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VLX Prop testing 1235 vs. 2315


Brett B

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I had typed this up a while back but forgot to post it until I saw Cdoogles post. My experiences are very similar to his so I just wanted to add some more good data to the prop discussion.

2012 VLX

Wake hull

Monsoon 350

130 hours

3/4 tank of fuel

Air temp around 70

Water temp around 62

Two people on board with the usual gear, times are an average of 2 runs.

For all of these tests I set the cruise at 22 mph and went to full throttle. As you know the cruise backs off the throttle as you are approaching the target speed so the time to reach these speeds would have been faster if I just left the cruise turned off, but I wanted it as repeatable as possible and relevant to how we use it for wakeboarding. I also had the auto wedge enabled so it started in the full down position on runs when it was used, and raised back up around 18-20 mph.

1235 Prop testing results:

Test 1: All ballast empty, wedge all the way up

0-22 mph: 8.7 seconds

Top speed 42.5 mph (gauge indicated) at 5300 RPM.

Garmin GPS showed 41.5 mph top speed. At 22mph the Garmin shows the gauge indicated speed is dead on.

Test 2: Factory 1250 lbs ballast full, wedge at 38%

0-22 mph: 10.5 seconds

RPM after speed settled was 3200

Test 3: Factory 1250 lbs full + 900lb bow triangle + 700lbs in rear lockers, wedge at 38%

0-22 mph: 23.4 seconds.

RPM after speed settled was 3500

This is just about the limit of what I can plane out on the 1235 with the wedge down. Throw a few more people on board and I would have had to drain down the rear bags in order to plane out. The wake looked great though! And yes it was 100% clean on both sides even with all this weight at only 22 mph. After this we drained all the ballast, put the boat on the trailer, swapped out for the 2315 prop, and went back out for the next tests.

2315 prop testing results:

Test 4: All ballast empty, wedge all the way up.

0-22 mph: 8.6 seconds

Top speed 39.0 mph (gauge indicated) at 5400 RPM.

Garmin GPS showed 38.0 mph.

Hole shot felt noticeably more “torquey”, but the cruise aggressively pulled back the throttle as we approached 22 mph to prevent overshoot, so the time to 22 was not much faster.

Test 5: Factory 1250 lbs ballast full, wedge at 38%

0-22 mph: 9.7 seconds

RPM after speed settled was 3300

Test 6: Factory 1250 lbs full + 900lb bow triangle + 700lbs in rear lockers, wedge at 38%

0-22 mph: 18.2 seconds

RPM after speed settled was 3600

In conclusion I think the 1235 is still a great prop, but if you are going to be running lots of extra ballast, or loading up with a big crew of 10+ people with the stock ballast full, the 2315 is a great prop that offers just a bit more hole shot performance.

That’s all, thanks for reading!

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Brett,

Other than torque/speed/rpm, did you notice any other differences of how the boat operated, steered, sounded, etc. between the two props? Did they noticeably affect the wake differently? Did either of the two props cause a different whistling effect? Which prop do you prefer or normally run with today?

Thanks for the write up!

Edited by Cory
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I have had the 2315 on for about 15 hours now and have not noticed any other differences in terms of noise or vibrations. It's just like the 1235, just with more torque. The wake was perfect with either prop. I may be burning a little more gas but it's hard to tell for sure since I have also been running more ballast. Once I have a day of running just the stock ballast I should have a good comparison between the two for fuel consumption, but I suspect they will be very close. If you need it the 2315 is great. If you were just running stock ballast with a few people most of the time it would probably be overkill and the 1235 would be a better choice. I can still run about 3500lbs total weight with the 1235 before I can't plane out with the wedge down, the 2315 just does a better job at those levels and can run a bit more weight.

Edited by Brett B
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I'm not concerned about fuel economy. These boats are designed to be pigs in the water and plow as much water as possible. I definitely need more torque for surfgate. There is obviously a learning curve with surfgate (early adopters are always the guinea pigs), but I think dealers and malibu are going to need to advise boat purchasers that surfgate needs a lot more ballast weight, and as such engine upgrades or very torquey props are highly adviseable.

I'm more concerned about how a 15" prop affects driveability, wake, noise, etc. Actually, my 2315 showed up in the mail yesterday, so I'll be finding all this out first hand early next week. Thanks again.

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I had typed this up a while back but forgot to post it until I saw Cdoogles post. My experiences are very similar to his so I just wanted to add some more good data to the prop discussion.

2012 VLX

Wake hull

Monsoon 350

130 hours

3/4 tank of fuel

Air temp around 70

Water temp around 62

Two people on board with the usual gear, times are an average of 2 runs.

For all of these tests I set the cruise at 22 mph and went to full throttle. As you know the cruise backs off the throttle as you are approaching the target speed so the time to reach these speeds would have been faster if I just left the cruise turned off, but I wanted it as repeatable as possible and relevant to how we use it for wakeboarding. I also had the auto wedge enabled so it started in the full down position on runs when it was used, and raised back up around 18-20 mph.

1235 Prop testing results:

Test 1: All ballast empty, wedge all the way up

0-22 mph: 8.7 seconds

Top speed 42.5 mph (gauge indicated) at 5300 RPM.

Garmin GPS showed 41.5 mph top speed. At 22mph the Garmin shows the gauge indicated speed is dead on.

Test 2: Factory 1250 lbs ballast full, wedge at 38%

0-22 mph: 10.5 seconds

RPM after speed settled was 3200

Test 3: Factory 1250 lbs full + 900lb bow triangle + 700lbs in rear lockers, wedge at 38%

0-22 mph: 23.4 seconds.

RPM after speed settled was 3500

This is just about the limit of what I can plane out on the 1235 with the wedge down. Throw a few more people on board and I would have had to drain down the rear bags in order to plane out. The wake looked great though! And yes it was 100% clean on both sides even with all this weight at only 22 mph. After this we drained all the ballast, put the boat on the trailer, swapped out for the 2315 prop, and went back out for the next tests.

2315 prop testing results:

Test 4: All ballast empty, wedge all the way up.

0-22 mph: 8.6 seconds

Top speed 39.0 mph (gauge indicated) at 5400 RPM.

Garmin GPS showed 38.0 mph.

Hole shot felt noticeably more “torquey”, but the cruise aggressively pulled back the throttle as we approached 22 mph to prevent overshoot, so the time to 22 was not much faster.

Test 5: Factory 1250 lbs ballast full, wedge at 38%

0-22 mph: 9.7 seconds

RPM after speed settled was 3300

Test 6: Factory 1250 lbs full + 900lb bow triangle + 700lbs in rear lockers, wedge at 38%

0-22 mph: 18.2 seconds

RPM after speed settled was 3600

In conclusion I think the 1235 is still a great prop, but if you are going to be running lots of extra ballast, or loading up with a big crew of 10+ people with the stock ballast full, the 2315 is a great prop that offers just a bit more hole shot performance.

That’s all, thanks for reading!

Nice review, you will see a difference in fuel consupmtion. Not a big deal to me.

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There are people on here who have said the fuel economy got better and some who have said it has gotten worse over the 1235. I'm guessing it depends upon what you do. It wouldn't surprise me if fuel economy goes up when surfing, but down when wakeboarding.

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Briefly tried my new 2315 prop on my 2013 VLX (monsoon). I got 22mph @ 3300 rpm (empty ballast, no wedge, 5 average size adults in boat). I didn't do a good WOT test, but I'm guessing my top speed is going to be about 35 or 36 mph. I'm not thrilled with the loss of cruising speed. 30 mph felt like the boat was near WOT. We did't do any surfing yet (weather has been windy in Osoyoos), but I can tell there is more torque.

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2315 is for folks that want the equiv of an engine upgrade in torque in pulling power, or be able to carry 750-1000+ more than what their OEM prop will allow. Or to be able to get to 22mph while slammed with sacs 3-4 seconds faster.

Most folks are still in the 37-39mph range WOT on the 2315.

IF YOU ARE AT ALL CONCERNED WITH 35MPH+, DON'T GET THE 2315.

If you need to go 40+ mph AND carry an additional 1000lbs... get a boat with a bigger engine.

Edited by nyryan2001
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2315 is for folks that want the equiv of an engine upgrade in torque in pulling power, or be able to carry 750-1000+ more than what their OEM prop will allow. Or to be able to get to 22mph while slammed with sacs 3-4 seconds faster.

Most folks are still in the 37-39mph range WOT on the 2315.

IF YOU ARE AT ALL CONCERNED WITH 35MPH+, DON'T GET THE 2315.

If you need to go 40+ mph AND carry an additional 1000lbs... get a boat with a bigger engine.

I was able to barely hit 40mph (not GPS verified) with my 2315, but I have Diamond hull, which has less drag, so maybe that makes sense.

Edited by IXFE
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I'm not concerned about 35+ (I almost never do that speed), but I was a little surprised how high the engine was revving to do 30 mph. It's still a better prop for me, since it had no problem with surfing today. I certainly do regret not ordering the LS3. I didn't realize how much weight surf gate would need and I also thought the 1235 prop would be enough.

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Have you considered the 2079? Seems to me that one result that holds pretty constant is that smaller diameter results in higher top speed.

Edited by shawndoggy
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No, haven't considered any other props. I think I am going to suspend anymore judgments and get more time/experience with the boat, prop, and surfgate. If by the end of next summer I'm not satisfied, then I'll consider a trade in for a new model VLX and for sure get the LS3. I'm now very curious about the 2014 LSV, since I suspect it will tell me what to expect from the 2015 VLX.

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How is everyone getting such high mph out of the 1235? I had one when I bought my boat and threw it on and got low 30's for top speed with the HH motor. The 537 is the sweet spot for my boat and only get about 42 mph at 5300 rpm.

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How is everyone getting such high mph out of the 1235? I had one when I bought my boat and threw it on and got low 30's for top speed with the HH motor. The 537 is the sweet spot for my boat and only get about 42 mph at 5300 rpm.

You should get high 30s out of 1235 for sure. Was that a GPS speed? My boat is a plow and we run at 4000' and I can still hit 37 on a 1235.

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Ran again today, this time on Banks Lake (love this lake). Only 2 people in the boat with 2315 prop. I got 37.1 mph @ 5400 rpm and WOT. I can only comfortably cruise at 29 mph (@ 4200 rpm). Any faster and I feel like I'm revving the engine too high. I'd really like to cruise @ 35 mph w/o having to breaking 4200 rpm. So, definitely mixed feelings on the 2315. Really pissed at myself for not ordering the LS3.

How much do you suppose I'd lose trading in my VLX after 1 year vs 2 years? I'd probably keep my trailer or at least the pricy rims we got on it.

New boat would include two features I should have ordered LS3 and GPS cruise. The regular cruise on my new VLX is not as good as the cruise on my 08 vRide (don't know why???).

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You know that your rpms would be exactly the same with LS3 and this prop, right? Just get something with a higher pitch and/or a little smaller before you throw this boat away.

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I have the 2313 and I really like the prop so far it does so much better with my 2006 VLX than the 537 or the 1235.I can get about 40 to 43 mph wot out of it seems to get better gas performance than the 1235.Does rev your motor a little more but performs so much better than the others when running a lot of weight,which was my big issue.

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Zactly... Cory why not see if the 2313 gets you a few more mph on the top end while keeping acceptable results on the bottom?

An 1873 (14.5" version) might work too.

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Ran again today, this time on Banks Lake (love this lake).

Really??? We were at Banks also. I have a red, white and blue 2007 23LSV with 6 tower speakers. We launched at Steamboat and headed west, only 2 fishing boats over there. SMOOTH water.

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