The Ideal Starflite Prop!

[Mark]

I think I may have found the ideal prop for a Starflite. As any Starflite owner will tell you these hulls need a bow lifting prop. For many that means a Tempest. I had a 25" A45 Tempest (thinner blades than a Plus) and it was fast (70 mph on a good day) with excellent lift. But honestly, it sucked at everything else; it was slow out of the hole, blew out coming on to plane if it wasn't trimmed right in, it was louder somehow, shook on take off, had lots of steering torque, was prone to chine walk and it slipped in turns. Frankly, I don't know why they are so popular. I could hardly stand running it. I ran my slower 4 blade Renegade all summer because it does everything else better.
I figured what this hull really needs is a 4 blade with more rake to lift the bow. Well, I think I have found it ....... the Powertech TRO4! I realize it is a copy of the Trophy but it has more rake and is cupped differently. I traded my Tempest for one, and this morning I had a chance to test it. It has the lift and speed of the Tempest and still has all the qualities of a 4 blade. Great holeshot, smooth acceleration, no chine walk, little steering torque and incredible bite. I was pulling hard over turns at 50 mph without trimming in and wasn't blowing out.
The other thing the TRO4 is noted for is it will run at higher engine heights than almost any other prop. That testing will have to wait till next year since I put the Starliner into storage this afternoon. But who knows, maybe i have found the ideal Starflite prop?

 

[aaronmt]

Hmmm havent tried that one but one one things for sure after trying 6 props I love my 25p trophy. It was an all summer event nailing down the right prop on my starflite and this morning i got 74.3 which was completley stable with no chine walk.

 

[bostoncan]

I see its larger in dia than a trophy so its good on a jack plate, Where and how much for a Powertech TR04 ?. I can certainly say these Tempest prop are not for me ,still on my boat until I find a 25 trophy or maybe on of these.

 

[aaronmt]

Has anyone else had poblems with the tempest shaking like heck. Ive tried 3 all of them shook until you were up and runnin. Aaron

 

[bostoncan]

Not shaking.. but it has more vibration for sure. Aaron is your trophy a plus? Can you PM me if you know of any Trophy 25p for sale around the NW( priced reasonably)

 

[Mark]

Pitstop Marine has the best new price on a Tro4 at $360.
You can sometimes find used ones on Bass Boat Central. They love them on that forum. I've also swapped props with guys over there. Bass boaters are generally certifiable prop junkies.
Ebay has lots of used Trophy's at good auction prices. No big deal to have a prop shipped across the country, cost is the same.

 

[Mark]

Bostoncan
BTW if you are looking for a B&B prop in Canada TCAT on this forum has a Boger 25 Trophy for sale for $500C. He says he has $1000 into it.

 

[bostoncan]

Did the Tro4 come polished for that price ? checked Pitstop it doesnt say if its the polished one.

 

[aaronmt]

Mine is a trophy plus . Ive talked to boger about reworkin it , he absolutely know his props. $500c is a a great buy wish id seen that before hand. IM not sure if il have mine redone yet, im kinda loooking for a bigblock persuader maybe to see what 80 is like next summer (One with a blown up motor would be ideal) Aaron

 

[Mark]

Did the Tro4 come polished for that price ? checked Pitstop it doesnt say if its the polished one.

Don't know. Email them and find out. Mine is polished. I traded with a guy on BBC my A45 Tempest.

 

[supergenius74]

wow says price is 329 now, has anyone else tried this prop? what engine you got mark?

 

[Mark]

I am running a 2.5L 200 efi Merc. The 25" TRO4 turns the same RPM as 25" Tempest, around 5800 RPM. I'm going from 11" to 13" setback this winter. Me thinks that will bring it up to 6000 RPM. Plus a TRO4 can be run higher, but I haven't experimented yet.

 

[JW]

The Tempest is a larger diameter prop isn't it? I'd be surprised if the 4-blade could be run higher, isn't it smaller diameter?

 

[aaronmt]

I can attest to the tro4 likeing to run high im 1 1/2" below the v and its great. This is an excelent prop for the starflite. Aaron

 

[Mark]

The Tempest is a larger diameter prop isn't it? I'd be surprised if the 4-blade could be run higher, isn't it smaller diameter?

Yup, it's a smaller diameter. Side by sides have shown it can run 1/2" higher or more over a Tempest. They have uncanny bite. I haven't had a chance to do a lot of experimenting, but the one day I had it out, I could not make it let go no matter what I did.
I think the small block V6's actually prefer a smaller hub prop....at least on a Starflite.

 

[jeffyham]

starflite with 25 Trophy +

I decided last week after reading this post and the replies to purchase a 25p Trophy Plus for my 1988 Starflite. The boat has a CMC hydraulic jackplate with 5.5 inches of setback. The engine is a 1988 200 black max with rebuilt (to factory std) carbs and a new ignition system (also just factory stuff). The nosecone is from Bobs Mach Shop.

I have run a 23" chopper thru hub - got 62 mph. I have run a 26" chopper over the hub- got 62 mph. Hoping to get over 65+ with this trophy, guess what I got? 62 mph. Both GPS and Speedo. I had the motor jacked high (prop shaft at 1.5" below v), and also down a bit...no diff in top end. The hole shot and mid speed handling, however, is much nicer with the Trophy. THe engine all tests out at 125 on the compression. Revs are up there over 6k.

My question is - what do I have to do to this boat and motor combination to run faster without dropping the big bucks? What should I be able to get out of this thing for top end?

 

[merc245]

Crawl up under the bow, Do what you have to do to check if the foam behind the bulkhead is dry or not. If its wet it can hold about 100lbs of water. There was several of us with starflites have pulled that foam out. Remove your cushions if your planning on using them. Free

If topend is your goal,Its tuff on the transom lip,find a used 5-10 inch setback braket $100-$200. Then theres water pressure issues. steering cable issues. ect. ect. ect

 

[atc250r]

Wish I had an answer for you. I was seeing 63 GPS with my Johnson 200 on a slightly heavier Starliner with a 24 Raker and the same set back. Just put on a 24 Mach 4 blade and the top end seems the same but everywhere else is better. Hoping to get out one morning this weekend to check it with the GPS again to confirm my results. Is it possible your boat is a bit waterlogged? Mine has never spent more than a couple of nights in the water so its very dry. I'd like to try a Trophy or TRO4 in a 25 or even a 24 pitch. The Raker seems to carry the bow better that the Mach.

 

[Mark]

A 5 year old thread revived! I quit the pursuit to make my Starliner a rocket ship. Low to mid 60's is where you will be with a small block V6. The only way you can go faster is to juice the motor (big bucks) or go with massive setback (15-18") but then it will porpoise like a pogo stick at lower speeds and eventually you are going to break your transom.
I ended up running a 24" TRO4 as they are pitched 1" stiff. (25" Trophy will work) 11" setback, 2 3/4" below the pad. That is the setup for these rigs. It had great all round performance and every once in a while I would hit mid 60's in very cool whether. In the summer it ran 62-63.
Today I have a 250 Etec, 8" setback, 25" Rev4 prop 2 1/2" below pad and see low 70's. To tell you the truth you can barely even feel the difference, from seat of your pants, between 62 and 72. Enjoy the ride.

 

[atc250r]

I basically came to the same realization as you are talking about. A Liner is a fun family boat that can carry 8 yet be a somewhat quick boat out on your own. It was never designed to run like a Hydrostream or Allison and will never run with boats like that as far as top speed. All in all, on an average weekend afternoon around here I can't run wide open anyway and I'm probably limited to running in the mid 40's due to the water being rough more than anything else. It sounds like I am about making the most of my 200 so I'll probably just do the reeds, maybe shave a little off the heads, and down the road add the 225hp carbs since they are the only difference between my 200 and the same year 225. Once that stuff is done I can play the prop game. Oh, and Stay off of sites like Scream and Fly because it'll make you feel like your 65mph boat is slow.

John