Hard to see my VLX go... now time to pick something new!

[Chattwake]

I would consider solid dark graphite with a dark graphite tower, but that's must me.

[Chattwake]

Nice color here:

[Chattwake]

Not an lsv, but solid dark graphite:

[skurfer]

[Buckeye Slalom]

Not that I don't like the look if the dark hull and accents- they do look very sharp; however, is anyone concerned about the summer sun, a dark color and a bare foot? Also, like Bobby mentioned, a lot of additional upkeep involved with the dark colors. Just a thought...

[Chattwake]

I owned a bunch of black boats. They look amazing, but are more work to keep up. They do get hot in the summer, but nothing a wet towel won't cure. Black vinyl is a much more problematic area of any boat. I'll never have anything other than a black bead in a boat again.

That being said, I'm a fan of solid colors. The extra charges associated with adding colors to all areas of a hull is crazy; hence, my stormtrooper boats. The cost of a white tower is a mere fraction of the cost of a black tower any other solid color hull. I always thought you should get a discount for a solid color boat, due to the reduction in labor. I've been in the plant many times, and watched someone stand in a mold taping and cutting in gel lines. That process is not a quick one.

Edited February 18, 2013 by Chattwake

[skurfer]

It doesn't get that hot here guys IX will have a black (hot) boat problem if he goes to Shasta. They can be a pain to upkeep

[Fman]

I have a 15 inch prop on my Monsoon equipped VLX and while it has some advantages, the hole shot is a little down vs the 1235. This is just a "gut" observation, but I think that overall surface area of the 15 inch prop is just a little much for the SB chevy. Most of the prop tests still show the 1235 on top for delivering best hole shot while still having enough top speed to ski. I suggest having a conversation with ACME in order to find the best match for your needs.

Tim, can you expand more on this? Finally someone on this thread that is actually using the 15" prop. It sounds like its not a good fit for the Monsoon 350? I ordered my '13 with the Acme 1235 again, but the 15" caught my attention. If you could explain more on what you like and dont like about it that would be great. I am assuming if it did not perform well on the VLX it would not be any better on an LSV? I would think a 15" prop with a 12 pitch would be a stump puller?

My questions are...

Whats the RPMs are at while towing a slalom skier at 30-34 MPH? (or cruising to your destination)

Top speed of boat?

Fuel economy?

Holeshot?

Are you keeping it on your boat? or back to the 1235?

Thanks for any feedback....

[Fman]

Interesting study about black color and temperature. My fire department I work for was debating on ordering new black structure firefighting turnouts or light beige turnouts. They did a study on the heat attraction from the sun between the two and there was only +1-2 degree increase in the black turnout temperature while in the sun compared to the beige turnouts. They spent a lot of time on this study and after it was all done the consensus was the color between the two really did not have a significant temperature difference.

I am not sure about gelcoat colors if black truly gets hotter than white? has anyone actually shot a thermal imaging gun on the gelcoat to see if black is hotter than white? this would be a great test. I had black on my first boat, pretty much an all white/some gray second boat and I could never really tell any difference in heat generation between the two. The black definitely takes a little more upkeep to stay looking nice than the white color. When its 100+ degrees outside, anything you touch sitting in the sun feels hot!

[85 Barefoot]

Only imaging gun I've used is the back of my legs hopping up on a gunnel and darn sure confirmed there is a darn big difference between white and black! Although I'd agree that black isn;t that much hotter than other darker colors.

[Malibudude]

Not an lsv, but solid dark graphite:

Interesting color....the graphics make it hard to wax...

Have you ever tried the OJO 468 prop? It makes the monsoon come alive but it comes are a price in fuel consumption if you cruise. I could have the prop worked to lower the rpm's a bit but never seem to have enough time off the water to deal with it, I don't cruise anyway, cruisn is for DD's... just sayn'

[Fman]

Interesting color....the graphics make it hard to wax...

Have you ever tried the OJO 468 prop? It makes the monsoon come alive but it comes are a price in fuel consumption if you cruise. I could have the prop worked to lower the rpm's a bit but never seem to have enough time off the water to deal with it, I don't cruise anyway, cruisn is for DD's... just sayn'

Can you tow a slalom skier with the 468? 30-34 mph? and not be punishing your motor? I agree on the cruising, but its nice to able to run at 30 mph to get to your riding spot and not be hammering your engine. After reading all about different props it still seems like the acme 1235 gives great low end/torque performance without sacraficing too much top speed.

[shawndoggy]

The 468 and the 1235 sure look awfully close on paper 14.25" for the 468, 14.5" for the 1235, 14" pitch for the 468, 14.25 for the 1235. Are they really that different?

[skicrave]

They each have pros and cons that can be amplified or minimized depending on the specific boat/powertrain they're being run on. But between ACME and OJ, they're definitely very similar.

[Malibudude]

Can you tow a slalom skier with the 468? 30-34 mph? and not be punishing your motor? I agree on the cruising, but its nice to able to run at 30 mph to get to your riding spot and not be hammering your engine. After reading all about different props it still seems like the acme 1235 gives great low end/torque performance without sacraficing too much top speed.

Yes slalomed behind mine at 32, the rpm's are higher than the 1235 but the low end pull is stronger. As I said in the previous post you can work with Eric @ Oj to lower the rpm's a bit.

The 468 and the 1235 sure look awfully close on paper 14.25" for the 468, 14.5" for the 1235, 14" pitch for the 468, 14.25 for the 1235. Are they really that different?

Yes there is a difference after trying them both back to back on a private lake. The 1235 is better if you travel distance or cruise, I could careless about that, rather I want the ride up quickly and the boat to maintain speed evenly. With my testing the 468 fit my needs better, go up in elevation and the 468 becomes even more noticeable.

[shawndoggy]

Yes slalomed behind mine at 32, the rpm's are higher than the 1235 but the low end pull is stronger. As I said in the previous post you can work with Eric @ Oj to lower the rpm's a bit.

Yes there is a difference after trying them both back to back on a private lake. The 1235 is better if you travel distance or cruise, I could careless about that, rather I want the ride up quickly and the boat to maintain speed evenly. With my testing the 468 fit my needs better, go up in elevation and the 468 becomes even more noticeable.

Interesting. I wonder if it's the pitch or the diameter?

[Fman]

Yes slalomed behind mine at 32, the rpm's are higher than the 1235 but the low end pull is stronger. As I said in the previous post you can work with Eric @ Oj to lower the rpm's a bit.

Yes there is a difference after trying them both back to back on a private lake. The 1235 is better if you travel distance or cruise, I could careless about that, rather I want the ride up quickly and the boat to maintain speed evenly. With my testing the 468 fit my needs better, go up in elevation and the 468 becomes even more noticeable.

I am curious, do you recall what RPMs you were pushing at 34 MPH? with my 1235 I was pushing 4300-4400 RPMS at that speed. I am no prop expert, but if you had the prop altered to give more top speed/lower RPMs, would it start decreasing your low end torque? In other words, when you gain in one area, you sacrafice in another?

[skicrave]

Interesting. I wonder if it's the pitch or the diameter?

It gets dangerous to make comparisons between two props (even from the same manufacturer) based just on the dimensions. Two props with the same diameter, pitch, cup and any other metric you can compare can perform completely different. That being said, the lower pitch on the 468 definitely helps create the experience Justin had between the two props. I do agree with Justin, if holeshot and speed holding at wakeboard speeds and below are all you care about, the 468 does a great job without the huge reduction in top speed like an ACME 2315 or something similar would.

I am curious, do you recall what RPMs you were pushing at 34 MPH? with my 1235 I was pushing 4300-4400 RPMS at that speed. I am no prop expert, but if you had the prop altered to give more top speed/lower RPMs, would it start decreasing your low end torque? In other words, when you gain in one area, you sacrafice in another?

Our testing with a 468 on our VTX showed similar numbers, maybe 100-200 RPM higher. I'll look back through our numbers to see what I can find.

Generally you don't get a free lunch, so if you shift performance down in the speed spectrum, you're going to give up some top speed. Of course there are exceptions to that, and going with a 15" prop will definitely help minimize that trade-off as much as possible.

Edited February 21, 2013 by skicrave

[Malibudude]

Interesting. I wonder if it's the pitch or the diameter?

The lower the pitch, the better your hole-shot. However, this comes at a price: top speed. The lower pitch makes the engine reach maximum rpm at slower speeds.

I am curious, do you recall what RPMs you were pushing at 34 MPH? with my 1235 I was pushing 4300-4400 RPMS at that speed. I am no prop expert, but if you had the prop altered to give more top speed/lower RPMs, would it start decreasing your low end torque? In other words, when you gain in one area, you sacrafice in another?

iirc at 20 I'd be doing about 3k rpm. I can still reach 43 with this prop, but it does suck down fuel dong that. So I rarely drive over 25mph and don't need to.

[Malibudude]

I am curious, do you recall what RPMs you were pushing at 34 MPH? with my 1235 I was pushing 4300-4400 RPMS at that speed. I am no prop expert, but if you had the prop altered to give more top speed/lower RPMs, would it start decreasing your low end torque? In other words, when you gain in one area, you sacrafice in another?

You're welcome to drive mine but I know you need to make a decision sooner than we'd [probably get out. Ask your dealer if you can exchange props and try different ones, more prop sales places will.

[IXFE]

Welcome back BuCrew! Nice to see this place back from the long winter nap!

I got some info. on the mysterious 15" prop we keep talking about. It's actually a 15"x12" and Malibu calls it the "Torque Prop." Here's what the Malibu dealer page says about it:

"This prop is intended to be used for boats operated under significant loads. Top speed will be lowered to around 36 MPH. Fuel consumption and RPM will increase"

I looked around and the only prop I could find with those specs is the ACME 2305 (which is not listed on their website, but a quick Google search proves its existence).

For what it's worth, my dealer is ordering this prop for all boats with PnP ballast. So I'm going to give it a try. If I don't like it they say I can swap it for the 1235.

[Fman]

You're welcome to drive mine but I know you need to make a decision sooner than we'd [probably get out. Ask your dealer if you can exchange props and try different ones, more prop sales places will.

Thanks... I really appreciate the offer, I am going to go with the 1235 again and see how it works. I was happy with the performance on the '11, but with surfgate I will be adding more weight when surfing (750 lbs more min) , will need to try it and see how it goes. The 468 will definitely be on the radar if I need something more than the 1235.

[thtrog]

I started running the Acme 2313 15" early last Spring and used it all season. I did some testing early on, the 15" only lost a couple mph top end...still ran 42-43, has a better hole shot over the 1235, and added couple hundred rpm at wakeboard speed. FYI - I had it on a 22 MXZ with the L96, so not sure what the results will be on other hulls/engines. I think the 1235 will be sufficient for most and is a good all around prop, but it's good to have options.

[BTV23LSV]

I have a 2012 23LSV with 350 Monsoon at 3700' elevation. Acme 15X12 (I think #2315) is a big improvement over 1235. We mainly wakeboard and usually run about 2500#(sacs, people gear) in addition to factory. With 1235 it takes much longer to plane and speed doesn't hold as well. Can't put wedge down, with either prop, with that kind of weight or boat wont plane. Also tried a five blade and it took forever to plane, but did run lower RPM's

If you are not going to run heavy and are at lower elevation the 1235 will be fine.

I really want to upgrade to the LS3 but am choking on the cost.

[Bawshogg]

The cost of the engine upgrades is just INSANE! I was talking to Shane Stillman, with Supra now, a few weeks ago a we were discussing the same subject. He said they hardly even mark the engines up at all. He said the prices are what Indmar sets them at. I asked him if i paid the 13k for the upgrade, could I come and pick up the base engine and take it home since in essence I paid for it in the base price. He and kindly said, " I don't think so". I have no idea where they come up with these "upgrade" prices. I know for a fact a COMPLETE Ford 6.4l diesel retails for about 16k. How is an upgrade 13K plus over the base gas engine in a boat?