[schmitty]

Finally got a little time and took out the boat this last weekend. Lake was a little rough, but not bad. I have a Z252 Shabah with the B3 with 28P props, 2:1 gear ratio, powered by a 454 . They are a little twisted, but not too bad. Was cruising WOT @ 4100rpm. Should this be right? It seems to come out of the hole good, and the speedo was reading about 56mph. I think the speedo is a little high though. With the bimini top off and me and the wife I have done as well as 58-9 mph on the speedo and it was only about 4200rpm. Am I in the right ball park for a prop? I will get the ones I have rebuilt if that is close, but if I need new ones, I'll just replace them.

[jgreen]

Hi Schmitty, I have the same power package on my Z240 and at WOT hit around 4600RPM and have seen just over 60 MPH on the speedo (when my wife's not on board). I think you should be around there too. I plugged your info into Merc's prop selector and it came back 26P. Here's the link to the prop selector page;Mercury Propellers | Prop Selector

[schmitty]

What pitch prop do you have on your boat Jay? I was thinking it needed to be a little slower pitch on mine, but I didn't want to go too low and sacrifice the top end. Thanks for the link there, I ran it through too and came up with a 26 also, but it's suggesting a 4 blade prop, and that is some serious$$$. What is the difference performance wise for a 4 blade vs. a 3 blade?

[jgreen]

I too have 28P props. They were redone last year. I'm pushing 4300lbs(dry). Your Davanti is probably a little heavier.
I have never seen 4 blade BIII propsets. I think their site is a little goofy on that.
If you think 4 blade props are spendy, sit down before you price props for a Bravo III. Find a shop that will let you try a set first.

[schmitty]

From what research I have done already on the props for the B3 the 4 blade props are about $100-150 more than the 3 blade versions. The sticker shock wasn't that bad for the B3 props. It's just that it takes two of them.

[jgreen]

That BIII XR prop set is interesting. From what I read, 1" of pitch drop will be equal to the 3 blade engine RPM so you would probably need to drop to 25 pitch (equal to 26 in a 3 blade set). I would like to hear what you think of them if you get a set.
I've been out of work for a little over a year so $1500.00 for a set of props is a bit much for me, but I do love spending OPM.