3 blade to 4 blade

[Thunder21]

Hey Im curious if anyone has made the switch to 4 blade props and how it worked out ? I’ve got twin 200 Suzuki’s on a fairly heavy boat . The boat runs great with the current 18.5 Suzuki water grips but im wondering if I’m possibly leaving some lower speed performance on the table. In particular the ability to stay on plane at a lower speed and some stern lift at cruise. It’s a fairly large investment so Im only interested if the difference is fairly significant. Anyone made the switch?

 

[dmurph]

I switched to a four blade on my 2359 trophy with 350 mag mpi and it made a very noticeable difference for my set up. Up on step quicker and easier, more stern lift and able to cruise at a lower rpm with out falling off step which is great when it’s rough out

 

[Rain City]

I switched to a four blade on my 2359 trophy with 350 mag mpi and it made a very noticeable difference for my set up. Up on step quicker and easier, more stern lift and able to cruise at a lower rpm with out falling off step which is great when it’s rough out

Found the same on my old bayliner. Only lost a couple miles top end but could stay on step at 20 miles and 3500 rpm instead of having to stay at 25 miles at 4000 rpm. Allowed me to slog through rough water easier without having to keep the speed up.

 

[CIVANO]

I was having trouble staying on plane in large following seas. Switched to 4 blade and problem solved. Would never go back. 23' Grady 250 Yamaha

 

[Old Fisher]

If you put properly sized 4 blades on, I don't think you will be disappointed. Every hull will react differently to the change but all of the above comments are correct. I've always been surprised that more boaters who use fishing/cruising boats don't use 4 blades. They are ideal for the stern heavy, well loaded boats that most of us have here on the west coast.

 

[Rockfish]

Have a four blade stainless prop on the 225 Opti and the boat jumps onto plane and also is able to pull Halibut anchor systems at low rpm/speed.

 

[Macfuzza]

I imagine you have the OEM 16x18.5 props? If so they have quite a bit of blade area as is and it's no surprise that they are working well. As far as 4 blades, options are limited in a 16" diameter. Powertech LFS should work well but I'd contact them regarding sizing as pitch is not always the same from brand to brand and an extra blade will add some load to your engines. On top of what's already been said about 4 blade props they are also inherently smoother running and a spare set of props is invaluable

 

[Thunder21]

I imagine you have the OEM 16x18.5 props? If so they have quite a bit of blade area as is and it's no surprise that they are working well. As far as 4 blades, options are limited in a 16" diameter. Powertech LFS should work well but I'd contact them regarding sizing as pitch is not always the same from brand to brand and an extra blade will add some load to your engines. On top of what's already been said about 4 blade props they are also inherently smoother running and a spare set of props is invaluable

You are correct , I am running the 16s now.

 

[SpringFever552]

I switched to a four blade on my 2359 trophy with 350 mag mpi and it made a very noticeable difference for my set up. Up on step quicker and easier, more stern lift and able to cruise at a lower rpm with out falling off step which is great when it’s rough out

What dmurph said..same boat also..will never go back to 3 blade

 

[tightlines]

Anyone have any experience which 4 blade to put on F350 yamaha? 232 grady white

 

[dance a jig]

I have a 2470 pursuit with a single F250 and F8 kicker, so quite a bit more weight than boat originally designed for. I used to run a 3 blade and it gave me the proper max. RPM's and top end speed. When I switched to 4 blade, I can still get proper max. RPM and top end speed, but: a) cruise speed was achieved at 300-400 lower RPM, b) "stern lift" which made boat ride more level at cruise, c) lower RPM's to plane, and stay of plane, which is great for offshore, and d) more bite in water when turning. My experience was the stern lift is like a accentuated "bow down", which can cause "bow steer" in certain conditions, and I remedy with trimming my motor to have a little bow up. like said before, I would never go back to a 3-blade. good luck. DAJ

 

[Prfisher]

I’ve been trying to decide which way to jump with a new prop. Since I have only an emergency spare that will get me home in a pinch, I need to get another proper sized prop.
So far, I haven’t had much luck finding someone to help me figure out what to buy if I decide to go 4 blade or SS.
(the 3 blade stock aluminum that came with the outboard works fine, but a bit more bite & some stern lift would be nice)
Can anyone recommend a good prop shop that can help out?
I would like to get this right the first time & not throw away a bunch of money doing the trial & error thing.

 

[Aces]

I’ve been trying to decide which way to jump with a new prop. Since I have only an emergency spare that will get me home in a pinch, I need to get another proper sized prop.
So far, I haven’t had much luck finding someone to help me figure out what to buy if I decide to go 4 blade or SS.
(the 3 blade stock aluminum that came with the outboard works fine, but a bit more bite & some stern lift would be nice)
Can anyone recommend a good prop shop that can help out?
I would like to get this right the first time & not throw away a bunch of money doing the trial & error thing.

Rpm in Tofino, where I bought my motors let me try 4 different prop setups before I decided on the ones I run now

 

[Thunder21]

So I got in touch with a guy named Ken that has a company called prop gods. The power tech lfs4 is what he recommended. Apparently Suzuki props are weird sizes. My 18.5s are apparently more like 20s . He recommended the 16x19 Powertechs. I’d love to just try a set for a 10 minute run before spending so much money. Does anyone else run these? It shouldn’t be too risky letting me try them. I’ve only hit two logs in the inlet in the last 8 trips down. Odds are in your favour haha.

 

[Prfisher]

Thanks to you both! I will contact the folks you mentioned. I run a Suzuki 140 which complicates matters some because of the smaller hub size than most 14” props.
It really would be good to try out an expensive prop before committing.
I appreciate the replies, Gentlemen.

 

[Old Fisher]

You mentioned Ken Reeves at Propgods. Although he is in Florida, he is a good guy to deal with and he knows his stuff. I’m running a Powertech OFS4 as per his recommendation and couldn’t be happier.

 

[littlechucky]

You mentioned Ken Reeves at Propgods. Although he is in Florida, he is a good guy to deal with and he knows his stuff. I’m running a Powertech OFS4 as per his recommendation and couldn’t be happier.

What kind of boat / engine are you running?

What was the previous prop that the OFS4 replaced?

Appreciate your response.

 

[MongooseX]

Ive been intrested in trying a 4 blade on my boat. Certian trim angles at low speed can make the prop blow out. From what ive heard the 4 blade grips alot better. 22' 300 suzuki

 

[Gong Show]

Proper propping is essential.
With outboards and a trailer boat, the process to find perfection is almost painless. In fact it is positively joyous!
A quick mental review of all my most accurate log entries were whilst prop testing.
The boat's job is to not sink.
The prop is where the action is, and the benefits will be felt every time the motor is in gear.
Commit to buying a good prop from a local shop and you should get to try out props, within reason, until you find perfection. Notwithstanding North Arm Deadheads.

 

[Old Fisher]

What kind of boat / engine are you running?
What was the previous prop that the OFS4 replaced?

I run a 300 Yamaha on a 23' Campion 682. The 15 1/4 X 17p OFS4 replaced the Yamaha 3 blade that came with the motor (I think it was 15 3/4 X 17). The OFS4 makes the boat a joy to operate.

If you can get a local dealer to help with your prop choice, that's ideal. I had little luck in this regard so I contacted Ken Reeves at Propgods. He was only too happy to calculate my prop slip and he asked what my boat was doing with its current prop and what I wanted the boat to do better. He wanted to know the current prop, boat weight, type of boat use (fishing / cruising). Then he recommended the OFS4

I'd recommend that anyone considering a prop change do a prop slip calculation to see how bad (or good) your prop really is. You might be surprised at how much fuel you are using to spin a prop that is slipping at 20-30%.