benefits of a 4 bladed prop

[FULL-THROTTLE]

What are the benefits of a 4 blade vs 3 blade?

[crystal waters]

depends on what model of boat you have.
In general a well matched 4 blade should bring you out of the hole faster, be at bit smoother at speed and perhaps a bit more efficient.
It may cost you one or two MPH at the top end--maybe not.
I just changed over from a 3 blade to a 4 blade after much research--boat going in this weekend for first test run!
Talk or email Ski Dim and Nettles and ask for their advice----well founded!

[Salty87]

crystal covered the basics but all 3 blade props aren't equal. cnc machining has greatly improved the quality/performance of 3 blade props. before, the surface area of a 4 blade prop was greater than a 3 blade so you could get more bite and hole shot out of the 4. now 3 blades have relatively similar surface areas so you can get the hole shot and most of the top end.

nettles is a great shop, they're here in Austin. i bought mine at acme before i knew of nettles. acme has a try it before you buy it deal...can send it back if you don't like it. nettles may do the same. give either of them a call and they can help you figure out what you need/want.

[2500HD]

depends on your boat. I spoke with nettles this morning and for my 89 saltare the 3 blade was better than a four blade. They recommended the acme 913.

[haugy]

Yep, I've been hearing the 3-blades are starting to come back in for better performance.

But I'm useless. I've run nothing but factory Supra props on all my boats. I've got a nice collection now. So I don't think I'll be going aftermarket any time soon.

[DAFF]

I would determine what aspects of re propping you are looking for and go from there. This subject is a tricky as re jetting a carb. There isn't just one solution. If you are looking for out of the hole power then 4 blade is a solid bet.

[wotan2525]

I've got the original prop and the Acme 3-blade. Acme told me that my 3-blade had more surface area than a 4-blade at the time. This was 8 years ago, so I'm sure they have better 4-blades by now......

My prop guy prefers my original. Says it's so thick that he'll never wear it out beating the dings out of it.

[Jetlink]

My prop guy prefers my original. Says it's so thick that he'll never wear it out beating the dings out of it.

Stop running over stuff with your prop, problem solved! lol

[csuggs]

I guess everyone has their own experience but here's mine:
1986 Sunsport - started with original 13x13 3-blade prop from Michigan Wheel (which is my spare now, I just can't part with it!). To get a better hole shot I switched to a 4-blade 13x13 OJ. It did give a better hole shot but lost a couple mph on the top end because the 4-blade is not as efficient. Now I'm running an Acme 3-blade 13x11.5 which gives me a hole shot like the 4-blade with the top end of the 3-blade. Truly the best of both worlds!


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[gogger]

I switched from a 4 blade to a 3 blade last year. The Acme 541. Love it. Made a huge difference to the better. I bumped an old post back to the top if you want to look at it.

[Salty87]

I switched from a 4 blade to a 3 blade last year. The Acme 541. Love it. Made a huge difference to the better. I bumped an old post back to the top if you want to look at it.

that's the same one i have. the difference between on old prop that's been re-worked and a new cnc prop is night and day. almost hard to believe 1 part could make so much difference.

[wotan2525]

I've also got the 541, but I believe I had it pitched down a degree at some point.

[sybrmike]

I still love my 541 - no problem holding 10mph surf speed with 3K lbs of ballast and people & can still run mid 40's.