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New Propeller


greev30

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My name is Greg Reevie and I have a 1997 Malibu Sunsetter. I have a wedge and I will be adding about 1000 - 1500 lbs of ballast. I will mostly be running at a reservoir in Denver (5280 ft abouve sea level). The prop that I currently have is a 13/13 and when I went to the mountains (8000 ft above sea level) with people and the wedge down I could get up to speed. So with added weight I will really have trouble. I talked to a guy from Acme and he suggested a 911 which is a 13 diameter with a 10.5 pitch. What about a 4 blade? Please Help!!

Thanks,

Greg Reevie

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Of the top of my head I would say the OJ 475 or ACME 1273

Those props will have too much pitch, and surface area IMHO, for a direct drive boat as Malibu doesn't use a gear reduction transmission in their direct drive's. As usually ACME's recommendation is spot on, for a 3 blade you'll want to use the 911, if you wanted a 4 blade for some reason (there's really no reason from a performance standpoint with machined props), then you could look at the 231, but even that's probably not going to give you enough RPMs based on your elevation.

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I believe my engine is a monsoon 320

If you have the Monsson engine then yes it's 320HP. The Acme 911 is aggressive and should preform well at that elevation. Keep in mind to make sure to ask whomever you by from if you can try other prop models to make sure you get the one that works best. If you can hang on until ~March we'll be running a group by.

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My name is Greg Reevie and I have a 1997 Malibu Sunsetter. I have a wedge and I will be adding about 1000 - 1500 lbs of ballast. I will mostly be running at a reservoir in Denver (5280 ft abouve sea level). The prop that I currently have is a 13/13 and when I went to the mountains (8000 ft above sea level) with people and the wedge down I could get up to speed. So with added weight I will really have trouble. I talked to a guy from Acme and he suggested a 911 which is a 13 diameter with a 10.5 pitch. What about a 4 blade? Please Help!!

Thanks,

Greg Reevie

At what elevation is it considerd high altitude, and requires a different prop. I have only one trip planed that is 4500 ft, Will that effect my performance that much, i am in the market for a spare prop, Also I noticed my dealer advertises alot of his new boats with a high attitude prop, I would assume that type of prop improves Low end torque..
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Lower pitch props can be the cheapest performance you can buy. I run at all altitudes in Oregon. When I lived in the Willamette Valley I did not realize the luxury of running at sea level. If you are just coming up to Lake Billy Chinook (1945 ASL ? , memory) you will be fine.

But , if you are planning a trip to the most beautiful Crescent ( 4840 ASL) or Cultus ( about 4800 ASL) you will definitely notice a huge difference. You probably will want to prop down. Prineville Reservoir is about 3250' ASL and it really makes a difference even if you are coming from Lake Billy Chinook at 1945 ASL. When we run at Cougar 1790' ASL we can tell we have more power as well.

So the answer is yes, anything above Lake Billy you will want a lower pitch prop. Prineville Reservoir is very popular with the locals and most of them have gone to the low pitch prop.

By the way it is the custom in Central Oregon to give right of way to all elderly water skiers if the water is glass. :lol:

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Those props will have too much pitch, and surface area IMHO, for a direct drive boat as Malibu doesn't use a gear reduction transmission in their direct drive's. As usually ACME's recommendation is spot on, for a 3 blade you'll want to use the 911, if you wanted a 4 blade for some reason (there's really no reason from a performance standpoint with machined props), then you could look at the 231, but even that's probably not going to give you enough RPMs based on your elevation.

Not sure why I was thinking the boat was a V-drive with a diamond hull :crazy:

Yes as others have said go with the 911.

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Lower pitch props can be the cheapest performance you can buy. I run at all altitudes in Oregon. When I lived in the Willamette Valley I did not realize the luxury of running at sea level. If you are just coming up to Lake Billy Chinook (1945 ASL ? , memory) you will be fine.

But , if you are planning a trip to the most beautiful Crescent ( 4840 ASL) or Cultus ( about 4800 ASL) you will definitely notice a huge difference. You probably will want to prop down. Prineville Reservoir is about 3250' ASL and it really makes a difference even if you are coming from Lake Billy Chinook at 1945 ASL. When we run at Cougar 1790' ASL we can tell we have more power as well.

So the answer is yes, anything above Lake Billy you will want a lower pitch prop. Prineville Reservoir is very popular with the locals and most of them have gone to the low pitch prop.

By the way it is the custom in Central Oregon to give right of way to all elderly water skiers if the water is glass. :lol:

So whitch prop do you run, and BTW I just bought a waterski rope..yep going to jump on the old HO this year....I bought that ski when active watersports was in that little shop off milwaukee...
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Just took a look at my stock prop....its a 537 not sure if it is considers high altitude. Prop or not...I mostly run at close to sea level. With a once a year trip to lake almonor....near susanville ca. So if I want a spare prop what would be an upgrade to the 537.... mostly wake board...surf .and foil...with hope of a ski run or two.....

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The whole "high-altitude" thing is a complete misnomer that was coined by Malibu and propagated by their dealers. At the end of the day there are too many factors that contribute to selected the correct prop for a particular application to say that one is a high altitude prop and the other isn't. Also, what works for someone elses boat (like Don's) may not work for yours based on the engine, transmission, model of boat, how you use it and where you use it.

The prop that Malibu refers to as the "high-altitude" option is an ACME 1235, which is part a new generation of propellers designed for larger, heavier boats. Compared to the 537 that has been standard on Malibu's v-drive for quite some time, it will boost the engine RPM's across the operating range, which will improve the performance at lower speeds (hole-shot for pulling skiers and riders up, surfing and wakeboarding), at the sacrifice of some top end. The analogy that we've coined that you may see elsewhere is downshifting from 2nd to 1st. You'll have better acceleration at slower speeds, but the top speed will be limited.

That can be a desirable result though depending on how you use the boat. For example, if you boat at higher altitudes regularly the reduction in oxygen can significantly decrease the power output of the naturally aspirated engine in your boat. The result is that it's harder to get the boat up to speed, especially when it's loaded with a full ballast system for surfing or wakeboarding. The same thing can occur at lower elevations if you have enough weight in the boat to increase the load on the engine. In either case, changing the prop on the boat will increase the mechanical advantage the engine has, decreasing the load, and allowing the engine to accelerate easier. A prop is essentially a transmission, albeit one with a single forward speed.

There are literally hundreds of prop applications between ACME and OJ (the two leading manufacturers in the industry), but there are some common one's that work well for Malibu's based on the size of the prop shaft they use, the rotation of the v-drive output shaft, the efficiency of the hull, the gear reduction in the transmission/v-drive, and the average weight of the boat. The 1235 is one of those very popular upgrades because it offers a lot of tangible performance increases for most people, without too many downsides. It will however reduce the top speed of your boat at close to seal level (on the Willamette for example). You'll still have enough top speed to go for the occasional ski, and since you do that infrequently you'll notice a significant performance benefit for how you usually use the boat (surfing and wakeboarding).

Sorry for the book, but we love to nerd out on this stuff.

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And for the ski people the prop can change the shape of the wake, where the roost lands and at what distance holds the smoothiest water. I have seen where one person at 38 off thinks the water is smooth as can be but the guy at 36 off is saying the same boat has chop in the center section.

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The whole "high-altitude" thing is a complete misnomer that was coined by Malibu and propagated by their dealers. At the end of the day there are too many factors that contribute to selected the correct prop for a particular application to say that one is a high altitude prop and the other isn't. Also, what works for someone elses boat (like Don's) may not work for yours based on the engine, transmission, model of boat, how you use it and where you use it.

The prop that Malibu refers to as the "high-altitude" option is an ACME 1235, which is part a new generation of propellers designed for larger, heavier boats. Compared to the 537 that has been standard on Malibu's v-drive for quite some time, it will boost the engine RPM's across the operating range, which will improve the performance at lower speeds (hole-shot for pulling skiers and riders up, surfing and wakeboarding), at the sacrifice of some top end. The analogy that we've coined that you may see elsewhere is downshifting from 2nd to 1st. You'll have better acceleration at slower speeds, but the top speed will be limited.

That can be a desirable result though depending on how you use the boat. For example, if you boat at higher altitudes regularly the reduction in oxygen can significantly decrease the power output of the naturally aspirated engine in your boat. The result is that it's harder to get the boat up to speed, especially when it's loaded with a full ballast system for surfing or wakeboarding. The same thing can occur at lower elevations if you have enough weight in the boat to increase the load on the engine. In either case, changing the prop on the boat will increase the mechanical advantage the engine has, decreasing the load, and allowing the engine to accelerate easier. A prop is essentially a transmission, albeit one with a single forward speed.

There are literally hundreds of prop applications between ACME and OJ (the two leading manufacturers in the industry), but there are some common one's that work well for Malibu's based on the size of the prop shaft they use, the rotation of the v-drive output shaft, the efficiency of the hull, the gear reduction in the transmission/v-drive, and the average weight of the boat. The 1235 is one of those very popular upgrades because it offers a lot of tangible performance increases for most people, without too many downsides. It will however reduce the top speed of your boat at close to seal level (on the Willamette for example). You'll still have enough top speed to go for the occasional ski, and since you do that infrequently you'll notice a significant performance benefit for how you usually use the boat (surfing and wakeboarding).

Sorry for the book, but we love to nerd out on this stuff.

So how much will my top end suffer with the 1235. Will I still be able to go around 44 MPH Or will that push redline, & what is redline on these boats,
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So how much will my top end suffer with the 1235. Will I still be able to go around 44 MPH Or will that push redline, & what is redline on these boats,

IIRC your governor will kick in around 5,200 rpm, don't think you'll hit that. I can hit 42-43 by myself with the OJ 468 w/ a 340 monsoon. Combined the monsoon 350 and a less aggressive prop in the 1235 and you should be right there plus or minus a few mph. I know the crewmember Woody is running the OJ 475 14.25 x 14.5 and been real happy with it as he does cruise some.

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So how much will my top end suffer with the 1235. Will I still be able to go around 44 MPH Or will that push redline, & what is redline on these boats,

Rev limiter is 5250RPM in late model Indmar small blocks. In your VLX you'll see 40-41MPH on GPS with the ACME 1235 or OJ 468, with an ACME 1273 or OJ 475 you'll see 42-43. So you'll be a bit short of 44MPH, but does a couple of miles per hour really matter? As soon as things warm up a bit we'll get out on the water to try some of these out so you can figure out which one works best for you.

IIRC your governor will kick in around 5,200 rpm, don't think you'll hit that. I can hit 42-43 by myself with the OJ 468 w/ a 340 monsoon. Combined the monsoon 350 and a less aggressive prop in the 1235 and you should be right there plus or minus a few mph. I know the crewmember Woody is running the OJ 475 14.25 x 14.5 and been real happy with it as he does cruise some.

That's good feedback to have a direct comparison between those two OJ props.

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Rev limiter is 5250RPM in late model Indmar small blocks. In your VLX you'll see 40-41MPH on GPS with the ACME 1235 or OJ 468, with an ACME 1273 or OJ 475 you'll see 42-43. So you'll be a bit short of 44MPH, but does a couple of miles per hour really matter? As soon as things warm up a bit we'll get out on the water to try some of these out so you can figure out which one works best for you.

That's good feedback to have a direct comparison between those two OJ props.

That sounds great, i just want to get something before my two out of state trips...
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