[Buddy]

I own a 95 z202 Shabah with a 5.0 Mercruser and am currently running a stainless steel 19 pitch three blade prop. The boat useually dosn't have a problem getting on plane untill the other day when I had 8 people on the boat with two coolers. There was about a 25 mph wind I was running into as well and it was nearly impossible to get the boat up to crusing speed. When I was running with the wind I was able to get on plane. I estimated between the people and coolers there was about 1300 lbs in the boat besides gas and battery weight. Would a different prop have made a difference? Typically the boat will top out around 45 mph. I would be willing to sacrafice top end speed for a better hole shot. What is the best all around prop to run on my boat?

[rooperdan]

Hey Buddy, I hav a 210 with a 5.7 with a Alpha drive. I run a 21 P 4 blade Mercury Revolution LOVE it You most likely will lose a small amount of top-end but not enough to be concerned about, that is what is so nice about the Mercury props. Good luck.

[mikeyt]

The 5.7 has more punch than the 5.0 so you can't compare the two when it comes to props. The 202 with a 19" prop should be adequate but yes, you had a lot of weight in the boat and were fighting a fairly stiff breeze so that 5.0 was probably working hard. Moving the weight forward should help her plane in those situations. You could also consider installing a pair of Smart Tabs which will help with the stern lift & planing issue. Without knowing what your WOT rpms are, you could also consider going to a 4 blade 19" or 20" prop for a little extra bite.

[Buddy]

Is it the higher the pitch number the more low end torque you get or is it just the opposite?

[mikeyt]

"GENERALLY" (before someone comes along and says mine doesn't work this way........) higher prop pitch means: increased top speed, lower rpms, reduced hole shot. Lower prop pitch means: lower top speed, improved hole shot & acceleration, increased rpms. For every inch change in pitch, you should result in a 200rpm change up or down. The goal is to keep your WOT rpms right at the top edge of the recommended range. IE: if your range is 4400-4800 WOT rpms then being between 4700-4900 at WOT is just about ideal.

Now, you can go too far with increasing & decreasing the pitch which will have severe negative effects not only on performance but on engine/driveline wear. Again, the idea is to stay within the recommended rpm range for your engine.

[Buddy]

Where can I find the recommended rpm range?

[mikeyt]

Should show on the top of your engine. I believe yours is 4400-4800.

[Buddy]

Thank you!