What are the benefits of a 4 blade vs 3 blade?
What are the benefits of a 4 blade vs 3 blade?
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!
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.
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.
Function before fashion!
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.
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.
2003 Supra Launch " Gravity Games Edition"
Dodge ram CTD tow vehicles....
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.
Former owner of a 1987 Supra Saltare. Current owner of a Malibu 23LSV.
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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Last edited by csuggs; 06-09-2013 at 08:07 AM.
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.
2006 24SSV 8.1 Vortec