prop question

[jigglestick]

i have a 16 foot lund i am putting together. it has a flat floor, in floor gas tank, live well i will have 3-4 on board batteries.
my question is i have a 40 horse mercury to put on it, and though i feel this motor is a little small for the boat, the dealer in town said no problem, you just need the right prop for it.
so... what pitch prop would put me in the ball park? there is an 11 p prop on it right now. where do i go from there?
i am not worried about top end speed, i just want to get on top of the water.
thanks.

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an "all chapters, charter member" jigglestick I.B.O.T.#5 have you clamped today???

[logon648]

i would give that 11p a try if you have a newer 40 it should be ok. you could also add a hydro foil this will help you get up an plane when your a little short on power.the year of the motor will make a big difference on your preformance the older motors were rated at the power head which means your 40 is only putting out 30 to 35 hp at the prop
www.soderbloom.com

[Gus]

Logon648, Do you know what year they started rating motors at the prop instead of the powerhead? I've always wondered this. Thanks.

[This message has been edited by Gus (edited 05-17-2004).]

[logon648]

i believe it was 1986 or 87

[Surface Tension]

Jiggs, I have a 40 Merc with an 11 pitch and it performs good. I'm also using a Stingray and I can get on plane faster and stay there at lower speeds.
I had Jay at www.soderbloom.com fix a prop for me and couldn't be more happy with the performance I gained. The cupping he added made a world of difference.

[danny berg]

Jigglestick
I have a 9.9 johnson with a 11p prop and I just bought a 15 johnson that had a 8p prop. I took the 15 johnson and the boat (16' mirrorcraft) for a spin with the 8p prop then put the 11p prop on the motor, I liked the feel and handling of the 11p prop more so than the 8p prop. I think in your situation, if you have access to a couple of different props, I would try them all out and figure which one works best for you.

Danny