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Prop for 93 Euro F3 Skier


Levi900RR

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So, I mainly use my boat for wakeboarding. I towed my buddy on a slalom ski last night. MAN does my boat run better at 32 MPH than it does at 22 MPH!!

I got to thinking, should I get a different prop if I am going to be Wakeboarding and Surfing 99% of the time?

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I don't know much, and I don't know the answer to your question. I would think it wouldn't much matter what prop you have on the boat - 22 will be 22. And that hull is sort-of designed to run 32, a bit more designed to run 34 and totally designed to run 36. Take out the rear bench, 1/4 tank of gas and just a driver and observer...and 32 off at 36mph gives you a nice smooth "tick-tick" as your main evidence that you've zoomed across the wake at 55mph. The boat was designed to have as minimal wake as possible at competition SKI speed and between 43' and 34 feet behind the pylon.

The reason to change prop is for additional hole shot, or for additional top-speed. Other than that, the hull will push through the water the same way at the same speed regardless what rpm the engine is running. (I think).

I just know it's a skier for a reason. Anything else is a compromise or adaptation that the boat may be able to accomplish sometimes at a mediocre level for folks of modest capabilities. Beyond that, the rider needs a purpose built boat that was built for a different purpose. And the big-a** heavy V-Drives - they don't ski worth a d@mn.

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What prop do you currently use? On my Skier, I have 4 blade. It runs pretty smooth at 22 wakeboarding. Granted, it runs much smoother over 30. I don't think the blade will have much effect besides holeshot. What does it do??

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A prop will have a dramatic impact on how well an engine runs at a given speed. Think of your car, if you put it in fourth gear and drive around at 15MPH, the engine is going to be severely bogged down, slow to accelerate, and as a result won't run well at all.

Props are essentially like a one-speed transmission, we use them to adjust the application of power from the engine.

Levi900RR, it looks like Colchester is located almost at sea level, so I'm going to assume you use the boat at elevations less than 1,000 feet most of the time. I'm also going to assume that you have the standard 350 that Malibu offered that model year. If either of those assumptions is inaccurate let me know and I can refine my recommendation.

Since you only use the boat for wakesurfing and wakeboarding a 4 blade probably makes the most sense. For your application I would suggest ACME's 209 4 Blade, which will increase your RPMs at surfing and wakeboarding speeds to boost the operational efficiency of the engine at those speeds. That will make the boat more responsive to speed change requests, make holding speed easier, and will obviously increase the acceleration of the boat. You'll probably lose 3-4MPH on the top end, but it doesn't sound like you'll miss it that much.

If you want to try the prop for 30 days give us a call and we can send it out to you.

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While we are on the topic, what really is the difference between the 4 blade and 3 blade? I have always had a 3 blade. When I bought MA's Skier, it had the 4 blade. I swear it gets me out of the water better when I slolam, but what is the science behind it?

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A prop will have a dramatic impact on how well an engine runs at a given speed. Think of your car, if you put it in fourth gear and drive around at 15MPH, the engine is going to be severely bogged down, slow to accelerate, and as a result won't run well at all.

Props are essentially like a one-speed transmission, we use them to adjust the application of power from the engine.

Levi900RR, it looks like Colchester is located almost at sea level, so I'm going to assume you use the boat at elevations less than 1,000 feet most of the time. I'm also going to assume that you have the standard 350 that Malibu offered that model year. If either of those assumptions is inaccurate let me know and I can refine my recommendation.

Since you only use the boat for wakesurfing and wakeboarding a 4 blade probably makes the most sense. For your application I would suggest ACME's 209 4 Blade, which will increase your RPMs at surfing and wakeboarding speeds to boost the operational efficiency of the engine at those speeds. That will make the boat more responsive to speed change requests, make holding speed easier, and will obviously increase the acceleration of the boat. You'll probably lose 3-4MPH on the top end, but it doesn't sound like you'll miss it that much.

If you want to try the prop for 30 days give us a call and we can send it out to you.

That was my thought, if I could gear the boat down a little it would run higher RPMs and maybe a bit smoother, Ill give it some thought and give you a buzz, thanks so much for the info!!

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There's no hard fast rule about the difference between three and four blade, as there are far too many variables. Traditionally, four blade props had better acceleration because of the larger surface area of the blades, were more balanced because material was more evenly distributed around the hub of the prop, but had lower top speeds because of the additional mass. For that reason they were most often used in applications where acceleration was more important than top speed.

With the introduction of machined propellers, a lot of the advantages of four blades were minimized as the size of the blades can be increased on three blade props, and the machining process makes a more balanced propeller. For the most part four blades are typically still used in applications where acceleration and low speed holding are more important (like for wakesurfing and wakeboarding), and three blades are still used in applications where top speed are more important (100% slalom skiing, ski jumping and barefooting).

For how most people use their boats though, either one can have advantages and disadvantages. That's why we think it's so important that customers be able to demo props to make sure they have the best setup for their application. For more information check out our post on ACME 3 vs. 4 blade propellers on our blog.

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There's no hard fast rule about the difference between three and four blade, as there are far too many variables. Traditionally, four blade props had better acceleration because of the larger surface area of the blades, were more balanced because material was more evenly distributed around the hub of the prop, but had lower top speeds because of the additional mass. For that reason they were most often used in applications where acceleration was more important than top speed.

With the introduction of machined propellers, a lot of the advantages of four blades were minimized as the size of the blades can be increased on three blade props, and the machining process makes a more balanced propeller. For the most part four blades are typically still used in applications where acceleration and low speed holding are more important (like for wakesurfing and wakeboarding), and three blades are still used in applications where top speed are more important (100% slalom skiing, ski jumping and barefooting).

For how most people use their boats though, either one can have advantages and disadvantages. That's why we think it's so important that customers be able to demo props to make sure they have the best setup for their application. For more information check out our post on ACME 3 vs. 4 blade propellers on our blog.

Well that explains why I get out of the water so much quick on the slolam ski. I have noticed a slight decrease on the top end. I am strictly a recreational slolam skier, after my back surgery, so that doesn't bother me. Levi, sounds like you would like the 4 blade prop. I have that on the Skier and it does great with wakeboarding and I have no complaints with slolam.

Edited by skier_88
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That was my thought, if I could gear the boat down a little it would run higher RPMs and maybe a bit smoother, Ill give it some thought and give you a buzz, thanks so much for the info!!

No problem, let me know if you have any other questions.

Well that explains why I get out of the water so much quick on the slolam ski. I have noticed a slight decrease on the top end. I am strictly a recreational slolam skier, after my back surgery, so that doesn't bother me. Levi, sounds like you would like the 4 blade prop. I have that on the Skier and it does great with wakeboarding and I have no complaints with slolam.

Keep in mind that those are just generalizations. Because of the vast number of different props (diameter, pitch and cup amount are the major factors that contribute to how a propeller works), it's easily possible to have a 4 blade that doesn't accelerate as well as a three blade for a particular boat.

Ultimately it comes down to the particular application (boat, engine, altitude, weight, use) and finding someone with enough knowledge and experience to find the right prop for that setup.

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Well that explains why I get out of the water so much quick on the slolam ski. I have noticed a slight decrease on the top end. I am strictly a recreational slolam skier, after my back surgery, so that doesn't bother me. Levi, sounds like you would like the 4 blade prop. I have that on the Skier and it does great with wakeboarding and I have no complaints with slolam.

I loved that prop on the Skier. It pulled so hard it is insane. Talk about easy slalom starts. Rockon.gif

I have a newer three blade ACME now on the Sunsetter and it struggles out of the hole with the wedge down and the boat weighted. Looks like I should give the folks at ACME a call about getting a 4 blade back on the boat. Thumbup.gif

Edited by martinarcher
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  • 10 months later...

Im digging this old thread up as now that I have 1000 lbs in my Skier I REALLY notice the lag in pulling someone up. I have to hammer the thing wide open to pull a wakeboarder up.

Anyone around have a used prop for my Skier that they want to sell? Something that would gear it down a bit?

OR even better, have a Skier that someone set up for wakeboarding and you want a 3 blade that would give you some better top end?

Im probably going to give Skicrave a call...

:surfing:

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  • 9 months later...

So I am digging this old thread up one more time as I think I'm gonna make a move on the prop. I went to wake props and used the prop finder... They list the Acme 209 4 blade as a "stock" replacement. I think I want to gear this thing down quite a bit so I e-mailed them to see what would be best.

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  • 5 weeks later...

It does look hot :rockon: . I'm going to pull some data this week to report on. I didn't get a chance to really put it through the paces. I do know this. With 1000lbs of water in the boat it pops a boarder right out of the water.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Had a surf session last night. Could that prop actually make my wave better? Or is it just my mind? I am running the same ballast and speed as last year and I swear the wave is better...

Anyway, at 11MPH and 1250 lbs in the boat I was running about 2200 RPM's. I'm not 100% sure, but I remember about 1800 last year. The difference was huge. I couldn't be happier. I wish it was a little calmer so I could have tested it out at wakeboard speeds. At surf speed, I can put the boat at 11MPH and let go of the throttle. It holds the speed as if I had a perfect pass.

Acme 209 for me, is a perfect prop for a Skier / wannabe surf / wannabe wakeboard boat.

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