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Props for Dummies


JDW

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I know there have been countless discussions on this issue, however, I am still in the dark. I have an '06 Ride with the 320 LCR with factory ballast. This is our first malibu and our two kids absolutely love to wakeboard. I know nothing of dd props coming from an inboard/outboard. The question I have...is there a better set up than the ACME 515 13x12 that came with the boat? My kids are only 12 and 9, so I am not pulling alot of weight, other than the odd time I actually get on a board. What is the difference bewteen the 515 and 525?

Any help or suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks

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I know there have been countless discussions on this issue, however, I am still in the dark. I have an '06 Ride with the 320 LCR with factory ballast. This is our first malibu and our two kids absolutely love to wakeboard. I know nothing of dd props coming from an inboard/outboard. The question I have...is there a better set up than the ACME 515 13x12 that came with the boat? My kids are only 12 and 9, so I am not pulling alot of weight, other than the odd time I actually get on a board. What is the difference bewteen the 515 and 525?

Any help or suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks

The 515 has a pitch of 12 and the 525 has an 11.5" pitch. You will see a little better holeshot with the 525. I have the 515 on my 23 xti and have tried a couple others but kept coming back to the one that came with the boat. From the info in your post, I'd recommend you just stay with the one that is on there. I believe Malibu sends all the DD's out of the factory with 515 whether it be your ride xti, response or the 21-23 xti's.

Most recommend you have a spare prop to keep on hand so you could buy a 525 or comparable OJ prop and try it out. That way you can keep the one you like most on the boat and the other would be a backup. It's about a 300-350 dollar experiment!

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That makes sense, however, does the pitch alter the wake. We do no skiing, only wakeboarding, I have played with weight distribution, so I know how that affects it, just wondering about the prop

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Give the people a Acme or OJ a call. They are very helpful. Wake is more a function of hull design. Although, prop selection can alter the table of the wake (prop wash). Prop size and pitch translates engine RPM into forward motion. The more pitch, the more "bite" the prop has on the water. Its kind of like riding a 10 speed bike, too low a gear and you work really hard and go really slow-but you have a lot of torque. In 10th gear, you have a hard time getting started, but once you are going you can go really fast.

You can't change props on the fly so the trick is to find a prop with a nice balance between low end and speed. Boat engineers look at the intended use of the boat and try to select a prop that best fits the application. Many people select a slightly different prop than was specified for their engine and hull to gain a little top end (commonly bare footers) or a little better hole shot (course skiers with short set-ups or wakeboarders who really load up the boat with weight). Unless you have a special situation, my thinking is that the design engineers are a lot smarter then us and selected the correct prop for your boat and I would stick with was is specified. You have to be careful because changing the prop changes the efficiency of your engine-running at higher or lower RPM which can impact engine wear and fuel use.

My $.02...

Have fun...

That makes sense, however, does the pitch alter the wake. We do no skiing, only wakeboarding, I have played with weight distribution, so I know how that affects it, just wondering about the prop
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I have to agree with Greg on his report but I don’t feel the engineers/factory looks at what will be the best performance prop. I have seen props being installed that give great top end and crappy hole shot with factory ballast. I feel JM2C the factory puts a prop on that will give nice cruising speed, top end, lower RPM and fuel economy with minimal people in the boat. As Greg mentioned once you start wanting to barefoot, wakeboard with extra people and ballast, then your going to need a prop change.

The higher the pitch the better top end you will have and the hole shot will suffer. The larger (diameter) the prop the more surface area for a greater bite. One way to have hole shot and increase top end is a higher cup size. IE a prop OJ #330 - 13 X 11.5 LC 1 1/8" 3-BLADE .090 CUP and #332 - 13 X 11.5 LC 1 1/8" 3-BLADE .110 CUP both have the same diameter and pitch but different cup witch in turn give’s the #332 a higher top speed at the same RPM. With to high of cup size I have found the roost and wash out will increase as well. I could add so much more info that I have found but it would just confuse people even more.

If your going to buy a spare prop then I would go with the ACME 525 or the OJ #330. I would also call both companys to make sure.

I have a thread started (how do you prop your boat) and hope with summer coming on that people will start filling out the data. This data can help you as well as others in the future for picking a prop that’s going to perform best with your needs. We all have different needs but with a data base we can make educated decisions about the proper prop.

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