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New '18 21 VLX prop - HELP!!


leclerc457

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Took my new 18 21 VLX with 410 out today.  Have 550 bags PnP in rear.  Had bags about 50% and center and front tanks full.  Had 6 in the boat (4 kids) and 2 in the bow.  Wedge all the way down and the boat would barely get over 9mph.  Fuel in tank is about 80%.  

 

Boat has ACME 2313 15x12 V L prop - seems really strange that I am only turning 3,000 rpm's WOT and can't get over 9mph.  When we emptied the tanks it got better but then the wake was too small for me to surf.  

 

Elevation is about 4,500ft in CO where we were.

 

Any thoughts???

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Need more bow weight.  It will help the angle.  I’m guessing your bow was pointed halfway to the moon?

if you don’t add bow weight, drain half of the 550s

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Also use less wedge, starting at say 2-3 clicks from lift. This will keep the bow angle from being too high for the prop to push the boat forward. Adding bow weight has the same effect.

I regularly launch in the lift setting so the boat isn’t fighting the drag of the wedge at launch and then click the edge down where I want it right as the speed control kicks in. 

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  • 4 weeks later...

Stock prop for the 2018 21 VLX is the OG948 15x14 prop.  The high torque option and my recommendation is the OG 945 prop which I run on mine.   Awesome performance out of the hole and a noticeable difference from the 948.

What I find weird is that your boat came with a ACME 15x12 prop.  Definitely not the Malibu recommended prop for that motor and transmission.  

This is what my Malibu Rep sent me regarding prop selection for the 2018 21 VLX
----------------------------------
Here are the prop recommendations for your engine/boat set up:

Engine Variant/Gear Ratio

VTX/21VLX - 1.5:1 transmission

MONSOON 410 (6.2L FORD) 1.5:1 Closed Cooled

912 for Speed

948 Standard

945 HA/Torque

-------------------------------------

Propeller, 14.75" x 15.75" LC 1-1/8" 4 Blade Wake Pro V3, OJ

3542017

912

Propeller, 15" x 14" LC 1-1/8" 4 Blade Wake Pro V3, OJ

3542019

948

Propeller, 15" x 13" LC 1-1/8" 4 Blade Wake Pro V3, OJ

3542018

945

Edited by Blenderhead
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Some good info already out here.  Same problem as you but I could get to 10.4 ish....  A person in the bow makes a huge difference.

 

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1 hour ago, Five Cent Worth said:

Some good info already out here.  Same problem as you but I could get to 10.4 ish....  A person in the bow makes a huge difference.

 

Yep.  That's the thread where I answered my own questions without knowing it was my thread....lol.  Weight in the bow is a definite must.  With just me and a driver I run 400-500lbs of lead weight on my bow.

Edited by Blenderhead
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as others have said-weight in the bow and also I run the wedge 1 click from the lowest setting. If the boat is struggling I order everyone to the bow. Just try it. It's an eye opener. I keep 250# of lead in the boat.

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  • 9 months later...

I have a 2017 21 vlx with the 15/13 OJ high torque prop or whatever you call it. We surf two clicks from ramp (after reaching 11mph we adjust wedge from lift) full ballast, rear 550 pnp 75% right 100% surf side left, just me 215lbs driving, three 50lb kids in bow along with 200lbs of lead and another 200lbs of led on surf side midship under seats to counteract my weight driving. We have a monster wave with great length at 11 mph! (Just me and three kids in the boat with my wife surfing)

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2 hours ago, PatrickDardis said:

I have a 2017 21 vlx with the 15/13 OJ high torque prop or whatever you call it. We surf two clicks from ramp (after reaching 11mph we adjust wedge from lift) full ballast, rear 550 pnp 75% right 100% surf side left, just me 215lbs driving, three 50lb kids in bow along with 200lbs of lead and another 200lbs of led on surf side midship under seats to counteract my weight driving. We have a monster wave with great length at 11 mph! (Just me and three kids in the boat with my wife surfing)

Isn’t AutoWedge putting the wedge into lift for launches the transitioning to your wedge setting once you get near your set speed? I ask because that is how my 2008 worked (no lift, but AutoWedge put the wedge all the way down when a rider dropped, kept the drag low while launching and getting a rider up, then it moved back to the correct setting once up to speed.) We have only surfed our 2019 once but I assumed the wedge still worked the same way on newer boats?.. or did this feature go away?

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14 hours ago, PatrickDardis said:

I have a 2017 21 vlx with the 15/13 OJ high torque prop or whatever you call it. We surf two clicks from ramp (after reaching 11mph we adjust wedge from lift) full ballast, rear 550 pnp 75% right 100% surf side left, just me 215lbs driving, three 50lb kids in bow along with 200lbs of lead and another 200lbs of led on surf side midship under seats to counteract my weight driving. We have a monster wave with great length at 11 mph! (Just me and three kids in the boat with my wife surfing)

@PatrickDardis Do you have any pictures of your wake?  I am getting ready to get some bow weight and considering adding some lead depending on my passenger situation.  I may even add the lead on the port side to counter the driver and the prop rotation.

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  • 4 weeks later...
On 8/9/2018 at 7:36 AM, Blenderhead said:

Stock prop for the 2018 21 VLX is the OG948 15x14 prop.  The high torque option and my recommendation is the OG 945 prop which I run on mine.   Awesome performance out of the hole and a noticeable difference from the 948.

What I find weird is that your boat came with a ACME 15x12 prop.  Definitely not the Malibu recommended prop for that motor and transmission.  

This is what my Malibu Rep sent me regarding prop selection for the 2018 21 VLX
----------------------------------
Here are the prop recommendations for your engine/boat set up:

Engine Variant/Gear Ratio

VTX/21VLX - 1.5:1 transmission

MONSOON 410 (6.2L FORD) 1.5:1 Closed Cooled

912 for Speed

948 Standard

945 HA/Torque

-------------------------------------

Propeller, 14.75" x 15.75" LC 1-1/8" 4 Blade Wake Pro V3, OJ

3542017

912

Propeller, 15" x 14" LC 1-1/8" 4 Blade Wake Pro V3, OJ

3542019

948

Propeller, 15" x 13" LC 1-1/8" 4 Blade Wake Pro V3, OJ

3542018

945

I asked my dealer about this and they said at our altitude we need a high torque prop. I have tried a 15 x 13 and it wasn't any better.  

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Bow weight. I run a 650# bow sack with full ballast and 550#pnp in both rear lockers. Still takes a bit to plane out but I had the same issues as you. Nose was to the sky and couldn’t hit 10mph. Bow sack made all the difference. This with just me and my wife-great wave. Not sure about your prop but I would try the bow weight first.

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With you guys running bow weight - do you sink the nose all the time?  i don't run any weight at all and always dipping the nose.

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On 6/20/2019 at 9:42 AM, Five Cent Worth said:

With you guys running bow weight - do you sink the nose all the time?  i don't run any weight at all and always dipping the nose.

I haven't dipped the bow.  I just got a bow bag this year and thought about that swamping the bow when she would stop.  I told my wife when she had to stop to back off the throttle easy when the bow bag is filled and start turning to avoid dipping the bow.  I haven't had any issues yet.  I even went out last week with 16 mph winds and it was choppy out.  I didn't surf long, but we didn't have any issues with water coming over the bow.

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