[thewanderer]

My 99 Z182 had a 14 x 19 alum quicksilver on it, hole shot is decent but the top end sucks, barely cracks 40mph. Anyone know what prop comes stock? I'm considering a 13.5 x 21 Merc Enertia?

[ColoradoDiablo]

Usually , in my experience , on your size boat , it seems to be a 19 , sometimes a 21.
What is your WOT(Wide Open Throttle) at now? You should stay within the 4400-4800 rpm range. The lifespan of the engine goes down real fast above those rpms.
You usually have a lot of weight in the boat? IE: People , Full Tank , Coolers , Fishing Gear , Etc?

[mikeyt]

Your 4.3 with the 19 prop should be hitting the 46-48 mph range and the 19" was likely the stock prop. The 21" will give you more top end but your hole shot will suck and pulling tubers/wakeboarders etc will be difficult. Is the 19" banged up? Is the engine in need of a tune up?

[Robert B.]

I have a 92 1800Z with the 4.3L, 4bbl carb. It came with a 19 pitch, 3 blade SS. I've never gone WOT because it maxes the RPM's first and I topped out around 40-442MPH depending on water conditions.

I actually went to a high-five prop, to get more hole power for deep water slalom starts and tubing with people in the boat. Was afraid to go up in pitch, since I wanted more hole power so stayed with the 19. I get a little more power and a quicker plane, but it revs up quickly and I top out about 38-40.

This is why I am looking for a more powerful boat, so I can ski with more than 4 people in it!

So, I would say I've had a similar experience to yours with the 19 pitch prop. I just haven't gone up in pitch because I'm more concerned with hole power than speed.

Must say that I have loved my Mariah boat though and hope to find a '99 to '01 z202 that I can afford with a 5.7.

Good luck!

[mikeyt]

I suggest that since both of you have boats that are nearing 20yrs old that the engines may be a little tired? I run a 20" - 4 blade SS Apollo prop on my 180 with the 4.3LX - 4bbl carb and top out at 47-48 mph in good conditions on my GPS. If everything is in order these boats should achieve 46-47 mph with the 19" 3 blade.

[Robert B.]

If I'm at 4800 RPM, not at max throttle, and my engine doesnt have any problem getting there (unless it is trying to pull a 250lb slalom skier with a boat full of people), why does it matter how old the engine is? I'm not an expert on this stuff, but wouldn't it more likely be a function of the gear ratio and prop pitch if everything is engaged and running at max RPM with a pristine prop? Only other thing I can think of is if the RPM gauge is wrong, but that doesn't seem likely. If I wasn't pulling skiers and tubers all the time, I would up-pitch the prop and I'm sure I'd pick up plenty of speed. I've had the boat for 5 years and the 4.3L LX runs like a champ. I've been very happy with both the boat and the engine (we pull double skiers with 6 in the boat, no problem). I just need a bigger, more powerful one if we want to keep doing that with more friends and if I (the guy who is 250lbs.) want to ski rather than just drive all day.

[Robert B.]

Having just read the top speed post, two other factors are that all my speeds are from the speedometer and I almost always run with at least 4 people and mostly full tank of gas. That said I know I'm under-propped on my boat with a 19, because I've never pegged the throttle and have no problem maxing out the RPM's.