fountain fever 29 props?
 

hello, i have recently bought a 1994 fountain fever 29 with twin mercury high performance 502/500 hp. the bleu carburetor ones. we our running these engines on bravo 1 drives with 1:1.50 ratio. the hull is not step, for props now we are running 4 blade 26 pitch props. the boat tops out at about 88 or 90 mph at 5200 rpms. does anyone have any any suggestions for props?

I would say your props are close to spot on. With 1000 HP and at 8500 lbs with fuel and crew and a 250 constant (this would be pretty good for a straight bottom boat) this would give you 86 MPH. If you can get on plane with the 3-blade Mirage 27's, you might pick up some top end but you will trade off mid range performance. In 1994, I expect the boat came from Founatin with Mirage props.

thanks for the info but we have been told that we could be possibly spinning bravo 1 lab finished 28's but i wanted to see if people had experience with a similar setup and if they had any tips and the boat is already very performant it is soo fast to get up on plane and is so quick to get up to speed but i wanted to know if i could squeeze out a few more mph or just improve my general stats and bring the engines down from the rev limiter.

Based on the data you provided, the math does not even come close to working. Even with 1.36 drives, it still don't work. Are you sure all the above is correct?

1.36:1 gr puts you at 1.75%. 1.5:1 gears puts you at -8%.

Something is wrong with the numbers.

Anyway, Laabing 28's will undoubtidly give you another 3-4 mph. Check on the speed, gear ratio and tach and let us know and we can help you from there.

Brett

The speed may not be accurate I am estimating because our speedo stops at 80 mph and at top speed we bend the needle at the end. But the other info is correct.

Need to use a gps. Inaccurate Mph won't lead to the the best setup on props. Dial it in with a hand held gps, then use the wow-o-meter to impress passengers:)

I have a 29 stepped hull 05 and 92 mph is the best I can get on GPS in perfect conditions dart 588/na with 29P bravo 4 bl prop L/H I know I am slippin 12-14%or better!! so let me know if I should run twins!!! HA!

Not to burst your bubble but I think you are going to be disappointed when you find out how fast you are really going. 26P props @5200 with ZERO slip equals 85 MPH. You are likely running in the upper 70's.

although i may be wrong but i have another boat with a 454 and have gone 60 mph on gps and the difference between the 60 mph i did on my other boat and the possible 85 mph i did on this boat there is no way that it is only upper 70's the difference is just too big im getting the gps in the boat this coming weekend and once i find out my actual top speed i will definitely post it to properly find out what my best setup is. on another note we contacted the high performance marina from which i purchased the boat and he knows the boat inside out and he recommended bravo 1 labed 28's what do you guys think about that?

If indeed you are seeing 5200 with stock 26's, the Labbed 28's will work.

We may have some Labbed 28's for testing when you are ready.

Brett

ok thanks so much, now that we have the pitch approximately right what company and model would be the best fit?

Of course we would love to supply your propeller needs. We offer propellers from Mercury, Hydromotive, Turbo, Hering, Acme and our own.

The Bravo 1 series propellers is going to be very difficult to beat when Labbed specific to your boat.

The only way to know for absolutely sure would be to test some propellers and use that base line to move forward. Let us know if we can help.

Brett

Humm,, i wait to see GPS :eek:

finally put the boat on gps and hit a top speed of 88 mph on calm waters

What prop do you try to reach that speed?

:bsflag:

+1

Don't know if my numbers help but in my dead stock 88 with stock 330's and bravos I hit 69 in fresh and 70 in salt. Gps speeds. 25/27 mirage.

I don't see why another 340 hp couldn't give another 15 mph...

Most fountains from what I've been told run a 1.36 gear. (mine was 1.50)

we were using hydromotive 4 blade 26 pitch and unfortunately there was a problem with the gps and it was only 85 mph top speed

alright so now that i have done my tests i am looking at upping my performance and have been recommended bravo 1 4 blade 28 pitch labbed anyone have any used ones or know were i can get used ones?

We have a used Labbed 28 Q4 on the shelf. I can adjust it for a 29 Fountain if you wish. It is in great condition.

$699

Brett

What rpm's are you spinning at?

Does anyone remember the power and speed of Roger Ausley's 29? Dosen't that run low 90's with twin 540/575's?

right now we have q4 but 26 pitch but i have been told that mercury bravo one props are better for my setup is this true?

For all around performance, the Bravo 1 is tough to beat.
The Q4 does have very good top end performance.