Pat McPherson

I'm sitting at my desk, watching the snow falling, dreaming about driving my new 24' Superboat. I have a question about props. 3 Blade Mirage Plus or 4 Blade Bravo I? My 24' Pantera drove very differently with the 2 props. My Pantera has virtually the same hull but weighs about 500lbs. more than my 24' Superboat. With the 3 blade my Pantera is about 3mph faster but does not handle nearly as well in rough water. I found my self changing back and forth depending upon my needs. I'm assuming this will be the case with my Superboat, but I thought I would ask. I'm hoping the Superboat will go just as fast with a 4 blade as a 3. Any input ???

tripps

Hey pat ,ever hear that song by aerosmith called dream on? just kidding ,ask dave m he might know,had to say that about the song tripps

Dave M

Hey Patrick,

My boat came with a 25 Mirage Plus that was in OK shape. I ran it for a whole season. It slips a lot around 3000 RPMs. When coming out of the hole you can feel it slip. In rough water when I had to hold my rpms down around 3K it would be slipping and sometime loose bite completely. I would have to come off plane to get it to hook back up. I got my best speed of 75.3 with this prop. Then I got it "labbed" and bumped up to a 26. I should of left it the way it was.

I tried a Hydromotive 4 blade and did not like it. Then I bought a 26 Bravo 1. That is definitely the prop for my hull. Come out of the hole good, no slipping, great in rough water. I lost less than 1 MPH of the top end compared to the Mirage plus.

If you are going to have around 500 HP, I would start with a 28 Bravo 1. You might even be able to turn a 30.

Pat McPherson

Thanks for the great info Dave! Sounds like a 26 Bravo I will likely be the right prop for me as well. It's a good thing! I bought one from a guy for $300 yesterday. It is still in the box, never been used. I do not plan on having 500Hp, at least not this year. If I'm able to get my hands on the 502 I spoke about earlier, it's a stock carb engine, maybe 400Hp at the prop. If I am not able to make the deal for the 502, I will likely put in the 454 that I am rebuilding in my basement. That engine will make about 340Hp at the prop. I was able to spin a 24 Bravo I @ 4500rpm or a 22 @ 4900rpm on my Pantera, but the speed was a little slow, 62mph vs 65mph with a 3 Blade 23 @ 4700rpm. My Pantera is a 1989 so the drive my have been set a little lower than newer boats. Thanks again Dave! Talk to you soon.