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No tilt, no trim, best prop?

Helderp

Helderp

New member
1977 Trimate, 1975 Evenrude 135 V4, No tilt or trim, Beat up aluminum 13x15p prop gets me 42 on the GPS with 9 gallons of gas and two adults 185LBS and 120LBS.

RPM's??, No clue since I don't have a guage yet.

Looking at a OMC SS 3 Blade 13x21 or 23 or
Solas HR Titan 4 Blade 13x21

Am I on the right path? Any help would be greatly appreciated.:confused:
 
We will need to know what RPM your engine is running at wide open throttle, as well as the recommended RPM range the engine is supposed to run (according to the manufacturer). Only then can we give prop advice, I'd hate to tell you wrong and your engine blows up from over-revving it. Tach kits are pretty cheap and easy to install.:popcorn:
 
fox88gt said:
We will need to know what RPM your engine is running at wide open throttle, as well as the recommended RPM range the engine is supposed to run (according to the manufacturer). Only then can we give prop advice, I'd hate to tell you wrong and your engine blows up from over-revving it. Tach kits are pretty cheap and easy to install.:popcorn:
Click to expand...

I'm working on getting a tach but from what I understand, increasing the pitch should lower my rpm's, shouldn't it? I, currently have a 13x15, so I don't think I can rev much higher, right??
 
i would have to say with the 15 your at the max rpm.17,21 or 23 is what you want.15 must give you a great hole shot though! i have a used 21 in nice shape i would sell you.Its an omc sst. 100.00 shipped
 
paulsboats said:
i would have to say with the 15 your at the max rpm.17,21 or 23 is what you want.15 must give you a great hole shot though! i have a used 21 in nice shape i would sell you.Its an omc sst. 100.00 shipped
Click to expand...

What you have just told me reaffirms what I have been reading here. I just wasn’t 100% sure since I can’t trim up to get that little bit extra out of the engine. The old man I got the boat from told me that he has a couple of extra props kicking around his barn for the boat. I plan to pay him a visit over the weekend to see what he has. If that doesn’t work out I may just take you up on that offer. Thanks again for the information. :cheers:
 
Without knowing the RPM you are currently at any prop suggestions are based total shot in the dark. Get a tach hooked up and see where you're at then we can make an intelligent and educated guess.
 
atc250r said:
Without knowing the RPM you are currently at any prop suggestions are based total shot in the dark. Get a tach hooked up and see where you're at then we can make an intelligent and educated guess.
Click to expand...

Thanks for chiming in, as I mentioned to Fox88GT, I’m working on the RPM gauge. In fact I have ordered it and it should be here sometime next week. I’ll post the RPM’s once I get it installed. The old man that sold me the boat is giving me the other 2 props anyway, so I’m going to pick them up and see what I’ve got. Thanks again for the input.
 
Helderp said:
What you have just told me reaffirms what I have been reading here. I just wasn’t 100% sure since I can’t trim up to get that little bit extra out of the engine. The old man I got the boat from told me that he has a couple of extra props kicking around his barn for the boat. I plan to pay him a visit over the weekend to see what he has. If that doesn’t work out I may just take you up on that offer. Thanks again for the information. :cheers:
Click to expand...
I may even have a trim and tilt for your engine.post some pics of the engine.:poke:
 
Even knowing the rpm you are at now doesnt mean squat unless you replace the prop with a similar prop from the same manufacturer. I could throw a aluminum 19 pitch Mercury prop on my 150 and be going 48 MPH at 6200. A 19 pitch Solas 4 blade stainless prop will go 58 MPH at 6200. No setback or jackplate.
 
atc250r said:
Without knowing the RPM you are currently at any prop suggestions are based total shot in the dark. Get a tach hooked up and see where you're at then we can make an intelligent and educated guess.
Click to expand...
What our (extremely) esthetically and socially challenged friend says is quite true.
Without a baseline to determine what's goin on you're screwed.
What you do have is a relative baseline, ie: the old guy who's run it for years with this assortment of props that haven't blown it up.
That's a decent starting point but if you really want to start fine tuning it you need a tachometer.
Keep us in the loop. We love offering armchair opinion around here. Especially at someone else's expense.:rof:
Oh yeah, on top of that I can't resist a poke at John. He takes it so well.
 
Just got my RPM guage! Plan to install it soon so I can see what she's doing.

paulsboats said:
I may even have a trim and tilt for your engine.post some pics of the engine.:poke:
Click to expand...

Fantastic! I'm in the process of painting it, but will snap some pics over the weekend so you can check it out. :thumb:
 
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wired said:
Even knowing the rpm you are at now doesnt mean squat unless you replace the prop with a similar prop from the same manufacturer. I could throw a aluminum 19 pitch Mercury prop on my 150 and be going 48 MPH at 6200. A 19 pitch Solas 4 blade stainless prop will go 58 MPH at 6200. No setback or jackplate.
Click to expand...

I’m growing increasingly interested in the 4 blade props. I feel like it’s a good way to increase pitch and top end without killing the hole shot. Once I install the RPM and find out what she’s turning, I’ll start looking into options. Thanks for the insight on Solas 4 blade props! :bigthumb:
 
sim said:
What our (extremely) esthetically and socially challenged friend says is quite true.
Without a baseline to determine what's goin on you're screwed.
What you do have is a relative baseline, ie: the old guy who's run it for years with this assortment of props that haven't blown it up.
That's a decent starting point but if you really want to start fine tuning it you need a tachometer.
Keep us in the loop. We love offering armchair opinion around here. Especially at someone else's expense.:rof:
Oh yeah, on top of that I can't resist a poke at John. He takes it so well.
Click to expand...

I appreciate all the advice; this is a great forum with tons of resources. I have quite a bit to do to this little trimate before I splash her again, I only wish I had more time to finish before the weekend. I’m in the process of painting the engine, and need to install the Tachometer before it’s ready for water. Realistically it may be another two weekends before I get done.:cheers:
 
5100RPM

Ok guys, finally got back out on the water after painting my engine and WOT is right around 5100RPM. I think it should be turning 5500. I check the compression and all 4 holes are 150 even. The strange thing is that I filled the tank, added a rear section of 3 seats, a cooler full of everything and an extra person + two dogs (About 2-300 extra LBS) and still got the same 42 MPH on the GPS. Any sugestions?:confused:

I think I need tilt and trim + a jack plate to make this thing move...
 
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If you are going to get a plate and a trim set up I would say do that first and foremost. From there you can see what you can get out of it. Not being able to add some positive trim is really going to drag the MPH down. Can you move the pin up a hole and see how it runs MPH-wise then? Go out alone, it might be a turd out of the hole but you might find some big gains up top and that will give us an idea of where you might be with a power trim set up. Its still gonna be really tough to make an accurate suggestion if the prop you have is beat up. It could be costing you both RPM and MPH for no other reason than it isn't efficiently cutting through the water. Got any friends nearby you can borrow a prop from?
 
Helderp said:
Ok guys, finally got back out on the water after painting my engine and WOT is right around 5100RPM. I think it should be turning 5500. I check the compression and all 4 holes are 150 even. The strange thing is that I filled the tank, added a rear section of 3 seats, a cooler full of everything and an extra person + two dogs (About 2-300 extra LBS) and still got the same 42 MPH on the GPS. Any sugestions?:confused:

I think I need tilt and trim + a jack plate to make this thing move...
Click to expand...
Did you end up changing the prop?
 
atc250r said:
If you are going to get a plate and a trim set up I would say do that first and foremost. From there you can see what you can get out of it. Not being able to add some positive trim is really going to drag the MPH down. Can you move the pin up a hole and see how it runs MPH-wise then? Go out alone, it might be a turd out of the hole but you might find some big gains up top and that will give us an idea of where you might be with a power trim set up. Its still gonna be really tough to make an accurate suggestion if the prop you have is beat up. It could be costing you both RPM and MPH for no other reason than it isn't efficiently cutting through the water. Got any friends nearby you can borrow a prop from?
Click to expand...

Na, I'll just have to buy one. May try a 17 and see what happens. At least the paint came out ok.

100_3226_zps87b9d03a.png
 
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Check on Bass Boat Central for a deal on a used one. I would guess something like a Trophy or a Ramer assuming you can get them to fit the V4 lower. Paul would know a lot more than me about that stuff.
 
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