Prop recommendation for a 94 fundeck

thephoneman

Hey guys I'm new here so hopefully I put this in the right spot. I have a 94 fundeck 226 with a 5.0 merc. The boat has a terrible time getting on plane. The fastest I was able to get it to was about 33 mph @ 4400. I believe the prop which is a 21 right now is too steep. I'm thinking about going to a 19 or 17 but don't know if I need to change the diameter or not. Any suggestions? Thanks!

cjjjdeck

I was waiting to respond to see if someone has a similar model boat as yours so they could share some experience with you.  Until then, I will give you at least some place to go to for some guidance if you haven't done so already.

There are many factors that effect how your boat performs verses how you want your boat to perform.  Overall weight, weight distribution. type of boating you primarily engage with (frequent watersports activity like skiing-wakeboarding versus fishing verses cruising), all have a factor on performance.  If you want better "hole-shot" (which helps in watersports) maybe a 4 bladed prop is all you need, but better hole-shot has an effect of lower wide-open-throttle (WOT) top speed.  Often you just have to compromise.  Sometimes just balancing out your weight has a profound effect (You may just have too much weight in the transom sector of the boat to quickly get on plane).

A good resource for you to go to is the Mercruiser Prop Selector website.  It gives you the opportunity to plug in the attributes and characteristics of your boat and situation.  You can play with different scenarios to help you make a decision.  Here's the website:

https://www.mercurymarine.com/en/us/propellers/selector/#!/step-one

thephoneman

I went to a 19 and I have to have the weight way up from to get it to plane. Had it out today with a full tank of gas and 4 people and it was a struggle. Had to get down to under a half tank and have everyone up front to get it to plane. Going to get a 17 or maybe a 15. Not fun going 10mph wide open.

thephoneman

Went down to a 17 and it ran like a champ.... But it was a reman and didn't take too bumping the bottom very good....

cjjjdeck

Welcome to the exciting, never-ending world of tweaking your boat!

Thanks for sharing your experience with the forum! 

thephoneman

What really gets me is that I can get it to plane. Stop for a few and it struggles. 

cjjjdeck

When I experience the condition you describe, it often means I picked up weeds on the prop.  I back up, which clears the weeds and I'm back in business again.

If weeds aren't the issue, if you currently have a 3 blade prop, you may benefit from a 4 blade.  Quite a number of Hurricane owners have posted they have done that and were much happier with the performance.