Hey, I'm new to OSO. Great site!

I have a 89 240 Sport that I will be upgrading to a 502. Would a 4 blade provide better handling? The bow seems light and is very responsive to trim. I hope to be producing about 500 hp with some mods to the 502.

It's a little early for boating on the Cape, but I want to be ready when the good weather is here!

Thanks for the help!

4-blade props generally handle better than 3-blades, but they are not necessarily faster. That light bow feeling could be good in terms of speed. Baja's need to run on the delta pad and need some bow lift to go fast. The only real way to know is to try it and form your own opinion. Personally, I like speed and would go with whatever puts up the highest MPH. Hydraulic steering may be required to run max speed and still maintain driveability. Just my opinion. Good luck!!

ON MY BOAT THE 23 STOCK 3 BLADE MIRAGE WAS ABOUT 2 MPH FASTER THAN MY NEW 24 4 BLADE BRAVO ONE. THE FOUR BLADE IS AT THE MERC SHOP FOR TRY #3 TO GET THE CUP JUST RIGHT. i WAS TOUCHING THE REV LIMITER WITH THE LABBED 4 BLADE AT THE SAME SPEEDS i GET WITH THE MIRAGE. SHOULD END UP MAYBE A LITTLE AHEAD WITH THE LAB FINISH. OF COURSE LABBING THE 3 BLADE WOULD BE FASTER STILL. ANYWAY THE LOWEND AND MID RANGE PERFORMANCE GAINS FROM THE 4 BLADE MAKE IT SUPERIOR. THE BOAT LEAPS ONTO PLANE AND DOESN'T VENTILATE IN TIGHT TURNS.

I tried a 4 blade Bravo when I upgraded my 502 and found that it gave me too much stern lift - running a 272 Shooter with a 509 CI NA motor producing 535 HP...

Stick with the 3 blade unless you have a really bad hole shot.

I have a 97 24 outlaw with a 502 and I gained top speed handling and low end going from a 23 mirage to a labbed 26 bravo

see that's funny, I running the same boat with the same power and spinning a 26 Bravo 1 and prefer it to the 3 blade.

Thanks for the replies!

I was getting some chine walk with the slightly modified 454 I was running last year so the 4 blade might do the trick. Plus with the extra pulling power some of you are getting may be better for launching off the rough stuff here in Nantucket Sound.

Is the 24 Sport the same hull as the 24 Outlaw?

Thanks

The 24 outlaw and the 240 sport are the same boat.

GOT MY PROP BACK FROM THE MERC LAB YESTERDAY. RUNS GREAT, NEED TO CHANGE THE PLUGS SINCE I NOTICED SOME DROPPED RPM EVEN WITH THE 3 BLADE. HAD JUST A BIT OF PORPOISE BUT I WAS LOADED WITH FUEL AND HAD MY 240# FRIEND SITTING IN THE BACK AS WELL. A BIT OF TABS CURED THAT. ANYWAY THE HOLE SHOT WITH A HEAVY LOAD IS SO MUCH BETTER THAN THE 3 BLADE AND I PICKED UP 6MPH AT THE SAME RPM AT 4000 RPM CRUISE. YOU CAN DEFINENTLY FEEL THE STERN LIFT WHEN RUNNING HARD. CAN'T WAIT TO GET THE NUMBERS AFTER A TUNE UP AND LIGHT ON FUEL. FOR COMPARISON I RUN A 502MAG EFI WITH HEADERS, ROLLER ROCKERS AND K&N FILTER. GOOD LUCK AND LET US KNOW WHAT YOU FIND OUT.

Baja Bros:

Just got my 3-blade 25 pitch Mirage Plus props back from John at York Propellers. Those bad boys look awesome! The leading edges on my props could cut glass there so sharp. Not to mention that the blades look like mirrors. I can't wait to try these bad boys out! John is a great guy to deal with and his prices are very competitive.