Bravo III no bow lift
 

Hi, I have a formula 280 with twin 5.7 efi and bravo 111 drives. It plains out real good, good stern lift. It goes fast 58mph. the hull isnt being lifted up dryer, like my old formula that had the bravos 1 with mirage plus. I think i can have some more cup put in the stock props or what else.? I looking to get it out of the water more hence more top speed.. any thoughts?

Its not the props IMO, its HP to weight ratio
You getting max WOT RPM?

How high are you trimming it? Is the limit switch set correctly? Most bravo 3 boats can hold the bow way higher than necessary.

Am I the only one thinking that if he is getting to 58 mph, he IS getting bow lift? How much faster would you expect a 280 w/ 350s & Bravo 3s to go?

Ya know ... it is pretty fast, and wot is 5,000 rpms. but I look at the stock props and they have virtually no cup. I do have the the trim limit set where it lets me over trim, it begins to slip. the boat is sensitive to bow passengers , it wont hold the bow up much with a load in the front. My old twin powered boat with mirage pluses would hold the bow up real well and do great rooster tail too. I am wondering if anyone has tried having a shop put some cup in the blades would help....

You are correct in that stock 3 x 3 Bravo III prop sets have little to no cup. On past boats, I've had Bronson Hill (no longer around) and BBlades tweak BIII props to add some cup but that was more to gain some efficiency and hit an RPM target than to get the bow of the boat up. That has never been an issue on any of my prior BIII boats with the props stock. I've ran the 4 x 3 XR props on a boat. Those props have cup but the forward 4 blade will create more stern lift.

Mine slipps early in the trim range compared to a cupped prop.
I think what you are saying is that the outer prop with more cup would give more bow lift? Anyhow, I think I am going to have some cup put on the outers. Thanks for all the responses.

Assuming you have trim tabs .. are they both fully retracted so the rear of them is well clear of water breaking off of the transom ?

This isn't a B3 to B1 issue, you don't have enough power in the current boat. Add a bunch more HP and it will get closer to doing it.

If your currently hit max WOT adding cup will lower the RPM

I have yet to see a bigger bow rider day boat (ie your 28') that didn't feel the effects of having people up in the open bow vs in the cockpit area

Im a former marine service owner/ operator 30years in the business. I know all about trim limiter, trim taps , cup pitch, rake, bow lift, #of blades, ballast and what not.

these stock props have no cup. adding cup gives more bow lift while on plane all the way to WOT..
I know adding cup will increase the load initially but get the hull dryer.
when the hull gets dryer the load decreases and rpms go up.
theoretically ; dryer hull more rpm and speed.

my question is ; has anyone done this (cupped them) on a bravo3? and if so what where the results.?
Thank you for all the replies

As I stated prior, yes I have added cup to BIII prop sets and have ran XR prop sets that have cup in them. I saw no noticeable difference in bow carrying ability as the boats already had no problem carrying the bow. And the XR prop set actually added stern lift due to the forward 4 blade prop.

I would talk to Brett at BBlades or the folks at FJ Propeller and get their take on whether or not whatever amount of cup they can add to your props will get your desired results. I know Brett has a formula for B1 4 blades for Baja owners to get more bow lift. Buddy had him do it for his 33 Outlaw that ran wet and it made a big difference. Not sure if the same formula would translate to those elephant ear BIII props.

ok thanks, Bret at bblades. appreciate it. ill give him a call