Info on Prop selection

[willyqbc]

Okay you outboard guru's. I have picked up a 15 horse honda 4 stroke for my 14 foot misty river. The prop is a little dinged up and i am thinking of replacing it. Now trying to research prop selection has left me with very little useable information so I am looking for some experienced opinions here. What would you suggest for this motor? 3 blade or 4? What pitch? I want a prop that will blend top end speed and still allow me to troll at a snails pace, while getting the most from my fuel dollars!! From what I can see I want a prop that will allow the motor to get to 5500rpm at the top end.

Any and all suggestions/info welcome.

Also any guesses on how fast this motor will get my 14 footer moving with a couple people and some gear???

Thanks
Chris

[RJ]

before you buy a new one, you can get the old one repaired for a fraction of the cost, see if that suits your needs and if not then shell out for a new one.

[Ambush]

before you buy a new one, you can get the old one repaired for a fraction of the cost, see if that suits your needs and if not then shell out for a new one.

Thats the smart thing to do. A few small notches won't affect it. Being bent is a bigger problem.

Do you have a tach?

You also want to pick your prop for your average anticipated load.

Light load equals a higher pitch. The same prop under a heavy load will bog the motor and will be "slipping" which increases fuel consumtion.
It's a bit trial and error.

[Jagermeister]

That 15hp will struggle with two people in it Chris, add some gear and it will wallow like a pig and not likely get up on plane. If you're familiar with Dave's boat, when I had it I bought it with a 15 HP Evinrude, both new and not used. The boat performed as stated in the opening sentence. I soon changed it to a new 3 cyl. 25hp Johnson with a 4 blade prop. Then the boat would definitely haul and get up on plane in a hearbeat. It would troll all day too at a nice speed.

[N-W-Redneck]

Go to Iboats.com. Lots of industry pros and experienced boaters there that can help. They have a sub-forum strictly dedicated to props! I;ve gotten alot of good info and advice there.

[Salty]

As with pretty much any boat its going to be a trial and error thing to get the best prop for your needs Willy.

I'd be inclined to think you will do best with a lower pitch with that motor and may need just that to get it to plane with a load. I had a 15 ft plywood dory skiff with a 15 hp four stroke (Suzuki) and it would plane easily and do maybe 16 knots with 3 people in it. That boat had a flat bottom and would be more "slippery" than your semi V misty river so you'll need to 'gear down' your Honda to get it out of the hole with a load me thinks. ..

This is what I would do. Get the specs for your motor and see how many different prop pitches Honda makes for that motor. Take your prop out to the bench and carefully straighten it up as best you can with a block of wood and a hammer. Take the rig out for a run with a decent load and see what it will do. As you've figured out it should be able to make its maximum rpm, if it doesn't you definitely need to buy a lower pitched prop. Figure out what pitch of prop you have, consult the menu of different pitches Honda makes, and make an educated guess. There is a possibility that a local shop may have used props around that you could try too which would be good.

G'luck with it. ..:cool:

[SAVAGE300]

Take it in to a prop shop and get it fixed properly and have it repitched at the same time vibration on the prop shaft can and will lead to gearcase damage. also make sure your boat is trimmed out the best you can at 5500 max

[Chuck]

Been there done that!
I found that one cannot have both - top speed and trolling.
You might have to buy two props - one for each end.
I solved my problem with an Evinrude - it only has one pitch 9.5 X 10.
My 14' Lund is rated for 355 Kg load and the maximum power allowed at that load is 13 Kw or 17.4 HP.
So I bought the 15 hp Evinrude because it clicks down very nice for trolling, yet is just shy of maximum HP allowed at full load. I seldom pack 355 Kg.
Had I gone to a 20 hp engine, then I'd be too much at top end with still the same pitch, therefore I'd have to get a 25 HP and then I could change the pitch of the prop, but getting up there in hp makes a poorer troller even with the different prop and it's not as economical to run as the smaller motor. Also there is the bother of remembering to change the prop and yada yada yada.
I've been happy with my choice and in many years its served me well.