3 Vs 4 Blade prop

[Volvo]

Had a three blade alloy 13x25x17 on the Honda 100HP (came with the Boat ) and just now changed over to this Stainless 4 Blade . Haven had it in the drink yet as still tides are ota kilta for me , not to mention the heat .
Reckon it will make much of a difference having the 4 blade on??..
keen to test n see how it goes ey..
Never had a 4 blade prop before but tol they bost hole shot and economy a wee bit ??..
345-130-17 Solas








125213

[scottar]

Yep they will. Don't be surprised if you lose a bit of thrust in reverse.

[Ducksnutz]

Made a big difference on my Haines Hunter 520 Prowler when I went from a 3 blade to 4 when I had her. 100HP Yammie. Hole shot and trolling at a lower RPM was the big difference for me. I did lose top end speed as a compromise but I never run at WOT and I’m in no hurry to get off the water….

[blacklab]

ppppppppppppppppppp

[Ducksnutz]

Ducks, So it's keeping the arse up at lower RPM on the troll ??.
What did you recon you lost top end ??
Cheers

Col

Yeah Col,

Bum up at lower RPM’s and I probably lost a few knots at wot. Never bothered me though as I’m not one to go flat out to get somewhere. You could feel the grip in regards to hole shot which I find just as important in gnarly situations like bar crossings or somewhere you want response quickly if that makes sense.

[blacklab]

ppppppppppppppppp

[Ducksnutz]

Yeah Col,

I had trim tabs on my Haines Signature 632f and they were a must because I found it difficult to distribute weight being a cabin boat. On my Prowler (centre console) and current boat, Tournament 1900CC they’re centre consoles and I find I can shift weight to suit most ride conditions and have it pretty well sorted.

All that being said, my current 19ft Tournament Centre console (150 Yammie) performs better with a 3 blade than 4. Don’t have any idea why the 17ft Haines did other than Hull design…and that’s a guess at best.

[Volvo]

Going to be interesting see what difference i find between the two ??. Mind you i thought the 3 blader didnt do bad , but hole shot improvement woll be an advantage.
4300 rpm last run had me sitting on aprox 27mph though still trying to get a feel of Boat , trim , rpm etc so guess it will bew few runs with each prop determine which suits my needs best ey ??.

[blacklab]

pppppppppppppppppp

[blacklab]

ppppppppppppppp

[scottar]

Personally I found going from my original 3 to a 4 did produce a better hole shot and an increase in mid range fuel economy. The hull did plane at lower rpm but not actually at a lower speed - ie- the prop had less slip but wasn't actually producing any amount of lift significant enough to make a difference. Going to a large area 3 blade gave a further increase in fuel economy with a marginal increase in vibration at certain rpms. Highest speeds were achieved with the smaller area 3 blade but it had the most slip at lower rpms - hence the poor economy.

[blacklab]

pppppppppppppppp

[Volvo]

No Fish but managed to get out today for a few hours n try the 4 blader at the same time :(.
What can i say??At 4000 RPM @23 MPH im burning 16 ltrs /ph.
Yep hole shot has improved.
Top speed has dropped1.5mph.
And at abovementioned speed n up boat lists a tad to Starboard.
Dont mind the wee loss of speed.
Happy with the fuel improvement but not happy with the bit of list to starboard.
Need to do a long trip prior to saying yaye or naye ey.

[Volvo]

No Fish but managed to get out today for a few hours n try the 4 blader at the same time :(.
What can i say??At 4000 RPM @23 MPH im burning 16 ltrs /ph.
Yep hole shot has improved.
Top speed has dropped1.5mph.
And at abovementioned speed n up boat lists a tad to Starboard.
Dont mind the wee loss of speed.
Happy with the fuel improvement but not happy with the bit of list to starboard.
Need to do a long trip prior to saying yaye or naye ey.

Mindya fergot ta mention that both batterries are stored on the Staeboard side aft.
Missus was sitting on Esky towards Starboard so mighta helped a tad with the list ??.
Hold on make sure she aint browsing this relpy ey :).

[Volvo]

Sooooo next question ?? Going by the Honda specs RPM should be between 5500 to 6300 for my Motor at WOT...
With the 4 Blader i get 5500 and think i should be better off somewhere between the 5500 -6300 ??, would that be a correct assumtion ??.
Will suss out the WOT with the 3 blader over the next couple of days see what it gives.
Assuming it somewhere around the same as the 4 Blader should i drop down to a 16 pitch or 15??..
Might have to Borrow a prop with those pitches see how they perform ey??..
Mind you the Boat purrs along nicely and not unhappy with the fuel usage so would i be fussing for no reason or better off go for peak performance to start with ??.

[Dignity]

Sooooo next question ?? Going by the Honda specs RPM should be between 5500 to 6300 for my Motor at WOT...
With the 4 Blader i get 5500 and think i should be better off somewhere between the 5500 -6300 ??, would that be a correct assumtion ??.
Will suss out the WOT with the 3 blader over the next couple of days see what it gives.
Assuming it somewhere around the same as the 4 Blader should i drop down to a 16 pitch or 15??..
Might have to Borrow a prop with those pitches see how they perform ey??..
Mind you the Boat purrs along nicely and not unhappy with the fuel usage so would i be fussing for no reason or better off go for peak performance to start with ??.

Too much time on your hands, just enjoy the boat more.

[Volvo]

Too much time on your hands, just enjoy the boat more.
You might be right too their lol