09-17-2008, 04:14 PM
You have the basic idea.
A 2-blade prop will have less "grab" in the water but give you more top-end speed due to lower drag. A 2-blade prop would be what you'd want to use for maximum on-plane speed on a flat-bottomed 12' aluminum boat.
4-blade props harness more of the torque out of the motor and are better for accerating a large load quickly. A 3-blade or 4-blade would be much better if you were using the outboard on a 24' deep-v fiberglass boat as a trolling kicker.
4-blade props are comonly used on underpowered i/o boats to help improve the hole-shot when water skiing but sacrifice about 5-10% of top-end speed
I think the main reason bow-mount motors use 2 blade props is that they are only used for slow and easy manuevering while standing on a casting deck and you don't want to end up in the drink.
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A 2-blade prop will have less "grab" in the water but give you more top-end speed due to lower drag. A 2-blade prop would be what you'd want to use for maximum on-plane speed on a flat-bottomed 12' aluminum boat.
4-blade props harness more of the torque out of the motor and are better for accerating a large load quickly. A 3-blade or 4-blade would be much better if you were using the outboard on a 24' deep-v fiberglass boat as a trolling kicker.
4-blade props are comonly used on underpowered i/o boats to help improve the hole-shot when water skiing but sacrifice about 5-10% of top-end speed
I think the main reason bow-mount motors use 2 blade props is that they are only used for slow and easy manuevering while standing on a casting deck and you don't want to end up in the drink.
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