Repowering, need prop advice

[PyR8]

I'm repowering a 93 Stratos 274 (17'-9" length, 1340lb I believe) with an 91 XR4 and a 6" manual jackplate. Any suggestions on a good baseline prop to start testing with? All I have currently is an A40 LaserII 24p.

Any help welcomed and appreciated!

[PyR8]

It's looking like the choices are a little limited for the 4.25" gear case, is that true? I'm seeing Trophy's in a small hub and some aftermarket's like the Turbo-1. Some suggestions I've gotten were for a Tempest+ but it doesn't looks like I can get one for a 4.25...

[staylor]

Typical favorites for boats in your size range running the small gearcase motors usually have the Trophy Plus at the top of the list. Another prop that works fairly well is the Turbo 2+2 OT, which has a small hub like the Trophy Plus that will run with no over the hub venting on the small gearcase. Usually the issue with 18 ft and up boats is simply getting enough bow lift- and the 4 blade props with high rake angles are very good at this, compared to the Laser.
Doug

[PyR8]

Thanks for the reply Doug, very informative! I've heard these Stinson hulls like the bow up but I've never really experienced it with the 125 that I got the rig with. When I get the 150 finished (full paint, decals, skeg weld, etc.) I'm gonna run it with the Laser just to make sure everything mechanically is sound, then go shopping for a Trophy+ it sounds like ;). The 4 blade shouldn't take much off the top end should it?
Thanks a bunch
Karl

[PyR8]

Think I can get away with a 25" Trophy Plus or should I go lower on this rig?

[David]

I'd bet 24 is enough pitch. A 24 Laser would push my old Virage just over 70 with an XR4. Your bass boat is probably heavier than my old Virage. I tried a 24 Trophy with the same engine on my Allison and it was faster than the Laser but didn't accelerate as well onto a plane. The only trouble with the Laser is that it loses lift at higher engine heights. Depending upon height, the Trophy might be quite a bit better for top speed.

[staylor]

On my present rig a 21 Trophy Plus runs maybe 1/2 mph slower than a 21 Tempest Plus( I run a 150 Opti with the larger case), with around the same bow lift- which is saying a lot because the Tempest Plus holds the bow quite high. So far, the Tempest Plus is my fastest prop- with the Trophy Plus right behind it. I usually run the Trophy Plus because it runs more smoothly and handles better than the Tempest. The right pitch for the Trophy Plus will be about the same as the Laser runs for a given rpm. Running this prop on a small gearcase you may end up running with the PVS plugs completely removed to gain more venting on holeshot. Don't be afraid to experiment with the PVS plugs to get the best holeshot.
Doug

[PyR8]

I bet there's going to be a lot of experimenting Doug. I've never ran this hull with a 150 or a jackplate so there's bound to be a bunch of touchy-feely going on. I'll have an extended tool kit on board for a while for sure...

David, I'll be seeing what the XR + Laser does, the A40 24p I have isn't in terrible condition. Way better shape than the Laser on my 125, I think I'll be designating that one "the cheese grater". That one's gotta get a treatment soon or get sold as is somewhere down the line. The NADA book lists the Stratos at 1340 lbs, not sure what your Virage weighs... I'd like to see at least 60 something in this thing ;)

[David]

The Virage claimed weight was 925 lb. You might try over hub props as well. Big ear choppers will need some machine work to fit, but most Merc compatible over hub props will fit. The downside of an over hub prop can be the 5000 rpm wait to get on plane. On my Virage, a Bob's true tracker fixed that. It would hop on a plane with a 26 Hoss Hyperdrive. That was a good prop for my boat. Lot's of lift at any height.

[PyR8]

Kinda lost, is an over hub a prop on a separate hub assy? If so I getchya. Like te Flo-Torq? I was reading over at Steve's Props about composite hubs that will break away before destroying more expensive components. Are those any good?

[David]

My brother uses composite props as ski props. His propshaft is maybe 3-4 inches below the pad, no jackplate. At any rate, the composite props don't survive high speed, so he replaces them every couple of years.

Thru hub, exhaust goes through the barrel. Over hub, exhaust goes over the shaft. You can see the difference here: http://www.mazcoprops.com/products.htm

The HP4 isn't a true thru hub, but you'll get the idea

[PyR8]

Gotchya... Along those lines would it be bad to run a Tempest Plus on a Flo-Torq on this? I was just talking to a buddy that said give it a shot. I realize there'd be some hangover on the hub but how much would actually catch after the displacement from the nose? Just thinking out loud here...

[steve@scp]

No. you can't run a tempest on that lil gear case.
Power Tech makes a killer lil prop called a TSO. it's a very fast prop. it's similar to the old predator eagles/rakers.
Laser II you have is a great lil prop. can be tuned to do what you want. your local shop can do that for ya.

[PyR8]

OK, TP is out, LOL. I just checked Steve's Custom & he's got a used TSO 24p just a few hours north of here. Maybe I'll look into that...
I'll be running the Laser II first, maybe, like you say, tuning it will make sense... Now to get everything prepped & assembled so I can do more than dream about it, LOL