hole shot

[Travis]

I own a 18foot skeeter zx175 with a 175hp evinrude.The prop on it is not marked as to what size pitch it is. the problem is very bad hole shot.Just wondering what size and pitch I should be running and 3 vs 4 blade.I have a 3 blade stainless now and was thinking on trying a 4 blade instead. any info would be great

[boatfixer]

What are you getting for max rpm right now? And to answer your question about 3 vs 4 blade, generally a 4 will give you hole shot. The important thing though, is to not exceed the max rpm at the top end.

[Travis]

my max rpms is right around 4800 to 5000 witch i didnt think was to bad and the boats top end is around 63 mph but all i do is dig a deep hole and it seems to take forever to get out of it.

[boatfixer]

Thats too low. You should be turning around 5500. I sure would think somewhere on the prop, the pitch and diameter are stamped. But you need to drop in pitch. you're just lugging the motor down. It would also be helpful to know the year of the engine to look and see what exactly the max rpm is. But 4800-5000 is not enough.

[marine_man]

The pitch and diameter probably aren't stamped on the outside of the hub - you'll likely have to remove the castle nut and washer and sometimes it'll be stamped on the prop under the washer - otherwise, pull the prop off and look on the side that seats into the lower unit - sometimes it's stamped there.

And I agree with boatfixer - you're not turning near enough RPM's, suggesting to me that you've got too high pitch prop, explaining your lack of holeshot.

by the way.. you almost always sacrafice top end speed for holeshot - the key is to have a good balance of both.

marine_man

[Whoaru99]

Quote:

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by the way.. you almost always sacrafice top end speed for holeshot - the key is to have a good balance of both.

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Generally true. However, there are some props that have ventilation holes in the hub near the leading edge of each blade. These create a mini-blowout, of sorts, on the initial lauch that helps to get the prop RPM higher out of the hole.

Other notes to the OP, 3 blade generally better for top speed/performance. 4 blade generally better for hole shot and stability/handling.

Of course, there is more to the prop than just pitch. There is also rake to consider for the type of boat and engine mounting.

Lot of information about props on the Web...