5 blade prop on a 280
 

Has anyone tried a 5 bladed prop on their 280? Was discussing this the other night and wondering if it would boost my cruise speed over a 4 blade.

Also my concern would be, how much more stress would that put on my bravo?

I am no prop expert, but I think you would need to run a shorty lower (-2" ?) to justify a 5 blade prop. Otherwise, you will have a lot more drag with the extra blade.

shore ment to tell you im not runnin the mirgae it has the q series 4 blade and supposed to run real sweet on it but when i dip it ill let u know fully

I ran a 32 pitch hydromotive 5 blade but my x is 2" higher. Cruise speed is a lot better than a 4 blade but a 32 bravo is just a little faster on my boat.

SS,
i currently run a hydro Q IV on the boat. I've run a couple sizes of Q IV's, but never a whole different prop. There is a lot of debate over which is better for this boat, the Q IV or the bravo. I guess both have their plusses and minuses. I don't really care much about losing top end if i can raise my cruise speed. 95% I'm either at cruise or idle. That 5% wide open isn't worth sacrificing the 95% to me.

has anyone run a 5 blade at the standard x dimension? I don't want to get into changing stuff around.

The 5 blade when pitched properly will bring up your cruising speed and give you much better rough water bite,just dont limit yourself to the Hydromotive,not bashing because they are good but you should look at other options,I did and the end result is a much better end result.:cool:

i plan on trying out a bunch of different options. I have no real complaints about the hydro's, but i'm not married to them either.

So does anyone think a 5 blade would be harder on the drive than a 4? Intuitively, i would say it would. But i've never really discussed this or read about this before.

If it is, i'm going to abandon the idea because i'm already going to be pushing the limits of the drive.

The 5 blade is actually easyier on the drive because you have more smaller blades beating on the water rather than 4 bigger blades and more oportunity to break loose in chop or rough water conditions,the 5 Blade propellor is the way to go and there are several different options available to you and hopefully you can try them rather then have to put out the money and buy them because as I found out it gets very expensive at 500.00 and 600.00 bucks per blade.:eek: I have spent alot over the years but it was worth it.Good luck.:cool:

Thanks bill! I'm definitely gonna give a 5 blade or two a shot.

What Bill said makes sense but I also know that the 5 blades will bite harder when you land, and if you're timing is off, your are much more prone to twist a prop shaft. I've known quite a few guys running herrings on OL's and Donzi ZR's that have done this. I know that it's a different set-up but in my opinion the 5 blade will be less forgiving.

They are step bottom boats that blow the propellor out of the water alot easier and react totally different on a pad bottom boat.

True steps and pad hulls are different animals but - a 5 blade will still be less forgiving sense it slips less then a 4 blade regardless of the hull design. On a 26' boat this will not be as detrimental as it is on longer heavier boats.

I agree Rick.Are you ready to do some Carting:drink:

Agree with Revelocity here in that 5's are harder on the drive. They have less slip, more bite, and are less forgiving. Which is why they often shine on heavier less effecient hulls. A smaller, lighter boat will be a more tolerant set up than a larger, heavier one.

When the prop leaves the water and re-enters it has no idea of what hull design it is connected to, the drive damage results from the shock created by the prop taking bite again, and 5's just bite harder.

If you can think in terms of the water the prop is running in on a step bottom vs a pad bottom, the water comming off a step bottom is airated and not as clean or solid as the water comming off the pad bottom hull. The pad bottom would likely be harder on the drive, add in the more agressive bite of the 5 blade and it is a worse case for drive failure. Pad bottoms , such as the Velocity, have a tendency to skip across the water surface which results in a constant un-loading and re-loading of the drive, it is this that causes the damage, and the 5's just add to it. Sorry Hyper, but I think you've got this one a$$ backwards.

I dont know if I am just lucky or since I have Imcos there for I do not have drive failures.I do know that if you throttle the boat properly especially a 280,you should not have drive failures with the 5 blade props,it has been my experience that they perform and just all around are better than the 4 blades especially for top end performance.:rolleyes: Try it and see if you like it,that will be the true test.
Peter,what do you want for your hot rod,just curious.:cool:

sorry but i don't agree we have had a lot more problems with drives on step bottom boats then stright v's or pads and the feeling is that the airated water is causing the prop to load and unload at a fast rate and taking out the drives we have broke them on fountains .hustlers and a few other step boats with less power then a standerd v or pad boat

Hyper what 5 blade are you running we have been able to get them to do better at everything but top speed and it seems that we give up a little speed but get great handling thoroughbred 28's boat is faster with the 32 4 blade then the 5 blade even with a high x

Changing to the Imco drive was a wise choice, they are much stronger than the bravos the boat had when you bought it.

If you are serious call me. I figured you would eventually come around and buy a Fountain. :eek: :cool:

Cant wait to here the final thoughs and what prop you go with even though wil be a while until you dip it as same for me o yea are u going to the LOTO shoot out Shore?

SS,

LOTO is too far for me. I MIGHT make it down to the Carolina Run this year, but even that is doubtful unless i can get a bunch of my buddies here to trailer their boats down as well. We've been playiing around with the idea.

I usually stick to the chesapeake bay though.

o ok i got ya id like to do a trip down there (i bough it from a guy who lived in md thats the last regg.'ed on the boat) take it back to the home town do a little running like to get something together let me know

Who said I was talking about your Fountain,Maybe I was talking about your Chevy Pickup:eek:

Package deal on both!!!/???:D