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.

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?

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.

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?

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

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. 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!

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!

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.

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!

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.

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+?

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 ?