[Straad]

I'm a big guy (6'4" 290#)
and my mind still thinks im 20 though my body knows im 40
Im looking to get more hole shot speed for sking, wakeboarding, etc..

seems there is alot of options out there

Whale tails

trim tabs

prop pitch

all of which I know very little about
anyone have a basic knowledge and wanna school a guy on the pros and cons of each

[indykoch]

Straad,

I've heard many pros and cons to the "whaletails" (mostly cons). My dad put one on his 20' Sea Ray many years ago and immediately took it off. I can't remember the exact reason, but I think it didn't perform as expected.

The Nauticus Smart Tabs have a strong following on Trailer Boats chat page. They have a very descriptive pdf on their website that does a great job explaning why the tabs are better than hydrofoils. I'm strongly considering getting these myself. Do a search on the Trailer Boats page for "smart tabs" - you'll find many personal experiences, opinions, and even posts from the owner of the company.

Prop pitch is obviously something that will make a difference as well. Problem is, you almost always give up one thing to obtain another. If you want the better hole shot, but don't mind giving up top speed and/or efficient cruising, get a lower pitch and/or 4 or 5 blade prop.

[Straad]

i am not concerned with top end
i have run my boat at full thottle once all summer and that was for 20 seconds
use is 50% as a kid swim platform and 50% as a low speed puller, wakeboard,kneeboard 20mph and under

so I have been researching and the tabs look good, the fins not so much
but a new prop seems like a good fit too

looking around it says to base your prop and pitch on engine rpms at wot
its a 4.3L 18' boat it says rpm range should be like 4500-4700
but when i run wot i hit 5000rpm trim down and 5500rpm when i trim it up to make top speed

the boat is was used, i bought it this year, so i wonder if it is miss-propped
as the rpms seem high

anyone know anything about all this?
(so when i go into the prop/boat repair place i dont sound like a complete idiot)
hell, i dont even know whats on there now?
is there a way to tell pitch by looking?
i dont see anything written on it
it is aluminum...LOL

[indykoch]

5500 RPM's?!?! Either your tachometer is off or you're going to be buying a new engine along with that prop! There should be a rev limiter, and 5500 is probably over that, so you may need a look at the gauge.

If the tach is correct, sounds like you already have a low pitch prop and probably shouldn't go lower. In this case, I'd invest in the Smart Tabs.

You should be able to find a stamped number on the prop somewhere. I've never seen one without, but that doesn't mean much. They are usually on the outer diameter of the hub where the blades attach. Aluminum props usually have them on the inside of the hub, where the exhaust gases exit, on one of the "ribs". Find whatever stamping is on there and we should be able to decipher what it is.

I hear a lot of praise about the Mercury High Five (five blade prop) for applications just like yours (very little, if any, desire for top speed). But we need to know what prop you're coming from to make a good choice on pitch.

[ShabahZ280]

5500 RPM's is way too high, I'd begin with checking your tach. Here's a test I did on mine. When it's idling, knock on the face of the gauge with your knuckle. Not hard, but a good little whack, about as hard as you'd knock on a door. If your needle jumps to another RPM, knock it until it goes back to where it was originally. Then get behind your gauges with a really small flathead screwdriver. The Faria Gauges are universal for all engine applications, and they have a switch for 4-6-8 cylinder engines. Make a note of what setting it's on, and doublecheck it's in the right engine size setting. Then put the small screwdriver in the switch, and turn it back and forth about 5-10 times. Make sure to put it back to the correct setting. This cleans the contacts on the tach, and might correct your tach if it's reading wrong.

If your tach is fine, then I'd say it's time to get a prop checked out. Indykoch's got the details on that listed above. Check with the local prop place, they could tell you what's the correct prop, and then if it's a nice place , they might let you test some different props to find out what works best for you.

Good luck with it, and let us know how it turns out!

[mikeyt]

Hi Straad

Not sure what prop you have on your Barchetta 182 but my Shabah 180 has a 14.25 x 21p 3 blade aluminum prop as standard equipment. It gets my WOT revs to 5000 and that's about it where she should be. You can try the following link www.turningpointpropellers.com which has a prop selector tool if you are looking at replacing. I also installed the Smart Tabs SX on mine but had problems with the #80 actuators being too stiff. John from Nauticus shipped me a replacement set of #60's and it made all the difference in the world. Very little low speed wander, quicker planing and a more stable ride w/out losing any top end.

[Straad]

smart tabs may be a winter project (this list is getting longer every day)

like i said i get 5000 at WOT and 5500 when i trim up to that sweet spot
it scared me so i only did it once
i never need WOT, Michigan is full of 1000's of small lakes
and my kids are all about wake boarding and knee boarding, all 20mph and under


I'll go look inside the prop ring tomorrow, its dark outside now


thanks

[Straad]

the prop does have a number on the inner bolt ring not the outer prop itself
its : 48-832832-21
does that mean its a 21 pitch prop?

and if I understand correctly (big if)
wont going down to a 19 pitch "raise " my WOT rpm's? 300-400?
while bettering my hole shot
if my rpm gage is correct i certainly don't want to raise the rpm's more

i also looked at the back of the rpm gage and there does appear to be a selector for 4cyl, 6cyl, 8cyl, and a 4th selection i didn't understand
i took a pic of it but i don't have a program to resize it and my pics are friggin huge
it looked like a small screwdriver turn selector but upon closer inspection its raised up and says depress for 4cly selection only
i took the pic cause i cant really see/get to the back of it myself but i could finagle my camera up there

[indykoch]

If your gauge is the same as mine... the little "wheel" with settings has selections for 4, 6, 8, and outboard. The knob will not turn unless you depress it. I had to do this fix as well, and it worked. Just push in on the knob, rotate it back and forth a number of times (I think I did about 40 times because I really didn't want to have to get back in there again!). I think I even let it catch in each setting a few times just to be sure. I put it back on 8, and it cleared up whatever was in there. BTW - I don't know if yours is the same, but my backrest (at the base of the windshield in the bow area) raises up for easier access to the gauges and wiring. Have you tried that?

If you're running a 21 pitch at 5500 RPM's, I'd have to think your tach is off. Unless your prop diameter is rediculously small and had an enormous amount of prop slip, you'd be doing close to 65 MPH if the tach were right. I can't tell what the diameter is from your number.

You are right though - it's a 21 pitch, and it will get higher revs if you drop to 19. Try the tach fix and let us know what happens. I'll keep searching for your prop number to get the diameter. Hopefully, the tach needs "cleaning" and reads +1000 RPM's so you can drop a pitch or 2 and get the hole shot desired.

BTW - read my post on the Smart Tabs... they're INCREDIBLE!!! I love them!

[Straad]

yea im kind of a big guy 6'4" 300 there is no way im reaching in there even thru the front headrest
i tried to geta tool in there and all i managed to do was disconect a bunch of fuse wires with my arm
i'll have the wife try when shes in a helpful mood