Possible prop change?

[Risky]

I have a Lund 186gl tyee with a 200 Verado, it has a stainless 4 blade Bravo 1 20p prop. A little doggy getting outta the hole. Thinking of putting trim tabs on, but wondering what prop would be better to put on or would the trim tabs be enough. Rpm's are about 5,700 - 5 800 n tops out 48 to 50 mph.

 

[Vollmer]

Could try a Bravo 1 19p. That might get you to 6k rpm's.
Almost wondering if a Tempest 19p would be the right fit.
Figuring out props is a damn science.

 

[Risky]

Ya it's a science alright ... and a expensive one!

 

[Vollmer]

Ya it's a science alright ... and a expensive one!

I would offer you a prop swap that you could try, but I only have one prop right now, and it is the same prop you already have.

 

[Risky]

I'm thinking I'll put the trim tabs on, which I was probably gonna do anyways n see if that helps the hole shot. I know other guys have said they make a big difference in a few different ways.

 

[Vollmer]

I'm thinking I'll put the trim tabs on, which I was probably gonna do anyways n see if that helps the hole shot. I know other guys have said they make a big difference in a few different ways.

Let us know how it goes.
Great looking boat btw!

 

[SDMF]

I realize this isn't exactly your boat/motor combo, but, it's also not too far off. I have a Yar-Craft 186 w/200HP Yamaha. I switched from a doggy-out-of-the-hole 20P Yamaha prop to a 19P Merc Enertia prop and it made a huge difference planing out, especially with another person or 2 in the boat. I didn't lose any top end and with a couple passengers the 19P is faster than the 20 was by ~2MPH.

 

[Bauer]

The Lund 186GL/200 merc combos should have come factory with a 19p Enertia or Tempest, with mine, I found a 18P Enertia to be about the best, I would have loved a 18P Tempest but they only go in odd sizes. I finally came to grips with the cadillac ride and the fact that it is a very heavy boat for only a 200hp max motor. You do have a few options though:
1: Mercury props have a Performance Vent Plug (PVS) system, You can mix and match different size openings (or no plug at all) to increase your RPMs at take off. They have 4 sizes, solid (plugged), small, medium and large openings. The effect that these have is that they increase exhaust blow by on the prop blades creating the effect of light cavitation causing your RPMs to spool up faster. These have little to no effect on top end speed. You can use a small flat blade screwdriver to pop a plug out and see if that helps at all. Your dealer should have these on hand or certainly can order them for you if you find that it helps by removing one or two and you want to start playing with sizing. There is no harm in leaving a plug or two out. I do feel it creates better effect if the exhaust blow is the same across all blades (4 PVS plugs)
2: Trim tabs will most definitely help with time-to-plane, they are also wonders on most other aspects of boat control as well. It is my belief that every boat should come with some sort of trim tab from factory. However, keep in mind, with tabs deployed, you are creating drag, so they do not help with top end speed, some people do think this! It is simply for ride control and wave entry/exit strategy.
3: Demo props. Most dealers do allow you to demo props for a fee. For instance, North Country Marine in Garrison will let you demo a prop for I believe about $40. They will get a credit card number from you for the total price of the prop incase it is damaged etc, but only bill you for the rental fee if it is returned safely. The bad part about the supply chain right now is props can be hard to come by so its not known if the prop you are looking for is available or even part of a demo program. If you are doing prop testing, all props should be tested the same day in the same weather and load conditions to get a true comparison. A temperature change of 20 degrees between runs can create a huge difference in how your results check out, and believe it or not, flat calm is not the way to do it! You want the surface tension of the lake broken by a light chop. This creates less drag.

Good luck!

 

[SLE]

Well, the reason it's doggy is your 600-700 rpms short of the max rated rpm for that engine (6,400 rpms if I have it right). Essentially your lugging that engine. You probably need to be running a 18P prop. Your top end speed will likely stay about the same but the hole shot and mid range will be markedly better. The Bravo FS, Tempest, Rev 4, or Enertia are all good wheels. They however, all run a little different rpm for the pitch being equal. If the pitch is the same, the Enerita and Bravo will run about the same, the Tempest will run about 100 rpms or so less, while the Rev 4 will run atleast 200 rpms less.

With the above mentioned, The Rev 4 is absolutely unbelievable in terms of low speed planing and it's ability to lift the entire boat. The control it provides is like having 4wd. The down side is it comes at the cost of top end speed as it's a really big wheel and is hard to turn. Not sure I would recommend it for the 4 cyl verado as those are bit weak to start with and turning a tough prop probably isn't the best combo. The Tempest is a tried and true winner and typically a very fast prop however they don't offer alot of stern lift, more of a bow lifting prop. My guess is it will offer too much bow lift, especially since the nose of those Lund 186s aren't that heavy. I ran one on my 186FSX Yar craft and it was very fast but I had no bow control and couldn't pin the bow down into the waves unless I was running almost 30 mph. That unfortunately doesn't work well in ND. The Bravo is going to be a good mix between the Rev and the Tempest. Maybe a tick slower than the tempest, but it turns easier and provides decent stern lift. Not quite as good of handling as the Rev 4 but much better than the Tempest. I would think a 18P bravo would be good match. The Enertia might be a decent fit also, I only have experience running a 22P and the issue with that was that the higher the pitch, the smaller the diameter so on that particular boat it wasn't a good combo as I ran the engine at elevated heights for best performance and the smaller diameter didn't hold the water, that was also me trying to push a 19 ft boat into the 60 mph range. I also have a enertia on our Tri-toon which has been great, but that's a whole different animal only being a 13P and a giant big ear diameter pontoon prop.

The prop game doesn't have to be that expensive. If your patient you can find them used on bisman, walleyecentral, and ebay and sell them on the same places just the same. I think one year I went through 6 or 8 different props and I didn't end up out more than the cost for shipping on any of them. just make sure they haven't been rework or rebuilt, there's more hacks out there than there are guys that really know what they are doing. you can also check with you local marine dealerships as mercury does have a prop trial program however up here I haven't heard of any that enroll in it.

last thing, Trim tabs are a great tool but I don't like when there used as a bandaid to mask other boat setup issues. Get your propping correct and then add the trim tabs if you still want more boat control. I won't own another boat without but I want them more for rough water performance than for another reason.

 

[Slappy]

Some great advice in this thread. I'll add this recommendation.

https://propmd.com/

Worked with Prop Doctor to dial in my rig. Very helpful, good prices and a pitch exchange program.

 

[SLE]

One thing I didn't get to deep into is engine height. It's not likely to fix your hole shot, however it will have an effect on the overall performance of the boat and each one of those props that I mentioned require a different hieght for optimal performance. Without a Jackplate it certainly makes things more difficult.

 

[Allen]

Propping a boat is one of the most difficult damn things to do.

 

[Zogman]

^^^^^^ Argee! in 2008 I had close to 3 grand in props. The wife did NOT know

 

[Vollmer]

What can help, sometimes more than prop, is load distribution. I moved my batteries from under the rod locker to the back of the boat and gained 3-4 mph and 300-400 rpm’s.