Prop recommendation

oGaryo

oGaryo

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Hi, I could do with a bit of advice whilst I do some reading myself.. I should be picking up the new boat (Flecther 19 GTS) on Monday and I'd like to replace the Ally prop with a stainless one... there's a Quicksilver Laser 2 for sale with a 21 pitch. I will mainly be cruising so mid to top end speed is most important and I'd occasionally pull toys. The (little) understanding of these things at present suggests a 19 or 21 Pitch prop would be ok.. would you agree the prop above will be ideal for what I need? Are there other factors to consider when choosing a prop?

Would I need to buy a second prop for towing toys and waterskiiing to get on the plane quicker e.g. a 15 or 17 pitch prop or would I get by with the 21p considering I'd only be messing about on the ski's or doughnut?

thanks, Gary
 
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I think the Laser II 21p would probably be too big - that´s what I´ve got on mine and it gets you up to 50 MPH with no problem, but with more than 2 on board you have to move forward on the boat to get it to plane. And that is with the 4.3 EFI engine. I think the standard prop on mine is the 19p.

There were a couple of posts here recently on props, with links to prop finders. Worth having a look at.

edit: here is the thread with the links to the prop sites

http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?t=218319
 
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Agree with the lovezoo about the 21p. A 3.0l would struggle to get on plane pulling toys with a few people aboard. Once the stern had dug in, not a lot of low end power spare for the engine to get on cam.

A 19p with your config should still give you around 30 - 35 knots, abeit close to 4800 rpm.
 
lovezoo said:
I think the Laser II 21p would probably be too big - that´s what I´ve got on mine and it gets you up to 50 MPH with no problem, but with more than 2 on board you have to move forward on the boat to get it to plane. And that is with the 4.3 EFI engine. I think the standard prop on mine is the 19p.

There were a couple of posts here recently on props, with links to prop finders. Worth having a look at.

edit: here is the thread with the links to the prop sites

http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?t=218319
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Excellent thanks.. used the Mercury prop selector with the following setting and it's come up with yout suggestion of a Laser 2 19 pitch prop as one of the options and all other Stainless Steel options are 19P for overall performance or top speed.. a 19p it is then :)

Cuddy Runabout
Boat dry weight: 3000lb and another 600lb for bodies and a bit of gear.
Fuel capacity: 22Gallons
Merc 3.0 inline 4 gear ratio 2.0
Wanting overall good performance
 
tinkicker0 said:
Agree with the lovezoo about the 21p. A 3.0l would struggle to get on plane pulling toys with a few people aboard. Once the stern had dug in, not a lot of low end power spare for the engine to get on cam.

A 19p with your config should still give you around 30 - 35 knots, abeit close to 4800 rpm.
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thanks.. came to the same conclusion with the Prop Selector thingy whilst you replied.
 
oGaryo said:
I'd like to replace the Ally prop with a stainless one...
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Can I ask why you think you need to change to an SS prop? I doubt you will notice any difference on the boat and it is a lot more money. Secondly, an SS prop is much stronger and therefore in the event of hitting anything then the forces can be transmitted to the stern drive and result in more expense. An ally prop is softer and also easier (read cheaper) to repair.

I would not be in too much of a hurry to rush off and buy one at this stage. Rather run the boat on the prop you have and see how it performs.

Given the age of the engine, it is not going to be producing the same HP it did when new so any prop calcs you have done are likely to be incorrect.

The Fletcher is a great boat with a good hull, when it was made, stainless props were used mainly by performance boats - when you get yours loaded the difference (if any) will be not worth the cost
 
Not sure I can gee with here, Dave. When I put an SS prop on my Fletcher it transformed the boat. Better performance, and cruising at lower rpm. Even better ride, less prone to porpoising, the prop salesman claimed a better ride. I didn't really believe him, but he was right.

Must agree about prop strength, tho'. You're right, if you hit anything with an SS prop, you more likely to do harm. They do have rubber shear cushions tho'. The other thing I found, Ali props tend to lose pitch, especially if you touch sand. When mine was new I clocked 38 mph at 4500 rpm, WOT. A year later I got 30 mph at 4800, with only 3/4 throttle. Lost pitch.

oGaryo, I got mine fro Steel Developments, highly recommended. Now I only wish I could get an SS prop for my Volvo DPH!
 
Solitaire said:
Can I ask why you think you need to change to an SS prop? I doubt you will notice any difference on the boat and it is a lot more money. Secondly, an SS prop is much stronger and therefore in the event of hitting anything then the forces can be transmitted to the stern drive and result in more expense. An ally prop is softer and also easier (read cheaper) to repair.

I would not be in too much of a hurry to rush off and buy one at this stage. Rather run the boat on the prop you have and see how it performs.

Given the age of the engine, it is not going to be producing the same HP it did when new so any prop calcs you have done are likely to be incorrect.

The Fletcher is a great boat with a good hull, when it was made, stainless props were used mainly by performance boats - when you get yours loaded the difference (if any) will be not worth the cost
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I would agree 100% with Solitaire, you can easily go down the route of thinking you MUST have a stainless steel prop for the sole reason of a bit of slipway envy, but amazing how many properly set up boats run with ally props. Certainly there are good reasons for people to buy stainless props for a variety of boats, but your Fletcher will perform great without. IMHO as the boat is a few years old I would try what is fitted, I'd be very surprised if the pitch wasn't exactly what the boat requires!

...also an ally prop is also less likely to be nicked!
 
Geoffs said:
Not sure I can gee with here, Dave. When I put an SS prop on my Fletcher it transformed the boat. Better performance, and cruising at lower rpm. Even better ride, less prone to porpoising, the prop salesman claimed a better ride. I didn't really believe him, but he was right.

Must agree about prop strength, tho'. You're right, if you hit anything with an SS prop, you more likely to do harm. They do have rubber shear cushions tho'. The other thing I found, Ali props tend to lose pitch, especially if you touch sand. When mine was new I clocked 38 mph at 4500 rpm, WOT. A year later I got 30 mph at 4800, with only 3/4 throttle. Lost pitch.

oGaryo, I got mine fro Steel Developments, highly recommended. Now I only wish I could get an SS prop for my Volvo DPH!
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interesting what you say, and certainly not what I would have necessarily have thought on a Fletcher GTS with a 3.0ltr engine....... see my previous reply! I would ask, did you change pitch when you replaced the ally prop for the stainless one? Or have a 4 or 5 blade prop...?
 
Well, I´m very pleased with the performance of my Laser II. If I can summon up the energy maybe I will put the old ally 19p prop on (if I can find it in the garage) and see how that performs in comparison.
 
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The SS prop was the same nominal pitch, 3 bladed, but with a little bit of cupping, this is what was claimed to improve the ride. As I said, all seemed to work very well. However, I never really did much ski towing, so may not have been best set up for that.

Would agree, try out the Ali prop see if it suits needs. If there is any paint missing (which means it may have touched mud or sand) or any nicks, send off to someone like Steel Dev. and get pitch checked and any repairs made. Think they charge about £40.
 
Geoffs said:
Not sure I can gee with here, Dave. When I put an SS prop on my Fletcher it transformed the boat. Better performance, and cruising at lower rpm. Even better ride, less prone to porpoising, the prop salesman claimed a better ride. I didn't really believe him, but he was right.
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Geoff, I hear what you say and obviously respect your first hand knowledge; however the OP's boat is not new and rushing off at this early stage and spending on an SS prop is a bit extravagant in my view. The difference is a lot of petrol for the increased cost.
 
Fair points, Dave. It was the habit of losing pitch that prompted me to buy SS. Although better all round, don't think I could claim any economy improvement. I justified the cost for better overall enjoyment of boat. Priceless!!!!

Agree with yourself and Firefly, OP best to try Ali prop, if all is well, should see 38mph (33 knots) at WOT, 4500rpm. Wouldn't mind betting revs will be there but down on speed.
 
this is really the main reason for the change guys.. not good :(

I've asked them to provide another one and depending on what they come up with, I'll either go with that or change to the stainless.. a guy's offered me a new Laser II 19p for £138... haven't a scooby doo if that's a good deal or not
 
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Strewth, did I say say something about missing paint & nicks?????

That prop is certainly repairable, but needs something. I would have thought £138 was quite good for a Laser.

Looks like I've got to pay out £1200 for a set of Nibral duo props, soon. After 600hrs use that's £2 /hr just for props. Ugh. Oh those wonderful Fletcher days.
 
oGaryo said:
19p for £138... haven't a scooby doo if that's a good deal or not
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Bleedin H!
Thats the best exchange rate/ deal Ive heard of in years:D

For what you want too achieve.
I agree with Soli et al.
Stainless prop will give you the 'enth degree' of performance but that is all.
 
oGaryo said:
this is really the main reason for the change guys.. not good :(

I've asked them to provide another one and depending on what they come up with, I'll either go with that or change to the stainless.. a guy's offered me a new Laser II 19p for £138... haven't a scooby doo if that's a good deal or not
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Gary.... can see clearly need for new prop....

Just thinking out loud... if you can speak to previous owner and find out what he used boat for... so for towing ringo's, wake boarding... skiing etc or just blasting about, what top speed he achieved, how it pulled a skier etc with that excuse of a prop, if he has never had an issue then I would stick to whatever pitch he had.... whether it end up being in ally or SS it needs to be replaced! £138 for a Laser 19p is a good deal.... although if you can swap 19p for £138 a few times then I guess the days of the Fletcher are numbered, Sunseeker here we come!!
 
oGaryo said:
this is really the main reason for the change guys.. not good :(

I've asked them to provide another one and depending on what they come up with, I'll either go with that or change to the stainless.. a guy's offered me a new Laser II 19p for £138... haven't a scooby doo if that's a good deal or not
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Perhaps if you'd explained the state of your prop in the first place one could have been slightly more objective. I can see why you need to replace, running a prop in that state would really knacker your stern drive. As to the cost of the SS you have been offered, grab it with both hands - that is only a few quid more than buying a new alli prop. Then send the other one off to Steel Developments and have it as a spare.

I still stand by my comment about the strength of an SS prop so be careful not to ground it too hard.
 
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