, flat water, 60-70 degrees. Is this possible?

How did the labbed 28 affect your cruising speed @ 3500 rpm?

Agreed if I decide to keep the boat another 2-3 years I will add the external hydraulic steering but I am at the point where a larger boat might be in my future.

Diamond Dave simple answer would be no. I am guessing his max speed was checked with a standard speedo not gps. If he said 76-77 then maybe but not 80.

He said both OE speedo and iPhone GPS program both read 80. ??

I have never heard of a stock rage running 80 before and I have done my fair share of research. Is he running down hill with the wind to his back? Jkg

Right?! I think he's a little "off" on his "calculations"... Any idea how fast it would go over here in Oregon at sea level with low humidity?

I would say between 74-76

75 was my guess according to what I've read. I will hopefully see this weekend... maybe he has the "unicorn" boat!?

He was also talking about a Whipple ECM upgrade that gets rid of the exhaust soot on these boats for pretty cheap ($300) too but he hasn't done it yet. I told him about your Stage 2 ECM upgrade and that you said it was still sooty afterwards so maybe he is talking about a different Whipple "stage" upgrade?

After the Whipple reflash my boat would come out with more soot, not terrible but more than stock. $300 sounds like another unicorn (Maybe a used ECM) Whipple stage 1 starts at $695

STAGE 1 The Whipple Stage 1 system is a computer recalibration that increases the maximum rpm level while maintaining a conservative timing curve for 89-octane gas. This calibration is designed to be conservative and reliable like stock, but a higher maximum rpm level for more prop selection. Stage 1 achieves only modest power increases such as 8-10 foot-pounds of torque and 8-10 horsepower. Key features: • 5450 RPM limit (5250 on Base models) • 89 octane safe

STAGE 2 The Whipple stage 2 maximizes the power output of the stock engine by running 91 octane or better, increasing the maximum spark advance, increased ignition power from the individual coils, denser air charge from the low temp thermostat and maximized air-fuel ratio in each individual cylinder. Calibration increases torque levels throughout the entire rpm curve while making more peak hp for increased speeds. Customers report far cleaner transoms (less soot) while increased throttle response. Key features: • Hi-performance PCM calibration • Low-temp thermostat • 5450 RPM limit • 5% - 8% power increase over stock • Increased acceleration with increased torque output

Sounds like they think it helps with soot as well on your tune. Wonder why yours made it worse? Hopefully he has opposite results if he does the ECM upgrade lol.

Ok guys I put on the stock 28p bravo and have been running it a couple of days now. Here is what I think. Slower out of hole but not bad if the boat only has a couple of people. Love the mid range it seems to like the bigger blades. Top end is good but not much better than the 26. I can only spin it to 4900rpm. I have not had a chance to GPS it as the lake has been crowded. At least 75 but not much more. It definitely needs to be labbed. This is at 250ft elevation 2010 rage.

You definitely need to lab it to get your slip #'s down, thin them blades to pick up some R's and you'll be upper 70's guaranteed, don't touch anything till you get solid GPS #'s, the more info you give your prop guy the better

At 3500 rpm I'm running 52 mph, a labbed prop will have more midrange slip, my 28 likes more positive trim than my stock 26 too

Dave, I was talking to your friend and he said he had already put 10K into it since he just bought it, but I think that was Bling!! Still a nice boat. But I'm glade for the MCOB, when I saw him go forward to remove his anchor I was glade for mine!

As far as I know he's just done the audio on it and some small shiny stuff... haven't heard about anything else unless he's broken some things and not told me lol. You want to talk about super sucky bow access I'll let you pull the anchor on mine if we go for a ride then you will REALLY be thankfull for what you have! It's awful! I know my wife is going to fall off someday lol!