New Prop arrived.

[gogger]

Well Sunday we went to a different lake, and I hit something that was submerged. We stayed in what I thought was the deeper channels. But apparently there was something floating or it was more shallow than I thought. So after reading the posts I called Nettle Props on Tuesday and ordered the Acme 541. So hopefully we get it installed in the morning and we can try it out tomorrow afternoon.

I will post and let you know how it performs.

1110811109

[sybrmike]

Sorry you banged up the old prop, but you'll look back on it as a blessing. The 541 is a great match for the Saltare/Priata.

[haugy]

Question, are any of you seeing better cruising performance out of these new 4-blades? Or just better holeshot?

[cadunkle]

I'll be curious to hear the performance on your Pirata. Someone else recently got a 541 on a Saltare and seemd very pleased (compared to factory 13"x13"). I believe better holeshot was reported along with a couple MPH more on top end, which is surprising given 1" less pitch. Supposedly the new props have a lot more surface area == less slip so helps make up for less pitch when comparing to an old prop with less surface area.

[Kma4444]

Sweet!! I also called Nettle this week and had a great conversation with Robert. I decided to go used vs. new seeing one up for
sale in the classifieds. He gave some great insight and from what I've read on here, I can't wait to try it out. Bye bye 24 year old prop.
I definitely want to hear your opinion. I probably won't get out till Labor Day with mine if we can get the transaction done this weekend. Keep us posted!

Oh, you'll have it this weekend if I have to strap it to a mule and walk it up to you!!!!!!!!!!!

[gogger]

Well the Acme 541 is incredible. Completely changed the dynamics of the boat. Hole shot is way better. Planes out way quicker. Roll on acceleration is incredible. Will jump from 20 to 30 in the blink of an eye. Top speed is maybe a mile or two better, but that really doesn't matter to me. It will pop a wakeboarder right out of the water. And it is smoother. Overall I can't say enough good about this prop.

[Kma4444]

It was a wonderful transaction for sure. Mostly that it went to someone who will completely enjoy and appreciate it. I am anxious to hear your debrief. Now if I can get the cash back from Debra!!!!!!!! :grin:

[gogger]

Well I am anxiously awaiting ngavdba's notes on the two props.

[supraaddict]

Unfortunately, I have nothing to report. Weather was disappointing on Monday in ATL and I was exhausted coming in very late ( or early) from the NASCAR race on Sunday. I did go out on Saturday. 41 mph at 4500 rpm WOT. I recorded the number of sec. from 0 to 30 but in my phone. Read below!

I'm having a pretty bad day as my cellphone disappeared off a job site today. I just walked in the door after searching for an hour and half. I never turn my phone off and yet I can't use find my iPhone app to find it. It shows as "undiscoverable"! Had 5 people looking for it but it just disappeared after 3 guys showed up and dropped off Sheetrock. I made a call to the rock company to no success. I'm bummed and pissed at the same time especially since I'm on the road traveling to Indy this week. My life and business are in that phone. 12 years of contacts and phone numbers...$600 to replace since we opted for no insurance.

Man that sucks! hopefully you will find it at least to get your contacts, did you have it backed up to the cloud or a computer? I work with everyones iPhones at work and if you need help retrieving backups or whatever, just let me know.

[supraaddict]

Yes, backed up for sure. Have old 3G I found so will be using that for contacts. Cancelled service and phone cannot be used. I can still track if subject(s) turn on. I sent lock out and message to return or face prosecution. Just ruined my day...it went poof into thin air before my eyes. I never have lost a phone and mad at myself more than anything right now.

Well it sucks that your phone disappeared but glad you had it backed up. I would be lost if I didn't have a backup of mine. Good luck finding it!

[gogger]

Sorry about the phone. It is amazing how much we depend on them anymore.

[Newbie girl]

It was nice to meet you and wife. Hope the prop is working out. First time on the site for me in quite some time.

[Newbie girl]

cash back? I think I paid for the prop the first time!

[Blackntan90]

I do think that will be on my Christmas list!

[Jetlink]

Damnit!!! Ugh!!! I hate all of you now! At least our season is starting to wind down and I can think about adding this to the parts list for the spring.

[ruby23m]

Diddo! What was I thinking when I had my severely damaged spare prop reworked for $110 last summer, should have upgraded right then!

[Kma4444]

That's awesome to hear you got to try it out. I couldn't believe the change it made to our boat either. Wish I had the patience and foresight to have taken a pic like you did with the two props, that makes it immediately obvious why it is such a HUGE change.

Sorry about the lake going down, thank goodness we go to a GA Power lake, they have no problem keeping it full. Hopefuly you will get some time before it gets down too far. If you get to where you have to go boating you could come down to Sinclair, it's beautiful and relatively quiet, especially compared to Lanier and Allatoona.

[Suprapots99]

Hey everyone , all this prop talk has me itching for a new one as well. I'm currently running a banged up 13by10.5 on a new to me 99 launch. It gets used evenly from tubing to skiing to boarding. Any thoughts as to if should switch it up or stick with same one. Any insight would be helpfull.

[yachts]

dinged my original prop on my 87 saltare the other day... just ordered a 541 excited to see if there is a diff.....

[DAFF]

Nice upgrade on the props.... Side by side comparisons are like comparing a 454 to a 350...

[gogger]

Just bumping this up for reference.

[PabloPicante]

Well Sunday we went to a different lake, and I hit something that was submerged. We stayed in what I thought was the deeper channels. But apparently there was something floating or it was more shallow than I thought. So after reading the posts I called Nettle Props on Tuesday and ordered the Acme 541. So hopefully we get it installed in the morning and we can try it out tomorrow afternoon.

I will post and let you know how it performs.

1110811109

Yes I would really like to know how it performs.

[Sdc77]

Hello guys,
Have you noticed a better fuel economy with the 541 ACME ?

Still searching for enhancement on my Salatre (454ci) to reduce fuel consumtion. Today I burned 140 liters of fuel in 4 hours doing tubbing + wakeboard, with 5 people in the boat !!! It's a $280's day ...

[gogger]

Well that equates to 37 gallons. For four hours that is high. I have ran 6 to 8 hours and used 25 gallons. That is with a bad carb and out of time and still running points. You might have something else going on.

[Sdc77]

Thanks guys for answers.
I know my problem is far away from you because of fuel difference in cost. But it starts to give me nightmares.
I choose this boat because of the look (difinitely different than other boats), the room, seat arrangement etc. I was sure the 454 will burn fuel, but not that much. I had choice between a rare correct craft Excel (v-drive) with a 5.8 and the Saltare. I don't want to regret my choice.

Gogger, your gas consumption seems very very low especially for a 454. It's even less than modern fuel injection 5.7L engines. Your are about 12L to 16L/h (if it's right, I would like to hit that consumption and be the happiest Supra owner !). I'm more with 30-35L/h. I agree, something is certainly wrong. Anyway, my engine runs smooth, starts cold like hot at first key turn, no smoke, no overheat.
I don't know what timing do I have, i need to check it. My distributor is not factory, it's electronic and there is a mercruisier sticker on it !

What carburetor do you have ? I'm still with the 850cfm Holley 4160 model. My prop seems to be the factory one too :

http://sdch2o.free.fr/perso/bateau/supra/marinLed05.JPG

I really would like to hit a 15-20L/h. I plan to buy the ACME 541, a new Q-jet carb, maybe a new HEI 50KV distributor, an electric fuel pump. But don't want to waste money if I don't get better fuel economy.

Thanks again everybody. I feel comfortable and heared on this forum :)

[DAFF]

sdc77 I would start with the addition of a wake plate..... That would explain the excessive fuel usage because the rear of the boat is constantly dragging water and makes it much harder to plain. Once there the stern of the boat will always be fighting to keep it up. By adjusting mine on the fly you can make the boat increase speed just by popping the rear section out of the water.

[cadunkle]

I have been using my new 541 this week. Definitely accelerates much faster. Top speed is way down though. I see 43 MPH GPS at 4500 RPM. With the old 14x13 OJ I've seen 48 MPH on flat water and as high as 50 going with the current. Not sure how it compares with any weight or pulling a rider as I've been on the lake this past week without anyone to pull and nobody to drive for me. Fuel consumption unloaded seems to be up a bit as well. 200-300 RPM increase at any speed. I'm thinking maybe the 13x13 acme may have been a better choice given the torque of the 454. Not unhappy with it, but maybe there was a better choice to not lose so much top end.

[Sdc77]

DAFF, I mostly use this boat for wakeboarding. I don't mind of top speed, actually I don't even know how fast this boat goes. The Wake plate was there when I bought the boat, but it kills the Wake; i removed it, the Wake is now bigger, less splash behind the boat and more fun on wakeboard. Ah and also, the holes where the upper arms of the Wake plate was are now used for my underwater LED, as you can see on the above photo.

cadunkle, you are for now the first to report an increase in rpm and loose in top speed. Everybody else reports the opposit. I'm a bit confused now :/

[cadunkle]

I was mistaken, 43 MPH top speed at 4700 RPM.

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/cadunkle/Maine%202013/P1010965.jpg

22 MPH riding speed I believe is ~2500 RPM. With the 14x13 OJ 22 MPH was ~2300 RPM. It seems to run smoother with the Acme CNC prop than the old cast/handmade OJ. I'm thinking the 13x13 Acme CNC may have been a better option.

[crystal waters]

just replaced my 24 yr old 3 blade with an acme 422 from nettles which is a 4 blade.
certainly a better hole shot and acceleration but so much smother and what I believe to be better cruising performance overall.
to put it bluntly--I am impressed"
even my wife commented on what a difference it makes and thats from the passenger side of things!

[inair]

I havent pulled a tube much the last couple of years. But when the kids were smaller and wanted to tube we had a big three person job that would suck a tank dry in a morning. The Tube makes A LOT of drag that will burn more fuel. Skiing, boarding, or even surfing will be much more efficient.

[haugy]

Looks like I'm in for a prop this year as well. Centerhill Lake was more debris than water this past weekend. I was doing badass dodging all weekend, then I caught a submerged floater and WHAM! The sound of the boat changed completely. I knew I had just dinged a blade.

I've got 2 other stock spares I could put on, but I'm thinking I may want to invest in a newer style better prop.

[2500HD]

I just ordered a new acme 913 yesterday. Delta prop had the lowest prices that i could find. I should have it by the 25th. This is a link to their site.
http://www.deltaprop.com/boat-props/inboard-propellers-and-ski/wake-boat-propellers/ski-wake-boat-propellers-3-blades/acme-3-blade-ski-boat-propellers-1-shaft.asp

[Sdc77]

913 ACME ??? pitch is only 10 1/2 ! You will have a very low top end with that low pitch.
Bill Weeks from ACME suggests me two props for the saltare, here were his words :

"The picture does show that you have a LH propeller. That would mean that the Acme 1459-13.00X14.00VL3B 1.00 .135 cup three blade nibral propeller, would be a good choice. However if you want more power & less top end speed the Acme 431-13.00X13.00VL3B 1.00 .080 cup three blade nibral would be the prop of choice"

[Jetlink]

913 ACME ??? pitch is only 10 1/2 ! You will have a very low top end with that low pitch.
Bill Weeks from ACME suggests me two props for the saltare, here were his words :

"The picture does show that you have a LH propeller. That would mean that the Acme 1459-13.00X14.00VL3B 1.00 .135 cup three blade nibral propeller, would be a good choice. However if you want more power & less top end speed the Acme 431-13.00X13.00VL3B 1.00 .080 cup three blade nibral would be the prop of choice"

Yeah, but you have to take into account that he boats over a mile above sea level...whereas I boat around 700 feet above sea level which is a tad more than I bet you boat at. It's an apples to oranges comparison in that case.

[Salty87]

interesting sdc77. when i bought my acme they recommended 541. i was running a fair amount of ballast back then, usually 1500 lbs.

i know fuel consumption is an issue for you. do you use any ballast?

[2500HD]

Yeah, but you have to take into account that he boats over a mile above sea level...whereas I boat around 700 feet above sea level which is a tad more than I bet you boat at. It's an apples to oranges comparison in that case.
actually my lake is about 8200ft. With that being the case they recommended the 913. They did say the 541 and the 543 would make a noticable difference but if i wanted a big change then go with the 913. I surf almost exclusively and want the power to plane out even with 1500 ballast and 6 people. It's all about being able to pull stumps for me.

[Jetlink]

actually my lake is about 8200ft. With that being the case they recommended the 913. They did say the 541 and the 543 would make a noticable difference but if i wanted a big change then go with the 913. I surf almost exclusively and want the power to plane out even with 1500 ballast and 6 people. It's all about being able to pull stumps for me.

I stand corrected then...almost a mile and half...my bad.

[2500HD]

haha, didn't want to correct ya but at 3% hp loss per 1000ft it makes a big difference.

[villain]

I'm at 2600'. They recommended the 913 for me. Still have 40 mph top end, and it pulls out of the hole like a drag boat when empty. Definitely a great prop. This last weekend I had an Enzo sack, a 600, and a 450 full. Didn't even feel like it. Pulled through it like a champ!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2

[Sdc77]

No ballast for now on mine. We mostly do wakeboarding, and 4-6 people always on the boat.
I start thinking to put a sac in the ski dock and one another Under the bow seats. But I would like first to slove my fuel consumption issue ...

2500HD for surfing it makes sense to have a low pitch, sorry for the confuse

[2500HD]

one thing i learned about the new props vs old props is that the new ones have so much more surface area it allows you to drop pitch with out loosing much performance.

[SquamInboards]

one thing i learned about the new props vs old props is that the new ones have so much more surface area it allows you to drop pitch with out loosing much performance.

^^ This. See attached picture of an OEM 13x13 from an 80's Nautique, and the Acme recommended replacement, 13x11.5. Massive difference, hence the change in pitch. Plus the old one had been repaired at least once, as many old props have been, and the actual measured diameter isn't 13" anymore.

12686

[gogger]

Just topped off the tank. Last time out we ran for 5 hours. 7 people on board. Spent the first two boarding and surfing, then about three tubing. We pulled a slalom tube for a while then big paparazzi tube the rest of the night. With a new holley 750 carb and still running points. We burned just under 25 gallons of fuel. And we ran hard while tubing as I had five guys I work with that hadn't been out before and had to show off a bit. So we burned about 5 gallons an hour. Which is what I figured last year. Also running the 541 still.

[Sdc77]

gogger, that is really interresting and make me happy to know the 454 should drink less than 8-10 gallons/h (my actual consumption)
I check with my buddies and will order the 541 and a new carburetor (a Q-jet as it seems to be the most efficient carbs arround)

[wotan2525]

I think your 850cfm carb is the problem. Sucking that much air means sucking that much fuel. I've got a 600cfm edelbrock and burn ~6gallons/hour.

[Sdc77]

600cfm isn't it too much restrictive for a 454 marine ?
With the online cfm calculator I also find 600cfm for the maximum rpm of our engine, but is this calculator ok for marine application ?

Wotan, you also run a HV 50kv distributor and a performance intake manifold. Can it make also a difference ?

[SquamInboards]

That and see page two. Large pics I posted if you want to see difference.

Yep your pics are better, didn't see that at first haha. Should have read the whole thread! Anyway that's exactly why the new prop specs are so different.

Maybe there should be a sticky PROP SPECS thread where you can just say "I have a (year) Supra with (engine) (hp) (transmission) and my prop is (specs) and I use my boat for (whatever) and it turns (RPM @ WOT)" ??? Mods?

[Jetlink]

Maybe there should be a sticky PROP SPECS thread where you can just say "I have a (year) Supra with (engine) (hp) (transmission) and my prop is (specs) and I use my boat for (whatever) and it turns (RPM @ WOT)" ??? Mods?

Someone start one and I am sure one of us will make it happen. I personally am still running the original prop on my boat so I don't have anything to really contribute at the moment.

[SquamInboards]

Someone start one and I am sure one of us will make it happen. I personally am still running the original prop on my boat so I don't have anything to really contribute at the moment.

Cool. It's still valuable info if you wanted to know what an OEM prop would do, or if you have one or want to buy one as a spare, rather than buying two $500 Acme props or something. I kept my old OJ as a spare.

[cadunkle]

I'd like to hear from other people running a 541 on a Saltare or Pirata (or even other model boats, but preferable the 23' boats) what your WOT MPH and RPM is and what your RPM is at 22 MPH. Please use GPS for this with light or no current to eliminate variables. I find it interesting that others have reported an increase in top end speed of 1-3 MPH with only a roughly 200 RPM increase. I see a 200-300 RPM increase at most speeds and a loss of about 5 MPH at WOT. I had a 14x13 3 blade cast prop previously, not an ACME 541 13x12 CNC.

Mine is as follows...
'89 Saltare with 454

22 MPH 2500 RPM
43 MPH 4700 RPM

[2500HD]

Got my new Acme 913 today. This is a pic of it next to my old 13x11 witch had been retooled at least once. I'll do a wright up this weekend for squaminboards thread this weekend.
http://i1280.photobucket.com/albums/a494/2500hd1/IMAG0386_zpsa142bf19.jpg

[gogger]

Went out today. Wide open she runs 40 mph at 4000 rpm. 22 mph she was running 2200 rpm. See a pattern? Weighted down with 1200 lbs of ballast surfing 10mph with 2200 rpm.

[Jetlink]

Went out today. Wide open she runs 40 mph at 4000 rpm. 22 mph she was running 2200 rpm. See a pattern? Weighted down with 1200 lbs of ballast surfing 10mph with 2200 rpm.

Googer, mind doing a write up in this thread as well?

https://forum.supraboats.com/showthread.php?15325-Prop-Specs-ONLY