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Just moved up into this boat from my 15' Dauntless, and thought I would seek Tom Clark or someone's advice with experience this set up. While this does get up well with the 115HP engine, something tells me prop technology has come a long way since 2005.
The engine is the stock 115HP Mercury 4 stroke EFI. The current prop is a Stainless 3 blade Mercury Vengeance with the following #'s on it: 48-16986 16P. No trim tabs or hydrofoils. I'm sure there is a better set up to get on plane faster ect; I don't know the WOT or speed as of yet. Tom recommended a prop on my Dauntless 15 and it was like nite & day. Your input is greatly appreciated in this matter.
Keep in mind 4 stroke motors have a more linear torque curve than a 2 stroke. Another way of saying they are slower to spool up rpm's.
- We need to know top WOT rpm's and speed via GPS.
- At what height is engine mounted?
- What is the load of gear/fuel and passengers? Where is the load located?
When you say you want faster time to plane, what occurs when you give it more throttle? What are the boat's performance characteristics on throttle up?
Are you trying to pull a skier or tube?
If so, drop 2 inches of pitch in the same Vengence prop. If you change brands, the size will most likely be totally different.
The guy I bought it from states is does about 40-42 MPH - WOT at about 5500 RPM. I intend on pulling a skier or tube. I've worked for Cummins for 30+ years, so I know engine characteristics quite well. It gets on plane pretty well as it is and the engine is mounted in the top hole, with 4 holes open below it which mean you would be bringing the engine up higher on the transom if you were to change that. I was just looking for a prop with all round better performance characteristics than my stock prop - maybe what I have is as good as it needs to be? I know you guys on here to include Tom Clark know a lot more than I do about prop characteristics to enhance performance. I appreciate your input.
