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best prop for 98 sunsetter lx


dgoulet

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I am sure this topic has been discussed many times, but I just can't find the answer with the search option. Anyways, I just bought a 98 sunsetter lx with the monsoon engine and would like to know what would be the best prop to get if I plan on only boarding and surfing with a good amount of ballast?

Thanks in advance.

dave

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I would talk with either Bill at ACME or Eric at OJ (or Max at Skier-To-Skier knows the OJ's really well too). They'll probably want to know how much ballast you're planning on carrying.

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Go with a 12x11.5 prop the 525 for Acme. I loaded up the SLXI and this prop did well for me.

That prop won't destroy the surf will it? I've had the same question for awhile, but been too lazy to search for it! Whistling.gif

Right now I'm running around 1500lbs ballast and the wedge for surfing, and the wake shapes up nice. Of course I can't get faster then about 12 mph!

What engine is the 350 mag considered to be? IE Monsoon?

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Go with a 12x11.5 prop the 525 for Acme. I loaded up the SLXI and this prop did well for me.

That prop won't destroy the surf will it? I've had the same question for awhile, but been too lazy to search for it! Whistling.gif

Right now I'm running around 1500lbs ballast and the wedge for surfing, and the wake shapes up nice. Of course I can't get faster then about 12 mph!

What engine is the 350 mag considered to be? IE Monsoon?

Are you running 1500lbs of ballast with the stock prop? How does that work out for you? What kind of setup you have in terms of fat sacs?

thanks

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Go with a 12x11.5 prop the 525 for Acme. I loaded up the SLXI and this prop did well for me.

That prop won't destroy the surf will it? I've had the same question for awhile, but been too lazy to search for it! Whistling.gif

Right now I'm running around 1500lbs ballast and the wedge for surfing, and the wake shapes up nice. Of course I can't get faster then about 12 mph!

What engine is the 350 mag considered to be? IE Monsoon?

Didn’t surf w/ it so I can’t really help in that regard. This will give you tons of low end pull and make it easier to hold speed.

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Go with a 12x11.5 prop the 525 for Acme. I loaded up the SLXI and this prop did well for me.

That prop won't destroy the surf will it? I've had the same question for awhile, but been too lazy to search for it! Whistling.gif

Right now I'm running around 1500lbs ballast and the wedge for surfing, and the wake shapes up nice. Of course I can't get faster then about 12 mph!

What engine is the 350 mag considered to be? IE Monsoon?

Didn’t surf w/ it so I can’t really help in that regard. This will give you tons of low end pull and make it easier to hold speed.

you sure that wasn't a 13x11.5 ACME?

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Go with a 12x11.5 prop the 525 for Acme. I loaded up the SLXI and this prop did well for me.

That prop won't destroy the surf will it? I've had the same question for awhile, but been too lazy to search for it! Whistling.gif

Right now I'm running around 1500lbs ballast and the wedge for surfing, and the wake shapes up nice. Of course I can't get faster then about 12 mph!

What engine is the 350 mag considered to be? IE Monsoon?

Didn't surf w/ it so I can't really help in that regard. This will give you tons of low end pull and make it easier to hold speed.

you sure that wasn't a 13x11.5 ACME?

Whoops my bad, yes the 13x11.5. Must be that wakeboard boat affecting my brain... Crazy.gif

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Go with a 12x11.5 prop the 525 for Acme. I loaded up the SLXI and this prop did well for me.

That prop won't destroy the surf will it? I've had the same question for awhile, but been too lazy to search for it! Whistling.gif

Right now I'm running around 1500lbs ballast and the wedge for surfing, and the wake shapes up nice. Of course I can't get faster then about 12 mph!

What engine is the 350 mag considered to be? IE Monsoon?

Are you running 1500lbs of ballast with the stock prop? How does that work out for you? What kind of setup you have in terms of fat sacs?

thanks

Yep, 1500lbs and add the wedge with a stock 3 blade prop. For surfing its fine, throw's a really nice wake surf for a DD.

Wakeboarding is a diff story though. I cannot use the wedge with that much weight, it wont get above 12mph. So wedge up and it struggles to get on plane, but when it finally does, the wake is great!

My setup is:

440lb launch pad (x2) on each side of the engine

350lb launch pad in ski locker

100 lbs lead under rear seat

150 lbs lead in ski locker

100 lbs lead under front seats.

100 lbs of beer (always seem to loose that ballast though... Whistling.gif )

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What engine is the 350 mag considered to be? IE Monsoon?

Not sure anyone addressed this yet. 350 Mag is a Mercruiser, not Indmar/Malibu Monsoon. Don't recall the HP. However, you will surely have more power by propping down--particularly running heavy ballast.

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I'd suggest trying the 525, it'll be a huge improvement over the stock prop. It did clean up the prop wash for both skiing and boarding.

Most people seem to suggest going with the 525. I don't know anything about props, but the 525 is a 3 blade prop, wouldn't a 4-blade prop be better if I plan on having about 1500lbs of ballast? What are the pros and cons of 3 vs 4?

Thanks

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What are the pros and cons of 3 vs 4?

It used to be that for holeshot and speed holding capabilities you went with a 4 blade (more surface area) but with the advent of CNC'd 3 blades the manufacturers (ACME & OJ mainly) are able to machine larger blades. My 13 X 12 OJ XMP CNC'd 3 Blade has more blade surface area than the 13 X 14 OJ Legend 4 Blade it replaced.

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What are the pros and cons of 3 vs 4?

It used to be that for holeshot and speed holding capabilities you went with a 4 blade (more surface area) but with the advent of CNC'd 3 blades the manufacturers (ACME & OJ mainly) are able to machine larger blades. My 13 X 12 OJ XMP CNC'd 3 Blade has more blade surface area than the 13 X 14 OJ Legend 4 Blade it replaced.

For the surf and ski you may want to look at the 449?

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Thanks for all the answers guys. Does anyone know how much space there is between the back seat and the engine box on the 98 sunsetter lx? I am trying to find out which bags to buy but my boat is in storage an hour's drive away.

thanks.

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I can’t remember if the ’98 model still allows the rear seat to be removed or not.

Yep. you can take the rear seat bottom and place it on top on the speakers. Effectively turning it into a sun pad.

I have a 750 sac that I place under the seat (when it's raised) for wakeboarding/surfing. It fits fine and people can still walk around behind the engine.

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I can't remember if the '98 model still allows the rear seat to be removed or not.

Yep. you can take the rear seat bottom and place it on top on the speakers. Effectively turning it into a sun pad.

I have a 750 sac that I place under the seat (when it's raised) for wakeboarding/surfing. It fits fine and people can still walk around behind the engine.

It's a great feature and I've been on a '97 SLX many times, if that can be done on a '96 as well then any size bag would fit essentially.

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