Props for a Pantera 24
 

Who's tried what and what were your results for top-speed and handling?

I've tried a Mirage Plus 25, Mirage 25 and Turbo 1 25 so far. Two people and about 20 gallons of gas.

Mirage Plus gave me a max speed of 68-69 at 4700-4800 rpm. Porpoised in the mid if you didn't drag some tab but not at WFO.

Mirage gave me a max speed of 72-73 at 5000 rpm. Porpoised the same in the mid and a slight porpoise at WFO.

Turbo 1 gave me 71-72 mph but bounced off the rev limiter. Similar handling to the Mirage but did do some crazy chine walking for a few seconds when the trim was trimmed in a little too far. Lesson learned and it didn't happen again. :D

I've found the boat to be VERY tab sensitive. Definitely has a lot of natural bow lift. I also have to drag the port tab more than I thought I would to run level, even at WFO. Honestly it FEELS like a prop that had more stern lift would run the boat flatter and allow me to rise the tabs higher.

I love the boat so far but I would really like to run a consistant 70+ mph and 74-75 with a light load. Less porpoising would be a bonus but not a huge deal as I am starting to find the "sweet spot" for the tabs. Boat has a bone stock 502 mag (415 hp).

So, who's tried what?

Re: Props for a Pantera 24
 

I've got a 22" hydromotive 4blade that will give alot of stern lift.
never tried it though. was told it was a handful to run.
Will sell it though... just sittin in the Garage.

I also ran a 4blade Bravo1, ran the boat more level, but i liked the feel of the mirage+ better. I never had any porposing though. hmmmmmmmmmm.

Re: Props for a Pantera 24
 

I've heard the Hydro was a good 4 blade for the 24. I would need a little more than a 22 though.

You never had any porpoising with the Mirage Plus?

Re: Props for a Pantera 24
 

Noboat, your post couldn't have come at a better time. I was out last night on a pure flat Lake Michigan with the same exact issues that you are talking about. Had to run a little heavy on the port tab. You are right about being tab sensitive! I think it's just the nature of the beast. I'm running a bone stock 330 TRS set-up. I am only getting about 62 mph at 4800 rpm.
I keep thinking I should move down to a 24 pitch to see if I can increase the rpm's and increase top end speed that way. I'm interested in what others have to say about their set-ups, especially in the old timers like mine. I really don't know what I can even expect to get out of the current power?

Good Luck!
Shawn

Re: Props for a Pantera 24
 

Yes I read several posts about dragging a little port tab but I was surprised how much was actually needed to run level.

As far as being tab sensitive I am getting a better handle on finding the "sweet spot" for different water conditions. Problem is the indicators are tough to read in the sunlight and I am always trying to sqeeze every last mph out of it so I tend to keep bumping the tabs up until WHOOPS TOO FAR and I launch the bow in the slop. :D But I am getting a good "feel" for the boat now. I am just surprised how much tab the boat needs in the slop. But man when you get it dialed in it rips through it! :D

I was thinking about labbing my 25 Mirage which would put me right on the limiter with a light load and hopefully 2 more mph. But I wanted to try plenty of props first so I know I covered it! :D

Re: Props for a Pantera 24
 

This may sound crazy but I ran a 3-blade 25 pitch mercury Tempest on my 24 , and It worked well on my boat. However my boat was a little heavier than your boat & probably a lower X due to the TRS set-up. The Tempest has alot of
rake ( they are mainly used on bass boats ) So it carried the
bow real well & was a bit of a handfull to drive trimmed out & with that much bow lift. I am not saying run out & buy one because it may not work well in your situation , But if you get an opportunity to try one out I would definatly give it a shot.
Oh yeah I also had to drop my port tab a touch ( very little though ) I believe some of that is just the caracteristics of a single engine narrow beam boat. Is that speed on a regular speedo , or on a GPS ? If that is on GPS your prop slip is really good !! right below 8 1/4 % with the mirage. Either way the turbo has more slip if you are running a mile or so slower & bouncing off of the limiter. My prop slip on my 24 with the Tempest ( GPS verified ) was right at 9% Which is really good for a heavier full pleasure v bottom with a 3 blade on it.
Let us know if that is GPS or regular speedo because if it is on a regular speedo your prop slip is very likely to be higher than the 8 1/4 % that I said.

Re: Props for a Pantera 24
 

Yes GPS speeds. Slip is about 8% with the Mirages and 10% with the Turbo.

I THINK the boat needs a little less bow lift but I could be wrong. My thinking is if the boat would run naturally flatter(more stern lift) then I could drag less tab and increase speed. But, like I said my thinking could be way off! :D

Re: Props for a Pantera 24
 

I was a Bravo drive w/ full hydro steering... no porpoise what so ever.
Jo thought a Hydro prop was the wrong thing for this boat...
he said it needed bow lift.
I was running my 23mir+ at 5700-5800rpm max @ 75mph gps.

Re: Props for a Pantera 24
 

Hmmmm, that's interesting. So you could cruise in the mid-range with the tabs all the way up and it wouldn't porpoise at all with the M+?

Re: Props for a Pantera 24
 

My 24 was the same way as storm's I never had a porpose
problem. I always cruised with my tabs up all the way , an
then just set them to adjust any weight offsets that I may Have had. In my opinion ( just my 2 cents ) I really don't believe that you are going to pick up speed by lifting the stern
of the boat. In my opinion you will loose some top end. You may or may not correct the slight draging your port tab issue. but you will more than make up the draging of a small tab by wetting alot more of the surface of your boat , which would create a whole lot more drag than the tab. These conventional v 24's will run fastest with the bow up. If It was a step-bottom boat I would agree with a little stern lift. 8 or so % prop slip is great, So my opinion on a 4 blade is that you may pick up a little mid-range & drivability it will probably come at the cost of a mph or two on top end. Forgive me if I missed this but does the boat porpoise when you are in the boat by your self , or when it is loaded down ect.... Can you make it quit by dropping the trim a touch ?

Re: Props for a Pantera 24
 

It ALWAYS porpoises in the mid-range unless I drag some tab. 2 people, 4 people, doesn't matter. Trimming the drive down does not help.

There is no way I could cruise with the tabs all the way up, it would porpoise like crazy. Even at WFO in smooth water it porpoises a little unless you drag some tab. With some chop it doesn't. But in the boat snot you definitely have to drag some tab(I've found about nuetral seems to work the best) to keep the nose from skying off of boat wakes coming in from the side.

I really don't care about the port tab being lower to stay level. I am more concerned with top speed/handling in the boat snot. My logic was if the bow didn't want to launch(less bow lift) off of side boat wakes I could run less tab and MAYBE run faster. But, my thinking could be off. :confused:

Re: Props for a Pantera 24
 

My opinion is if you are wanting it to run better in rough water & have the best handling you might want to go with
a 4-blade bravo. But I believe it is going to cost that last couple of mph on top end in calm water. With the right
labbed bravo prop you may possibly keep your top end where it is while still gaining the better sloppy water caracteristics of a 4 blade. I believe it is going to be hard to get a better nasty water prop & gain top end at the same time. I am shure you will get many opinions on this subject but I hope this helps some. Also I am not shure what a stock 415 hp 502 should
turn RPM wise ?

Re: Props for a Pantera 24
 

All opinions help! :D And that very well may be the case. I like the way the boat runs now but I don't like "not knowing" if I am completely dialed in. That's why I figured I'd start this thread to see what others have found. Stock 502 MPI should run 4800-5000 rpm and I THINK the limiter is 5150. I like to run them close to 5000.

I was also told that the 4 blade Bravo 1 did not work well on the 24 and the Hydro was much better, but I can't remember where I heard/read it.

Re: Props for a Pantera 24
 

The Bravo prop is no good for that boat, it feels like you're going to roll over.

I don't remember if a readjusted the tab indicator after I installed the new rubber boots on the tab indicators. You may not be dropping as much tab as you think.

Have you pulled the boat on the trailer with the tab set at the same point as you ran it? I'd do that first.

Re: Props for a Pantera 24
 

Kirk, I adjusted the indicators so 5 was nuetral. When running in the boat slop I am running the star tab nuetral and the port slightly negative.

Re: Props for a Pantera 24
 

Missed out on a Bronson Hill labbed Mirage 25 last night on ebay by $5!!! :mad:

Re: Props for a Pantera 24
 

Hey noboat , Tmone runs a five blade on his 24 and says he loves it , think it's faster with the 3 blade if I remember right .

Re: Props for a Pantera 24
 

Talked with him this morning and he said his did the EXACT same thing mine does. He put some weight in the bow and it took care of it. He still runs the 5 blade in the rough and the 3 blade when it's calmer. The 3 blade is 3-4 mph faster on the big end but the 5 blade is much more stable. He brought up a good point, the SE models have a shorter bow than the Sports and they have more weight toward the bow.

Re: Props for a Pantera 24
 

Is it really a shorter bow, or just the windshield moved forward... where's jo / pepe when ya need them. :rolleyes:

Re: Props for a Pantera 24
 

6 of one half dozen of the other. :D

My point was the SE model carries a little more weight fore. :D

Re: Props for a Pantera 24
 

Noboat, I'm not too sure about that.
Eitherway, knowing won't solve your problem.
I think mounting some lead upfront would be a decent move.
Would 100lbs make enough difference?

And I think speed wise your doing pretty good w/ a stock 502 415hp.
I was running gps of 74-75, and the new owner in fresh water is running hi 70s on speedo. I didn't have the speedo working. BTW, my engine dynoed 550+hp at 5800.

Re: Props for a Pantera 24
 

The weight info was right from Jo. :D It's minimal but where it's at is important.

Tmone bolted 100lbs to his and he said it made a big difference. Now the question is, do I add weight to the bow or take away weight from the stern! :D

I'd still like to try a 4 blade to see what is does in the slop.

Re: Props for a Pantera 24
 

As for the speeds I think you're right they're decent. But I think the right 3-blade would get me 1-2 mph(maybe a labbed Mirage?) and a 4-blade would get me some better consistant speeds in the slop. I was running the slop the other day and 68.5 was the most I could get because I had to drag some tab.

I am happy with the boat I just know there's a little more there. That's why I started this thread, to see what others have tried and their results! :D

Re: Props for a Pantera 24
 

I'd have to say its easiest to try a 4 blade, then add weight.
You could always swap out that trs for a konrad. :D
Someone had it done on the west coast... not sure what performance difference there was, but on biggus' cig there was a significant gain.
W/ a konrad you can always up the power to 700+. :D

Re: Props for a Pantera 24
 

That's what I was thinking! Try the 4-blade first. :D

I have a Bravo drive.

Re: Props for a Pantera 24
 

sorry, my bad.

Re: Props for a Pantera 24
 

A 1 inch shorty and a labbed 4 blade is a nice combo :D

Re: Props for a Pantera 24
 

I have a 24 Hydromotive Quad IV coming. Hopefully I can get out Friday and test it! I will post results.

Re: Props for a Pantera 24
 

Scott,

Did you try putting some weight up front yet?

Re: Props for a Pantera 24
 

No, not yet. I wanted to try the Hydro first and see how it handled then go from there.

Re: Props for a Pantera 24
 

Figured I'd update. Tried the Hydro and the boat definitely runs flatter like I figured it would. But, it took a lot of trim and I lost a few mph top speed. I have a 26 Bravo 1 I am going to try.

I've been running the 25 Mirage(standard) more and I have found the "sweet spot" with the tabs and I am feeling much more comfortable running the boat. But, I still think it should be faster. :confused:

Re: Props for a Pantera 24
 

Get a blower and quit messing around!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :evilb:

Re: Props for a Pantera 24
 

Where are your batteries located? If they are in the back of the boat, moving them to the front should help with the balance issue.

Re: Props for a Pantera 24
 

Are they mounted on the Port Side? This may be part of the problem, 50+ lbs in the wrong spot could be an issue.

Re: Props for a Pantera 24
 

Honestly I am pretty happy with the handling of the boat now that I have I played with the tabs. I am going to try the Bravo 1 and if I can get the same top speeds as the Mirage with better bite I will stick with that. If not I'll stick to the Mirage.

I would like to see more speed out of the boat but I'm thinking I'm going to need more power! The speeds I posted in the original post are 2 people aboard with light gas. With 4 people, coolers and 50+ gallons of fuel I can't even break 70. Usually about 68 or so.

But I did finally get it out in some nice 3'+ chop and it tore right through it! :evilb: :D

Re: Props for a Pantera 24
 

A Bravo 1 26 labbed will be the same top end as the Mirage plus 25 but with better all around handling and trim control. I have tried many props on my 24. Good Luck, Chris

Re: Props for a Pantera 24
 

Thanks Chris I am hoping the same! Weather permitting I will be testing it Thursday.

I can tell you that it felt great to get out is some bigger slop. I knew it would be awesome in the rough but the boat definitely exceeded my expectations! My passengers were in awe after the run. They couldn't believe a "little boat" could tear through slop like that! :evilb: :D

Re: Props for a Pantera 24
 

They are the absolute best in the rough...none better!

Hey Scott, had you ever considered relocating the battery in the U191? I might try it, that boat about torques over :D

Re: Props for a Pantera 24
 

No I never really had a problem unless the drive was tucked under. Onced trimmed out it rode pretty flat unless there was a third person on the port side or bigger people on the port side. I always rearranged passengers if necessary. :D And the third person always rode behind me. Isn't the battery already on the starboard side?

With the deep propshaft you can have that boat trimmed up pretty high when you accelerate. I always started trimming immediately after I gave it throttle to get on plane.

Have you pulled some tight high speed corners with it in flat water? That boat will hold a turn like nothing else I have been on! :D

Re: Props for a Pantera 24
 

Tried the Bravo 1 yesterday and I really like the way the boat handles with this prop! Popped right up on plane, no blowout at all, held great in corners, and controlled the attitude of the boat with the drive trim much better. But...it only pulled 67-68 mph with two people and light gas(47-4800 rpm).

This prop is supposed to be labbed but if it was it was a LONG time ago. Leading edges are not sharp at all and it actually has several tiny dings/marks in each blade. If a labbed 26 would get me the top speed of the Mirage(non plus) and still keep the handling that would be my prop of choice! :D