3 blade or 4 blade
 

Has anybody tried a Mirage Plus on a 280 Silencer?
I think my bow plows too much and where I need to trim to to get the bow up simply overevs and I get way too much prop slip. I am running a Bravo 1 labbed
I need to get the bow up ...would a 3 blade be better??
Hope you guys can help....

The 3 blade will blow out more. You need to get some tweaking done to your prop. Call Brett at BBlades.

whats the measurement from prop shaft up to the keel normal is 4 to 5/1/2'' over that the drive is to deep like 7 1/2''. if yor at 4'' or under 3 1/2 you could try a 5 blade like a maxus by merc, or a px5 by hydromotive, both are good for bow lift on short drive heights. if your near 7'' a mirage plus or a rev 4 should do the trick. I had a b1 on a standard drive and it slipped a little cause the drive was so deep, when I PUT THE 2'' SHORTIE ON IT WAS FINE.and the mirage was sold this year we are trying a px5 to see if handling is better than a 4. and when it comes to props bret at bblades is great they have a prop program where you can try props.

hey verb ...
What power/set up, load, goals, etc...?
How's the boat balanced?
Is the problem the same at all speeds?
Have you checked the hull for imperfections?
C

I believe your 280 Powerquest Silencer has a ventilated hull. Typically you don't carry the bow on a step bottom boat like you may be used to in a traditional deep V. In fact, if you run too much positive trim you may upset the handling and cause the boat to become unstable.

The number of blades has little to no effect on the way the prop carries the boat. The blade shape and rake are the determining factors as to whether the prop raises the bow or the stern. Most step bottom boats run a very high X dimension and therefore do not rely on prop leverage to adjust the attitude of the boat. That is done by adjusting the CG as well as the fulcrum point on the running surface.

Bottom line, stop trying to lift the boat and focus on how the boat handles. The Bravo 1 has moderate bow lift so it may not be the best in your application. Hydromotive and Precision (Turbo) make some nice high rake 4 blades that you might want to consider.

Thanks for the response guys, I have some measuring to do!
The boat does have a single step on it, there is no hook, that was an easy one to verify...the rest I will have to wait to get to......
The boat has a 496 ho in it with a Bravo X drive and is presently at Double R Performance to have a Raylar 103 kit installed so I wont be able to get any mesurements for a while.
With the present setup the boat handles awesome....until I over trim to free up the boat, then it starts to chim walk, drop the drive a bit then the boat settles...however you can feel the drag ....can this be a characteristic of the hull and thats as good as it gets?