'95 Merc 3.0 Prop pitch?
 

Hey all,

I did a search and couldn't find what I was looking for. Maybe I was looking in the wrong place.

I have a '95 Talari 180. I'm looking to upgrade the prop to SS.

Boat runs great with the current pitch and I'm putting Smart Tabs on today so I don't want to lower the pitch or increase it.

I'm just trying to find out what the stock pitch is? And what would you suggest to be the best spot to buy a propeller from?

Thanks in advance guys/gals!

J.D.

Re: '95 Merc 3.0 Prop pitch?
 

What is the current pitch? "Stock" pitch doesn't really exist but the usual one i've seen for this boat is a 19".

I've had good luck buying from iboats.com but there are literally hundreds of vendors out there.

Re: '95 Merc 3.0 Prop pitch?
 

Thanks Mikey,

Not sure what is currently on it and although I've been around boats most of my life I've never been into these kind of aspects about them. I'll ask the local marina that does all the work on it what it currently is. Changing from Aluminum to SS I go up or down in pitch??

Re: '95 Merc 3.0 Prop pitch?
 

If it is a Mercruiser prop , it should be on the inside edge of the hub , right next to the prop nut. :wink_thumbup:

Re: '95 Merc 3.0 Prop pitch?
 

We need to know what your rpm's are at WOT with your existing prop (along with what pitch it is) before any recommendations can be made. It would probably be good for you to read a couple of the STICKYS at the top of the Prop Talk forum. The theory is that you go down 1" in pitch with a change from aluminum to SS but everything depends on the WOT rpms & existing prop pitch. If you have a 19" and are running near max rpms (4800) at WOT then i might suggest dropping to an 18" 4 blade SS which shouldn't affect your rpms but will give you some additional bite & acceleration.

Re: '95 Merc 3.0 Prop pitch?
 

Just so you know.... there is no "standard" prop that comes with the engine or boat package. The idea is that, in theory, the dealership who orginally sold the boat would inquire of the customer just what he was lookin for in the package he just bought. Do you want to be the fastest guy on the water? OR Do you want to ski, tube, cruise... The answer wouild put you in a 19" or perhaps a 17" aluminum prop. You're gunna accellerated betteer with a 17 comparde to a 19 but have faster top end mph (slightly) with the higher pitch.. However, two things, 1) you must realize that you don't have lots of hp (cubic inches) It's a 3.0 litre and no-one ever "set the world on fire" with that engine. I NEVER sold an 18' with a 3.0 engine as I truely didn't want my customers to buy an "underperforming" boat. It was always a V-6 and usually with a High 5 stainless prop IF they wanted max. performance and didn't mind the costs...If this were my boat... I'd highly suggest you try out Mercury's newer line of 4 blade aluminum "SpitFire" props. They are KILLER and you would be much more impressed with the performance. If you re running a 19" 3 blade, go to a 18" 4 blade. That's the one I'd try and you'll find it's only 20/30 dollars more than the other aluminums.However, If you do go with the 4 blade, realize you will absolutly hate top end speeds. Remember that!!!~! Tho 95% of people don't want to go that fast anyways as they can't afford the fuel costs, kidney damage, noise levels... I would not suggest a stainless as I don't think you'll gain the advantages as compared to having a V-6 or V-8 plus the cost associated with those ones. IF, however, you are gunna go stainless, the High 5 is the ONLY way to go. Don't let anyone tell you diff.!!! High 5 props, when set up correctly are High Definition compared to the old black and white 3 blades... Make sense?? And don't go with the Quicksilver 5 blade stainless, it's gotta be Mercury's version!! They are different!!

Re: '95 Merc 3.0 Prop pitch?
 

I think we're gonna have to differ on our opinions regarding some of your comments re choice of props... I (and many others here) went to 4 blade props on our boats without any significant loss of top end. Mine touched on 50 with the 3 blade & hits 48 with the 4 blade and with the offset improvement in low- mid range acceleration, a 2 mph loss is not something i 'hated'.

I do agree that SS props generally show very little performance improvement on a smaller motor and likely would not be worth the extra cost. Yes, the aggressive rake/lots of cup design 4 blade aluminum Merc Spitfire (or similar Quicksilver Nemesis) might be a good option but I'm not going to recommend a prop at this point though as we have no idea what prop he has now, nor do we know what his WOT rpms are with that prop. Any suggestions at this point are nothing but speculation, guesswork and maybe a bit of salesmanship.

And a number of our members have the 3.0 for fuel efficiency reasons so its not a matter of an 'under performing boat' to them. They are quite happy with that motor and the way it performs because it fits their needs. The old adage about 'go big or go home' doesn't always apply here.

Re: '95 Merc 3.0 Prop pitch?
 

Isn't different engine sizes the reason for different outdrive gear ratios?

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Re: '95 Merc 3.0 Prop pitch?
 

I'm no engineer but i would think that between engine size / design / power output the engineers have to figure out what ratios will work best to keep the engine running efficiently within certain rpm ranges. The prop would just allow a little 'fine tuning'. Perhaps the mechanics here can shed some light on that.

Re: '95 Merc 3.0 Prop pitch?
 

I was merely agreeing with you Mikey. The 3.0 is a fine power plant that has been around a good time. It may not win a top speed contest, but who cares. The gear ratio makes it able to pull tubes and skiers and the boat just fine. To each his own, I'm sure there are many that prefer the 3.0 over a v8 for precicely the reasons you stated. Besides, I don't think mariah would build a boat that couldnt do what it was made and purchased to do.
Madill21 post up what your current prop is and what your Rpms at wot are and these guys will help you out!

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Re: '95 Merc 3.0 Prop pitch?
 

well, yes, I agree mikeyt, Our opinions differ. Not knowing what prop madill21 has I was making an assumption that it was either a 17 or 19" aluminum prop. Tho there wasn't a "standard" it would not normally be a 21 (well, not if the orginal owner had 4 or 5 family members and actually wanted the boat to get on plane ....) nor can I fathom a 15" prop. So, I will tell you that with the 3.0 litre gear ratio, 19" is what most 18 ft Mariahs went out with. I'm just guessing.
However, I must back up and correct myself earlier. The SpitFire 4 blades are for 40 thru 115 hp outboards. I should have stated the "Alpha 4 " aluminum are designed by Mercury to give an cheap alternative to the 3 blades. Coming in 16,18 and 20 " pitches, they are used in-place of the 17,19 and 21" 3 blade aluminum props when better hole-shot and ability to stay on plane at lower rpms is desired. Since most people are not as much looking for blazing top-end speed the Alpha 4 sacrifices some of that.. It just does. Perhaps Mercury could tell you why. But at about $40 difference in price it is a very good alternative to the traditional 3 blade aluminum and alot cheaper than stainless. BTW, most Mercury dealerships carry a broad selection and will let you buy, try and re-try from their selection. Same with prop shops!
As to the 3.0 litre being emenic... well, If you've never run with a V-6, then you'll never have known the benifits and better fuel economy that a V-6 can have.(with the right/correct prop, that is...) It doesn't have to work as hard. That doesn't make it wrong. The 3.0 is/was cheaper and may be good for a small family and tubing.. when little Johhny grows up to be 6'2" (and his friends), a V-6 may have been "just a little bit better". But, Hey, I'd just just like to have a little bit of a cushion on power. I'm different. In the mean time, my suggestion is, try a 18" Alpha 4 prop. I think he'd like it.

Re: '95 Merc 3.0 Prop pitch?
 

I agree that it will likely be between a 17" & a 19" prop and there is a good possibility that an 18" 4 blade just might be the perfect prop but we need to find out what he has on it now first. And, the OP says it performs well so i cant imagine there being a 21" prop on it. My 4.3 doesn't like 21" props either. :)

Btw... my understanding is that the Spitfire prop is now available for Alpha outdrives. If it performs as well as claimed (& i've read some good reviews) then it would be a more economical choice & yet give performance very similar to a SS prop of the same configuration.

The other application for that 3.0 that's being overlooked is an older person or couple who boat in areas where speeds are restricted etc and maybe want to do a little fishing, cruising or just plain getting from point A to point B. Also the fuel economy for the 3.0 is better than the 4.3 in normal cruising so those boaters get just what they need from the 4 banger. The only time the 4.3 has an advantage with fuel is when its under load pulling things like skiiers/tubers etc. At that point that little 3.0 has to work much harder & then it negates any fuel advantage it had.

Re: '95 Merc 3.0 Prop pitch?
 

I had a 4 banger in an 18' bowrider once...(old Sea Ray)
In coastal waters it just wasn't enough!
Maybe on a lake it's fine, but against wind and tide it was just plain hard work!

Mine was fitted with a 19" Lazer II, which clearly is the wrong prop for a Mariah. (bow lift!)
but on that boat merc/alpha 1 it was about the best it would get.
Top speed was 38mph.

Re: '95 Merc 3.0 Prop pitch?
 

I'm an owner of an 18' Mariah with a 3.0. We are a family of 4 (two thinner adults, a 13 year old, and a 7 year old) I had a 21 pitch 3 blade aluminum Michigan match prop on it until a couple years ago when I started wakeboarding. With the 21 pitch and 3 adults on board it couldn't pull me (175lbs) out of the water, or maybe I just couldn't hang on long enough to see if it could. lol. I bought a Solas 19" pitch aluminum 4 blade. Night and day difference in planing speed, the sucker would jump on plane faster than i've ever witnessed a boat do before, and would stay on plane at 17mph.. Top speed suffered though, with the 21 3 blade our top speed was 38mph, with the 19 4 blade it was about 32mph, the comfortable (not spinning the engine to death) cruising speed was around 22mph, and it could be over revved if not careful. I then tried a Michigan Match 20 pitch 4 blade aluminum, that was a nice compromise, it'd do a top speed of around 34mph, comfortable cruising speed was up to 25mph or so, and it was still enough to pull me up on the wakeboard.

So now if we're going to have a load of gear or people with us, or we're going to a small lake I put the 20 pitch 4 blade on it, if we'll have a lighter load and we're going to a bigger lake the 21 pitch 3 blade goes back on it. The 19 pitch 4 blade is simply a spare that I keep in the boat.

I know many say the 4.3 does the same on gas as the 3.0 because it doesn't have to work as hard and here is what i've witnessed. We have friends with 2011 18' Four Winns Horizon with the 4.3 Volvo Penta power, same size family, almost every time we go boating they are with us so i've been able to compare our fuel usage between the two boats and I must say, they always use about 1/3 more fuel than we do, and that is compared at the gas dock after a day on the water following each other around, both pulling our kids on inflatables, making a couple quick WOT blasts, etc.

Also, twice now we've had our boats beached next to each other and had people come over to ask about the 16 year old Mariah.. Nobody has ever asked about their newer Four Winns. lol. :-)