Yes I know its not much to be proud of but I figured i give All the details of the new 29. I took the stock 4 blade 26's off and slapped a set of labbed 25's on. First run out 73.8 half tank of fuel. Just one little problem I was hitting the rev limiters ALL DAY. I called mercury racing and their going to repitch the props to a 27 p. I should see 75 all day after that. Well I keep everyone posted.

P.S. Latham external is Awesome! Great control.

Congrats! Sounds like a sweet ride.

Alright!! Keep us informed!!!

SWEET>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Keep us posted. I am changing the oil in my 36 tomorrow, and going with Mobile 1, 15-50. Currently I am only seeing 4900 RPM max with the 4-blade 26's.

Sounds like I need to call the Merc guys for some advise.

Mark

If you have 496 mags you may gain mph like I have. I'm not really sure because your boat is much larger. However, a good set of labbed props usually helps out anything. One BIG difference between my 25's and the stock 26's is the handling difference. The 26's are much more stable at WOT. My 3 blade mirage plus props don't seem to have as much control. I was told that stability is the difference between 4 blades and 3 blades. It was also my understanding that test were done by Baja and they came to the conclusion that handling and safety shouldn't be traded for 1-2 mph. Just my 2 cents..


P.S. Who needs handling when you can have speed!

I tried 26's on my boat and if it was more stable, perhaps it was due to the fact that it would only reach 73mph vs. the 77+ with 27's. I guess it stands to reason that a boat doing 73 will always be more stable than a boat doing 77 regardless of props.

I think my boat handles fine with 3 blades. Yours had the X raised 3/4" so I can't say how yours is at top speed with 3 blades. As far as holeshot with 3 blades, my holeshot is better with 27's than with 25's. If I were you, I would avoid running 4 blades at all cost. With your raised X however, I don't know how yours handles at WOT with 3 blades.

As far as Baja - They say that handling and safety shouldn't be traded for an extra 1-2mph. So what do they do? They raise the X 3/4" in order to squeeze out extra speed. Go figure???

Speed,

I missed that, did not realize the 25's were 3 blade. I have the 500 EFI's and 26 pitch 4-blade props.

One or two miles an hour will not make much difference in the big scheme of things. I don't plan on spending a lot of time or money at this point. May consider getting the props labbed in the future.

Thanks again for the information and keeping us updated. This is how we all learn.

Mark

Dock,

Do you have low water (nose cone) pickups on your 500s? I found out (the hard way) that I did. I never saw the boat out of the water berfore I bought it, so I assummed I had them right below the cav plate.

Anyway, our mechanic suggested we swap out the housings over the winter. He said he's done it a bunch of times and has seen 3 - 4 MPH pickup.

I would assume that there would be a corresponding increase in RPM as well. Could be why I can't seem to pull anything bigger than 24B1s.

Hey Dude,

I am reading that correctly. A low water pickup can cost you 3-4 mph?

I don't buy losing 3-4 mph w/low water pick ups. My 29 runs the same 72-74 mph as everybody else I have seen w/454 mags and 25p props.