prop pitch

[fsh4fun05]

I bought a new boat that has a 2-stroke 200 hp Mercury outboard. It is from Texas and has a 21 pitch on prop. I don't even know what that means to be honest. It is a Viper Coral fish/ski boat. My question is, what do the different pitches and sizes of props relate to power, speed and hole shot. Hole shot...look at me, like I know what I'm talking about. The boat weighs around 1600 with the basics, 30 gal. fuel tank etc. I don't know if weight is an issue with the right prop or not. It's going to be used mostly for fishing and sometimes to pull a tube or similar. Any info or links that could help me would be appreciated.
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[bodine11]

I'm no expert either but to my knowledge the lower the pitch the better hole shot, power prop. A 21 is a speed prop. If you pull a lot of skiers or water sports you probably would like a 15 or 17 pitch. But the top end will be slower.

bodine
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[Hellsangler69]

With a google search you can find anything .[url "http://www.rbbi.com/folders/prop/propcalc.htm"]LINK[/url] Well just about . Does your boat come with a RPM guage ?
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[Bassin_Blitz]

First of all your going to have to run the boat as is and see what it does. Then there are alot of variables to try.

1. engine height
2. prop pitch
3. how many blades on prop 3 or 4

run your boat and check to see

1 hole shot acceptable or not
2 top end speed ok or not
3 handling ok or not

then we can help
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[fsh4fun05]

I test drove the boat in Oklahoma City and it jumped out of the water got plane and before I knew it I was doing 65 MPH but that was at a low elevation. I'm going to give it the maiden voyage this weekend at Utah Lake. I assume the water is high enough out of Lindon to run a boat without any worries. I'll keep an update, I'm new at a powerful engine and want to make sure everything is proper (no pun intended).
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[loomislover]

Just call Rick Kinross at Robertson's Marine. He used to own and sell Coral/Vipers boat. He can tell you exactly what pitch prop you should be running. I've never seen a Coral with a 200 Merc they usually have a 225. You can also call Lee's in Hyrum.
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[BearLakeMack]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]As HA69 asked, do you have an RPM gauge? I'm sure you do but you'll need to know your engine's RPMs when pitching it. Get the model and serial number off the motor and call Lee at Lee's Marine and he'll give you the engine's top Operating RPM for your year and model.[/size][/black][/font]
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]Take the boat out and run it. Get it going full out making sure to trim it properly. Once she's trimmed and planing full out, record your engine's RPM. As a side note, if the engine is under pitched to begin with, DO NOT EXCEED THE MFG MAX RPMs. You never want to exceed the manufacturer's rpms in any circumstances! That's why you need to know it up front. Usually, coming from a lower elevation, you'll most likely be over pitched and have to drop a pitch or two. [/size][/black][/font]
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]Your goal is to get a prop that is pitched correctly to allow your boat, at the primary operating elevation, to run full out at the engine's top operating RPM when the throttle is full out and the boat is trimmed properly.[/size][/black][/font]
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]Once you know the top operating RPM of the current prop, it's time to select the new prop with the proper pitch.. It is best to try several props before finally deciding on one. The nice thing about Lee's Marine is he's right on Hyrum Lake and you can try a bunch of props to get the performance you'll want. Not all props are created equal so try several. That's the great thing about going to Lee's. Not only do you get to try different props, you also have an expert to discuss all the aspects of the proper characteristics of each type of prop. [/size][/black][/font]
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]Stainless is the way to go. Good bite and no flex. Anyway, make the journey up to Lee's one weekend and get-r-done. You'll be glad you did it right the first time.[/size][/black][/font]
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[Gumbo]

BLM is dead on. Keep in mind that the 21, while fine in TX or OK or wherever the boat came from, is likely too much prop here in Utah where you lose HP due to elevation. You might find it acceptable to use at Lake Powell, but you'll likely be moving down to a 19.

Also keep in mind that different mfg props respond differently--and there are 3-, 4-, and 5-blade props. Most shops will let you try them out on the water (they return your money when you return the prop in perfect condition).

The trick is finding the prop that gives you the optimal performance in the areas that best suite your needs.

Good luck.
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[Troll]

Take Bear Lakes advice.

I have 3 props for my boat. Powell/Quail, mid-elevation lakes like Utah, Yuba, Willard, Pineview... and a 3rd prop for Strawberry,Starvation, Fontenelle...

Load your boat with a days worth of gear and head up to Hyrum lake for the day. Until then DO NOT exceed the RPM for your motor.
65mph? Sounds like a fun boat, be careful and enjoy it.
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[buler]

There are 2 numbers you need to know the pitch is how many inches the prop travels in one revolution you also need to know the diameter of the prop that relates to how much water it grabs on the revolution. in my experience the higher the pitch the more top end speed you get. But the bigger the diameter the better your hole shot power. So find out what is on your boat and start there. Stainless is a good way to go but it is sometimes less forgiving than your outdrive. its not hard to talk boat shops into demo'ing there props until you find the one that uses all the power your boat can give it without redlining.
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