Prop pitch vs. elevation

[Bduck]

If your up in Cache Valley area Neil Stevens is in the prop business. He is located in Smithfield

[MrShane]

Jeff,
This guy nails it every time and has great prices.
Ricky Brainard at www.Propgods.com.

[SkunkedAgain]

Thanks for the contacts guys, I checked last night and I've got a 13X19 prop on a 60 hp Johnson.... The motor really sounds like it's only pulling like partial RPM's, so I think you guys are right in line with what I need to do... Thanks again... Jeff
PS... no fish on the line last night, but cast netting fish was really fun and helped put some more carp minnows in the freezer.. just hate all the catfish getting stuck in the net..

[lakepowellnut]

So I bought a motor out of a lower elevation area and have been having issues getting it on plane, I thought I would need to re-jet the carbs, but is it just a matter or changing the prop that I should be looking at?  I'll have to look into this, it sounds a lot easier to accomplish... How do you size the props?  I'm sure it has a lot to do with boat weight, motor size and etc... but do you have a good resource to check so you don't have to do an expensive game  of parts changing?  Thanks J

This can help you finds the right prop for your boat.  The more information you can fill in the better.

https://www.mercurymarine.com/en/us/prop...!/step-one

I use Mercury’s prop selector app to get a baseline, but that’s about it. The downside is it doesn’t know which boat hull you have. For example, on my Ranger that I’m trading in, the prop that Mercury recommends is a Tempest Plus. It runs good, doesn’t slip, and can I can get about 53MPH fully loaded. My Fury prop is a different story. Not only does it do all that the Tempest Plus does, I gain about 5MPH and that’s why it’s prop I would always run with. The Tempest Plus was my backup. All in all, find a prop dealer that has a loaner program and play with props. Once you have decided on one, buy two. It sucks ruining a prop and can’t get back to the dock.

[N.E.T.O.]

I've been boating for 35 plus years, with family boats and fishing boats. I used to go to Jacks Prop Shop, back when he was still doing it (changed hands/names now), and he had a revolving door just for me. It wasn't uncommon to have to try a few different props at different lakes and I would ultimately end up owning at least 2 props for each boat I had. I finally learned my lesson and started buying boats with fuel injected V8's in them and didn't have to mess with the props anymore. My last (family) boat was a 4Winns Sundowner 245 with a 454 port fuel injected engine and a Volvo duoprop with Stainless props. That boat would just plane out and go fast anywhere!
I got out of the family boat business and started getting into fishing boats. Most of the time I'd go with my good buddies, so my personal boat was basically a "displacement" hull, instead of a "planing" hull, with 15, or 20 horse motors which basically would get me there...but not in style (or quickly). Well, I retired and needed a decent boat, so earlier this year I bought a 16' tracker with a 40 horse motor. It ran well and would do about 25 with just me in it, but would only go 18 at Strawberry with 2 people in it. It took me immediately back to my old prop changing days. I decided I would solve this problem the easy way...I sold that boat and bought one with a bigger engine!!!!

I don't know why I sometimes have to learn things twice. There is no replacement for displacement.

The prop/elevation/horsepower charts are a good STARTING point, but the bottom line is that you need to load up your boat the way you are going to use it, take it to the lake you are going to use it at, then try a few different props. Also, weight in the back of the boat is BAD. Throw some of your gear in the front (or a person). When you buy a boat, try to get it at the maximum (or close to) the max rated horsepower for that boat. Usually the engine is fine, and it's the prop that does the most good but really, in Utah, you NEED to have the highest rated horsepower for any given boat. Don't believe most of the internet stories of 18 foot boats going 35 mph with a 40 horse motor, because those guys live at sea level...we don't. And also, boat speedometers are notoriously not accurate. I had a buddy that I used to waterski with and he would ask me how fast I needed to go. I would tell him about 32 mph for me to slalom ski. While out skiing, I would constantly be giving him the thumbs UP signal to increase the speed. When finished, he would comment that I liked to ski at 40 mph!!!! I brought a GPS with me next time to show him that his speedometer was off by about 8 mph. All this time he thought he had a 45 or 50 mph boat when in reality it was about a 35 or 36 mph boat, because his speedometer was wrong. Use a GPS to figure out your speed. Most fishfinders have them built in nowadays.

[RockyRaab2]

If you have a Mercury motor, I strongly advise getting their Vessel View Mobile device. It's a plug-and-play device that costs about $225 and installs in about five minutes. It connects to a phone or tablet via Bluetooth and gives you ALL motor information, and lots more. It remembers error codes, hours of run time, and can even call your selected dealer for emergency mechanic help.

I have mine set up (you can choose many options to suit your own needs) to report fuel flow, fuel remaining, speed, engine temp, oil temp, and RPM. I now know that my boat's RPM gauge is about 200 off, as only one example of good data it presents. That helped me zero in on the right prop.

[wiperhunter2]

If you have a Mercury motor, I strongly advise getting their Vessel View Mobile device. It's a plug-and-play device that costs about $225 and installs in about five minutes. It connects to a phone or tablet via Bluetooth and gives you ALL motor information, and lots more. It remembers error codes, hours of run time, and can even call your selected dealer for emergency mechanic help.

I have mine set up (you can choose many options to suit your own needs) to report fuel flow, fuel remaining, speed, engine temp, oil temp, and RPM. I now know that my boat's RPM gauge is about 200 off, as only one example of good data it presents. That helped me zero in on the right prop.

Rocky, that sounds like a good investment, where did you buy it and how does it connect to your motor? I'm not sure if my RPM gage is reading correct and I really don't want to buy a new prop until I know exactly how many RPM's my motor is turning.

[RockyRaab2]

Go to the Mercury website and look for Vessel View Mobile. All questions answered there. I had Fred's Marine install mine on my new boat, but all you do is replace one plug for another and zip-tie the unit in place. Several youtubes on it.

[wiperhunter2]

Go to the Mercury website and look for Vessel View Mobile. All questions answered there. I had Fred's Marine install mine on my new boat, but all you do is replace one plug for another and zip-tie the unit in place. Several youtubes on it.

Finally got around to looking it up, is this the same one you were talking about Rocky:
https://www.amazon.com/Mercury-Marine-Ve...B01MTGBKPQ

[RockyRaab2]

That's it. Here's a video showing all the things it does for you...

https://youtu.be/SqxeArbXA84