Just put a 4 blade Solas Titan 4 on my Hewescraft Sportsman 180 with 100hp Honda. Same experience with every boat I’ve put a 4 blade on. They are fantastic. Better handling, I actually gained top end speed but the best improvement is the hole shot, low speed staying on plane and efficiency at ocean cruising speeds.
It's amazing what that 4th blade will do for a heavy boat. We actually lose about 8% fuel efficiency over the 3 blade. But the improved hole shot, better slow speed maneuvering, easier docking, more bite in reverse, and being able to stay on plane down to around 13 knots, all make it a worthwhile compromise.
@@Letsgochannelsurfing absolutely! Every boat I’ve put them on has been night and day better. Especially for ocean use where I’ve never once gone full throttle but better midrange performance and staying on plane at a crawl are wonderful.
Thank you for all the videos. Lots of info and I’ve learned so much about Ranger tugs. I haven’t found my 27 ob yet but I’m already putting together a list of upgrades. Sold on the 4 blade now. (unless Sharrow props have a huge price cut).
Another excellent video. I had the same Merc experience with an 18 1/2’ SeaRay bowrider. That Turbo prop is the ticket. Thanks for the demo on changing out the prop. I would love to see it done with the boat in the water. Being me, I’m not likely to have the chance to do the work on line.
Thanks for watching!! If I had to change it out while in the water, using the dinghy is an option, though probably not a great one. Backing the boat into a slip at the dock, with the engine all the way up, out of the water would be how I'd do it. If that's not possible (no slip available to back into), I'd go find a boat ramp and back into the boat ramp with the engine all the way up and get my feet wet ,standing up, while I swapped out the prop.
Currently I run a 3 blade stainless ballistics prop with a hub saver kit on my 1995 20 foot Sea Arrow center console inboard with a Volvo Penta V6 4.3 liter mated to a OMC SX out drive. The motor was rebuilt and a bigger cam was put in and a bigger carburetor. A 4bbl Holley 4160 600 cfm carburetor.it bright it from it's original 190 HP to 225 HP. It also sounds pretty good you can hear it on my page in my videos if you care to look. I can't remember the exact torque off the top of my head I'd have to dig out the build sheet . My main cruising rpm is usually between 2500 rpm to 4250 on the higher end on average, I'd like to be able to go a little sloer and run mabey 2100 rpm but with my 3 blade it's a struggle.. At about 3800 to 4000 rpm I run about 30 mph depending on the conditions. Wot is recommended 5000 rpm and I run 45 to 50 depends on conditions again. But I don't run at that rpm often. I Only run that if a Storm is coming or I need to get in for an emergency or in a hurry. Or sometimes just for fun but top speed isn't a huge concern with me . I pack quite a bit of gear and keep some tools and a spare prop and my anchor things like that . I have also added 2 batteries from the original 2 . Then installed an audio system and lights, but basically I have probably added a good estimate I'd say 350 ish lbs of extra weight . That's not including fishing gear and people food and a full ice chest . As far as people usually it's either me and my wife or us and our 3 kids or us and another couple. At max I prefer 6 people just for the comfort level. I have noticed out of the hole it's a little slow to get on plane especially if the boat is heavy in the back . And depending on my load it has a hard time on plane as far as maintaining a good plane at lower speeds. The boat is rated for 10 persons plus 250 in extra gear. So I'm well within weight safety. And it's not a huge problem persay just a noticeable one . I'm ok with sacrificing a little top end speed for a better hole shot and slower and better planeing ability at lower speed. I feel like a 4 bladed prop would be more suitable to what I desire . Would you agree givin everything I have mentioned? I have looked up compatible prop options and found a 4 blade with the correct diameter and pitch so I know mechanically it would be ok but do you think I would get the results I'm looking for ? Like I said it's not that the boat handles poorly. I'm just looking to get down to a little lower of a speed while maintaining plane and I'd like to be able to get on plane a little faster out of the hole . I have videos of the boat on the water you can go see .
Adding an extra blade (3 blade to 4) will give you more bite in the water. It also balances the prop out more (smoother). That extra blade creates extra friction which may cost some fuel efficiency and is also the reason why top end speed is less. However, hole shot is certainly improved, as well as being able to lift that stern, and keep it lifted at slower speeds (trim tabs help here also). A 3 blade prop is going to be the most fuel efficient, but a 4 blade is going to grab considerably more when sized correctly. For me, slow speed maneuvering (docking, reverse especially), and hole shot were really important. My boat would slow boat at 10 knots or less, or cruise at 20 knots or faster. With the 4 blade prop holding that stern up, I can cruise as slow as around 13-14 knots and stay on plane. Being in salt water, hole shot is also really important to me. Those 50' cruisers throw 4 foot wakes. It's nice to just pop off plane, bob through the wake, then throttles down and be back up on plane quickly. I only lost 2 knots off my top speed also. Not a bad compromise.
I feel like all of the benefits you listed are the exact things we are after (especially the hole shot/getting up on plane - the F200 can be a little anemic at that if there are several people on board). Now I am gonna have to go spend some more money - thanks! 🤣
The R23 benefits greatly from a 4 bladed prop over the 3blade. I know of another R23 owner who swears by his 4 blade PowerTech. Adding the auto-glide with a 4 blade prop is a as good as it could get for hole shot.
Nice video, and thanks for the comments regarding aluminum versus stainless steel props. I hear all the hype about stainless but I’ll sacrifice the added performance over not tearing up my stern drive when, not if, you eventually hit something. I ran a three blade last season as an experiment and definitely got more top end but I didn’t like the lag in getting on plane so I’m back to a four blade after spinning the hub on the three. I never go out without a spare so I’m down for a few days until I get it repaired but that’s ok. Last comment/question - did you look at the Cutwater versus the Ranger?
We briefly looked at Cutwater versus the Ranger. We really liked the tug look over the Cutwaters. Also, we wanted an outboard and in 2020, the only Cutwaters that were outboards were 24' and 32', and we wanted a 25-27 foot boat with an outboard.
Thanks for the video. Looking at your 4 bladed prop numbers there seems to be an anomaly between 4200 and 4300 rpms. Are those numbers correct or is there a typo in the table. Thanks again.
Testing a prop is only somewhat scientific. There's just so many variables involved. The day I tested the 3 blade prop was flat, calm seas at high tide. When I tested the 4-blade, it was slack high tide, but there was 1 foot chop. The 3 blade testing also was done before I had installed the auto-glide. The 4 blade prop was tested with the auto glide installed. The mpg column is a calculated field. The Yamaha display, which shows MPG, It has a wide rounding error lets just say. What you're looking at at mpg for 4200 vs 4300 rpm on the 4-blade I'd call an anomaly based on the conditions at the time. I'd go out and run the boat in a straight line, adjusting the throttle and photographing the Yamaha and Garmin display to capture the GPH and Speed in knots. Then once home, I'd enter the data from the pictures. Then use excel to do the rest of the math. The data is what it is, as I captured it. But I agree with you, 4300 RPM is most likely a bit closer to 4200 and 4500 RPM.
Here's some more data. (I ran multiple tests that day). Even though it was slack high tide, I was still trying to keep any current and wind from affecting the numbers. I would go in a straight line heading West, then turn around and head East performing the test again. 4300RPM 14.9GPH at 28.7mph = 1.9mpg 13.9GPH at 21mph = 1.51mpg 14.2GPH at 18.4mph = 1.3mpg
One last thing I'll mention... In the video I say "We traveled 120 nm round trip to Roche and burned 10 more gallons of gas than Thistledown". The 120nm number was off the top of my head, Everett to Roche Harbor. (It's 60nm each way). However, when I was building the spreadsheet for this video, I realized I had captured the actual mileage (I photograph my electronics with travel stat's at the end of each trip). We did a little sight seeing on our trip back from Roche Harbor to Everett, and took a longer way home. (We went through Pole Pass (near Deer harbor, Orcas Island) and we went though Lopez Pass (Lopez Island). There was some slowboating, a lot of cruising, plus the no-wake zones at Everett and Roche Harbor. This was an awesome test, in my opinion, because I had us with a 4 blade and Thistledown with a 3 blade prop. Both RT-27OB's. We traveled together each way. So the fuel efficiency numbers are blended throughout a real-world trip across a lot of water. Wind, currents, all the realities of traveling in salt water. I burned 10 more gallons of gas.
Thanks for posting this. Do you know of anyone with a R-23 with a 200hp Yamaha who has gone to a 4 bladed prop and what pitch and diameter. I mainly cruise at 5 to 6 mph and was wondering if I might see a tiny bit better mpg.
Thanks for watching!! I do personally know of at least 1 person with an R23, the F200 and upgraded to a 4 blade SS prop. He has stated that fuel consumption does improve on slowboating speeds with the 4 blade over the 3 blade. I met him at the unofficial RT Rendezvous this past September.
Yamaha Saltwater Series II 15.75 x 15, 3 blade. Powertech OFS 4 blade (15.25"), 15 pitch. I'm also evaluating a Powertech 5 blade prop that appears to outperform both the 3 and 4 blade prop's.
@@Letsgochannelsurfing Oh, I'm right there with you on that. I'm slowly building a ply-on-frame/fiberglass monocoque (engineer's word choice) hull, and I am discovering there is no perfect solution, but that rain is my biggest enemy . . . besides snow and ice. Love your boat.
Submarine service, US Navy. I was decommissioning crew on the SSN 606, USS Tinosa, Panama Canal (Order of the Ditch) and Shellback (crossed the equator) Then spent 6 years on the SSBN 729 (blue crew), USS Georgia, when she was based out of Bangor, WA.
I would not make that assumption. The weight of the R25 and R27 are different. The factory prop on the R25-OB and R27-OB are slightly different in size.
The R25-OB comes from the factory with a Yamaha Saltwater Series II, 15.5" x 16 prop. The R27-OB comes with a Yamaha Saltwater Series II 15.75" x 15 prop.
Hi I'm new to your channel. I noticed in one of your videos that you mentioned owning a 22ft maxum and purchased a 5 blade prop. What engine did you have in it, and what was the diameter and pitch of the 5 blade. I am looking at getting a 5 blade for my 2000 maxum sr open bow. it has a 5.0l efi with an alpha 1 outdrive.
Thanks for watching!! We had so many great years with our Maxum 2200 SR3. It had the 5.0l Mercruiser, MPI (fuel injected), with an Alpha 1 stern drive. It was the 260HP engine. WIth fuel injection, there was no exposed gas fumes, so even though it had a blower for compliance, the risk of an explosion was slim. As far as the 5 blade prop goes… The dealer recommended it to me, they sized it and put it on. I don’t know that I ever actually paid attention to the size. (It was 2007 when I bought it). It was the Quicksilver high-five, I remember. Any Searay/Bayliner delaer today should be able to tell you which high-five to go with for that engine and boat.
They don't make a 4 or 5 blade prop in a 13 pitch. Another owner of an R27-OB tried a 14 pitch OFS 4blade and it performed worse than the 15 pitch. I'm currently playing with a 5 blade prop that's been the best so far that I've tested.
Just put a 4 blade Solas Titan 4 on my Hewescraft Sportsman 180 with 100hp Honda. Same experience with every boat I’ve put a 4 blade on. They are fantastic. Better handling, I actually gained top end speed but the best improvement is the hole shot, low speed staying on plane and efficiency at ocean cruising speeds.
It's amazing what that 4th blade will do for a heavy boat. We actually lose about 8% fuel efficiency over the 3 blade. But the improved hole shot, better slow speed maneuvering, easier docking, more bite in reverse, and being able to stay on plane down to around 13 knots, all make it a worthwhile compromise.
@@Letsgochannelsurfing absolutely! Every boat I’ve put them on has been night and day better. Especially for ocean use where I’ve never once gone full throttle but better midrange performance and staying on plane at a crawl are wonderful.
Thank you for all the videos. Lots of info and I’ve learned so much about Ranger tugs. I haven’t found my 27 ob yet but I’m already putting together a list of upgrades. Sold on the 4 blade now. (unless Sharrow props have a huge price cut).
I’d try a sharrow prop, but not for $5k. They need to get down to $1k and if it works as advertised, they wouldn’t be able to make them fast enough.
Love the Dolphins on the window at the end. USS Buffalo SSN-715 here.
Thanks for watching!! USS Georgia SSBN 729(Blue) and USS Tinosa SSN 606 (decommissioning crew).
Another excellent video. I had the same Merc experience with an 18 1/2’ SeaRay bowrider. That Turbo prop is the ticket. Thanks for the demo on changing out the prop. I would love to see it done with the boat in the water. Being me, I’m not likely to have the chance to do the work on line.
Thanks for watching!! If I had to change it out while in the water, using the dinghy is an option, though probably not a great one. Backing the boat into a slip at the dock, with the engine all the way up, out of the water would be how I'd do it. If that's not possible (no slip available to back into), I'd go find a boat ramp and back into the boat ramp with the engine all the way up and get my feet wet ,standing up, while I swapped out the prop.
Currently I run a 3 blade stainless ballistics prop with a hub saver kit on my 1995 20 foot Sea Arrow center console inboard with a Volvo Penta V6 4.3 liter mated to a OMC SX out drive. The motor was rebuilt and a bigger cam was put in and a bigger carburetor. A 4bbl Holley 4160 600 cfm carburetor.it bright it from it's original 190 HP to 225 HP. It also sounds pretty good you can hear it on my page in my videos if you care to look. I can't remember the exact torque off the top of my head I'd have to dig out the build sheet . My main cruising rpm is usually between 2500 rpm to 4250 on the higher end on average, I'd like to be able to go a little sloer and run mabey 2100 rpm but with my 3 blade it's a struggle.. At about 3800 to 4000 rpm I run about 30 mph depending on the conditions. Wot is recommended 5000 rpm and I run 45 to 50 depends on conditions again. But I don't run at that rpm often. I Only run that if a Storm is coming or I need to get in for an emergency or in a hurry. Or sometimes just for fun but top speed isn't a huge concern with me . I pack quite a bit of gear and keep some tools and a spare prop and my anchor things like that . I have also added 2 batteries from the original 2 . Then installed an audio system and lights, but basically I have probably added a good estimate I'd say 350 ish lbs of extra weight . That's not including fishing gear and people food and a full ice chest . As far as people usually it's either me and my wife or us and our 3 kids or us and another couple. At max I prefer 6 people just for the comfort level. I have noticed out of the hole it's a little slow to get on plane especially if the boat is heavy in the back . And depending on my load it has a hard time on plane as far as maintaining a good plane at lower speeds. The boat is rated for 10 persons plus 250 in extra gear. So I'm well within weight safety. And it's not a huge problem persay just a noticeable one . I'm ok with sacrificing a little top end speed for a better hole shot and slower and better planeing ability at lower speed. I feel like a 4 bladed prop would be more suitable to what I desire . Would you agree givin everything I have mentioned? I have looked up compatible prop options and found a 4 blade with the correct diameter and pitch so I know mechanically it would be ok but do you think I would get the results I'm looking for ? Like I said it's not that the boat handles poorly. I'm just looking to get down to a little lower of a speed while maintaining plane and I'd like to be able to get on plane a little faster out of the hole . I have videos of the boat on the water you can go see .
Adding an extra blade (3 blade to 4) will give you more bite in the water. It also balances the prop out more (smoother). That extra blade creates extra friction which may cost some fuel efficiency and is also the reason why top end speed is less. However, hole shot is certainly improved, as well as being able to lift that stern, and keep it lifted at slower speeds (trim tabs help here also).
A 3 blade prop is going to be the most fuel efficient, but a 4 blade is going to grab considerably more when sized correctly. For me, slow speed maneuvering (docking, reverse especially), and hole shot were really important. My boat would slow boat at 10 knots or less, or cruise at 20 knots or faster. With the 4 blade prop holding that stern up, I can cruise as slow as around 13-14 knots and stay on plane. Being in salt water, hole shot is also really important to me. Those 50' cruisers throw 4 foot wakes. It's nice to just pop off plane, bob through the wake, then throttles down and be back up on plane quickly. I only lost 2 knots off my top speed also. Not a bad compromise.
Very helpful that was exactly what I needed to hear
Thank you for watching!
Another great informative video, thanks!
Thank's for watching!
I feel like all of the benefits you listed are the exact things we are after (especially the hole shot/getting up on plane - the F200 can be a little anemic at that if there are several people on board). Now I am gonna have to go spend some more money - thanks! 🤣
The R23 benefits greatly from a 4 bladed prop over the 3blade. I know of another R23 owner who swears by his 4 blade PowerTech. Adding the auto-glide with a 4 blade prop is a as good as it could get for hole shot.
Nice video, and thanks for the comments regarding aluminum versus stainless steel props. I hear all the hype about stainless but I’ll sacrifice the added performance over not tearing up my stern drive when, not if, you eventually hit something. I ran a three blade last season as an experiment and definitely got more top end but I didn’t like the lag in getting on plane so I’m back to a four blade after spinning the hub on the three. I never go out without a spare so I’m down for a few days until I get it repaired but that’s ok. Last comment/question - did you look at the Cutwater versus the Ranger?
We briefly looked at Cutwater versus the Ranger. We really liked the tug look over the Cutwaters. Also, we wanted an outboard and in 2020, the only Cutwaters that were outboards were 24' and 32', and we wanted a 25-27 foot boat with an outboard.
Thanks for the video. Looking at your 4 bladed prop numbers there seems to be an anomaly between 4200 and 4300 rpms. Are those numbers correct or is there a typo in the table.
Thanks again.
Testing a prop is only somewhat scientific. There's just so many variables involved. The day I tested the 3 blade prop was flat, calm seas at high tide. When I tested the 4-blade, it was slack high tide, but there was 1 foot chop. The 3 blade testing also was done before I had installed the auto-glide. The 4 blade prop was tested with the auto glide installed. The mpg column is a calculated field. The Yamaha display, which shows MPG, It has a wide rounding error lets just say.
What you're looking at at mpg for 4200 vs 4300 rpm on the 4-blade I'd call an anomaly based on the conditions at the time. I'd go out and run the boat in a straight line, adjusting the throttle and photographing the Yamaha and Garmin display to capture the GPH and Speed in knots. Then once home, I'd enter the data from the pictures. Then use excel to do the rest of the math.
The data is what it is, as I captured it. But I agree with you, 4300 RPM is most likely a bit closer to 4200 and 4500 RPM.
Here's some more data. (I ran multiple tests that day). Even though it was slack high tide, I was still trying to keep any current and wind from affecting the numbers. I would go in a straight line heading West, then turn around and head East performing the test again.
4300RPM
14.9GPH at 28.7mph = 1.9mpg
13.9GPH at 21mph = 1.51mpg
14.2GPH at 18.4mph = 1.3mpg
One last thing I'll mention... In the video I say "We traveled 120 nm round trip to Roche and burned 10 more gallons of gas than Thistledown". The 120nm number was off the top of my head, Everett to Roche Harbor. (It's 60nm each way). However, when I was building the spreadsheet for this video, I realized I had captured the actual mileage (I photograph my electronics with travel stat's at the end of each trip). We did a little sight seeing on our trip back from Roche Harbor to Everett, and took a longer way home. (We went through Pole Pass (near Deer harbor, Orcas Island) and we went though Lopez Pass (Lopez Island). There was some slowboating, a lot of cruising, plus the no-wake zones at Everett and Roche Harbor.
This was an awesome test, in my opinion, because I had us with a 4 blade and Thistledown with a 3 blade prop. Both RT-27OB's. We traveled together each way. So the fuel efficiency numbers are blended throughout a real-world trip across a lot of water. Wind, currents, all the realities of traveling in salt water. I burned 10 more gallons of gas.
Thanks for posting this. Do you know of anyone with a R-23 with a 200hp Yamaha who has gone to a 4 bladed prop and what pitch and diameter. I mainly cruise at 5 to 6 mph and was wondering if I might see a tiny bit better mpg.
Thanks for watching!!
I do personally know of at least 1 person with an R23, the F200 and upgraded to a 4 blade SS prop. He has stated that fuel consumption does improve on slowboating speeds with the 4 blade over the 3 blade.
I met him at the unofficial RT Rendezvous this past September.
On their R23, they have the Powertech OFS4R12.
@@Letsgochannelsurfing Thanks, I appreciate you finding this out for me.
May I ask which diameter and pitch for your 3-blade and 4-blade propellor?
Yamaha Saltwater Series II 15.75 x 15, 3 blade. Powertech OFS 4 blade (15.25"), 15 pitch. I'm also evaluating a Powertech 5 blade prop that appears to outperform both the 3 and 4 blade prop's.
Wood is also not really negatively affected by sea water, but I guess that doesn't apply. ;)
Wooden hulls leak. And if you store them out of water, they’ll contract and leak more… :)
@@Letsgochannelsurfing Oh, I'm right there with you on that. I'm slowly building a ply-on-frame/fiberglass monocoque (engineer's word choice) hull, and I am discovering there is no perfect solution, but that rain is my biggest enemy . . . besides snow and ice. Love your boat.
Are they dolphins on your window? Where you in the Navy on boats?
Submarine service, US Navy. I was decommissioning crew on the SSN 606, USS Tinosa, Panama Canal (Order of the Ditch) and Shellback (crossed the equator) Then spent 6 years on the SSBN 729 (blue crew), USS Georgia, when she was based out of Bangor, WA.
Cool, I spent 3 years on the USS Sirago SS-485 diesel boat in the mid sixties.
Hi Martin,
Can I assume the power tech 15.25 15-degree prop you put on your R-27 will work for my R-25?
I would not make that assumption. The weight of the R25 and R27 are different. The factory prop on the R25-OB and R27-OB are slightly different in size.
The R25-OB comes from the factory with a Yamaha Saltwater Series II, 15.5" x 16 prop. The R27-OB comes with a Yamaha Saltwater Series II 15.75" x 15 prop.
Hi I'm new to your channel. I noticed in one of your videos that you mentioned owning a 22ft maxum and purchased a 5 blade prop. What engine did you have in it, and what was the diameter and pitch of the 5 blade. I am looking at getting a 5 blade for my 2000 maxum sr open bow. it has a 5.0l efi with an alpha 1 outdrive.
Thanks for watching!! We had so many great years with our Maxum 2200 SR3. It had the 5.0l Mercruiser, MPI (fuel injected), with an Alpha 1 stern drive. It was the 260HP engine. WIth fuel injection, there was no exposed gas fumes, so even though it had a blower for compliance, the risk of an explosion was slim. As far as the 5 blade prop goes… The dealer recommended it to me, they sized it and put it on. I don’t know that I ever actually paid attention to the size. (It was 2007 when I bought it). It was the Quicksilver high-five, I remember. Any Searay/Bayliner delaer today should be able to tell you which high-five to go with for that engine and boat.
You should have e got 13pitch
They don't make a 4 or 5 blade prop in a 13 pitch. Another owner of an R27-OB tried a 14 pitch OFS 4blade and it performed worse than the 15 pitch. I'm currently playing with a 5 blade prop that's been the best so far that I've tested.