Wanaflatsfish Posted December 23, 2018 Report Share Posted December 23, 2018 added some inexpensive WM speakers...... $49 and I bought the 3 yr warranty for $10...so, the sound is "OK" for the water...will try tomorrow.... Hopefully I can hear my Lady Gaga while running da skinny dc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JEM Posted December 23, 2018 Report Share Posted December 23, 2018 Eureka!!!!! Amazing!!!! Thanks to Brad M, who had a great write up on his new prop, I got lucky and found a Mercury Racing Bravo 1 FS, 20” prop on another forum for less than half the price of a new one. The seller said he had less than 10 hours on the prop. I went to West Matine and bought a hub kit, and dropped the boat in the water this afternoon. The prop I have been running was a PT OFX3 19”. The results were nothing less than phenomenal! With just me, a full tank of gas, and normal fishing gear minus a small bait tank load of shrimp, my top speed increased from 55-56 mph to 59-60. My mpg at a 40 mph cruise increased from 3.1 mpg to 3.7 mpg!!!! WOW! Hard for me to comprehend the difference! And lastly, it virtually stopped my mid range porpoising! Top rpm with some engine trimming was 5900-6000. I forgot to check what affect the jack plate might have. Saving some more fun for tomorrow. I feel the need to bring the prop in every night, give it a nice polish, and tuck it in bed. I think there might be something wrong with me........... 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoneyB Posted December 23, 2018 Report Share Posted December 23, 2018 I have been trying to quietly say mercury props are pretty awesome. Taking my pt ofx3 off for tempest and enertia made the boat handle totally differently. Bow rides high .. they whole boat is lifted out of the water very little Pourpoising. I run 53mph with a 200 sho and t top on my 22 TRS Glad you found one that works great for you too. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishmanjj Posted December 23, 2018 Report Share Posted December 23, 2018 1 hour ago, JEM said: Eureka!!!!! Amazing!!!! Thanks to Brad M, who had a great write up on his new prop, I got lucky and found a Mercury Racing Bravo 1 FS, 20” prop on another forum for less than half the price of a new one. The seller said he had less than 10 hours on the prop. I went to West Matine and bought a hub kit, and dropped the boat in the water this afternoon. The prop I have been running was a PT OFX3 19”. The results were nothing less than phenomenal! With just me, a full tank of gas, and normal fishing gear minus a small bait tank load of shrimp, my top speed increased from 55-56 mph to 59-60. My mpg at a 40 mph cruise increased from 3.1 mpg to 3.7 mpg!!!! WOW! Hard for me to comprehend the difference! And lastly, it virtually stopped my mid range porpoising! Top rpm with some engine trimming was 5900-6000. I forgot to check what affect the jack plate might have. Saving some more fun for tomorrow. Those bugs are going to hurt at 60 mph......looks as though a full helmet with face shield is now necessary for those early Fall runs before daylight ...those are some impressive numbers JEM . 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CG RYAN Posted December 23, 2018 Report Share Posted December 23, 2018 22 hours ago, JEM said: Eureka!!!!! Amazing!!!! Thanks to Brad M, who had a great write up on his new prop, I got lucky and found a Mercury Racing Bravo 1 FS, 20” prop on another forum for less than half the price of a new one. The seller said he had less than 10 hours on the prop. I went to West Matine and bought a hub kit, and dropped the boat in the water this afternoon. The prop I have been running was a PT OFX3 19”. The results were nothing less than phenomenal! With just me, a full tank of gas, and normal fishing gear minus a small bait tank load of shrimp, my top speed increased from 55-56 mph to 59-60. My mpg at a 40 mph cruise increased from 3.1 mpg to 3.7 mpg!!!! WOW! Hard for me to comprehend the difference! And lastly, it virtually stopped my mid range porpoising! Top rpm with some engine trimming was 5900-6000. I forgot to check what affect the jack plate might have. Saving some more fun for tomorrow. Thats awesome! Now you have me wanting to try one.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JEM Posted December 24, 2018 Report Share Posted December 24, 2018 Ryan, I would not believe the difference in every aspect of performance if I didn’t see it with my own eyes. Even the sound of the engine is different.......like I have a turbine under the cowling. Even around the dock, the 4 blade (compared to the 3 blade) is like being in 4 wheel drive. I can’t recommend the Bravo 1 FS enough. Those guys at Mercury Racing obviously know their stuff! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoneyB Posted December 24, 2018 Report Share Posted December 24, 2018 Nobody has been going fast as long as mercury. Anyone who does not think they have not put a lot of energy into there props is sadly mistaken. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CG RYAN Posted December 24, 2018 Report Share Posted December 24, 2018 1 hour ago, JEM said: Ryan, I would not believe the difference in every aspect of performance if I didn’t see it with my own eyes. Even the sound of the engine is different.......like I have a turbine under the cowling. Even around the dock, the 4 blade (compared to the 3 blade) is like being in 4 wheel drive. I can’t recommend the Bravo 1 FS enough. Those guys at Mercury Racing obviously know their stuff! I feel like a recovering addict. I've been a couple years clean from this prop game and one post is all it takes to bring me back in. And now to the internet I go..... Merry Christmas! 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JEM Posted December 24, 2018 Report Share Posted December 24, 2018 LOL! Merry Christmas! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post mulligan Posted December 24, 2018 Popular Post Report Share Posted December 24, 2018 10 hours ago, CG RYAN said: I feel like a recovering addict. I've been a couple years clean from this prop game and one post is all it takes to bring me back in. Once you have gone to the dance it is hard to stay away! For those of you who still have hope of not going down the road to prop mayhem look for the warning signs: You are just looking for a prop with good holeshot AND good topend You justify spending $500 to gain .3 GPH between 2000-2200 RPM You have props for lowtide and hightide days, fun days and hardcore fishing days then a set for winter and summer You have more than one prop shop number on you phone and multiple contact points for said prop shops You have been asked why you need to send a brand new prop to get "fixed" before you have even put an hour on it. You have a logbook full of speed/rpm data and pages of notes. You have props sitting around unused for years just because. You have walked by your trolling motor and wondered how it would work with just a bit of cup on the tips. You have said this is the last one I'm going to try then I'm done! I do not mean to offend anyone but this is a major problem taking over the boating world and prop companies are not helping by always coming out with new props. There is help out there, just be very careful of who you go to. Some of these help groups are just people that have props you have not tried and offer you to use it. BTW, Has anyone ran a Turbo TXP on a Redfisher hull? 1 1 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geeviam Posted December 24, 2018 Report Share Posted December 24, 2018 1 hour ago, mulligan said: You have said this is the last one I'm going to try then I'm done! Been there, said that - a few times, lol! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dabear Posted December 24, 2018 Report Share Posted December 24, 2018 You mean that we don’t need a winter prop and a summer prop and a all around prop ? Are you trying to say we are not supposed to send our new props out to have them blueprinted and rebalanced ? You make it sound like everyone doesn’t do this . 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THE OUTLAW Posted December 24, 2018 Report Share Posted December 24, 2018 Im in recovery and clean 72 hrs . but the 26-2 ohhhh boyeee ! 🇺🇸☠️ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JEM Posted December 24, 2018 Report Share Posted December 24, 2018 Well, looks like we are going to need a cheese grater anonymous group (CGA) for us sufferers. I know I need a summer cheese grater and a winter cheese grater. Fortunately, my prop hunting days are done and done!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BradM Posted December 26, 2018 Report Share Posted December 26, 2018 Glad to hear that prop is running well, JEM! It means a lot when you have has many hours on your set up as you do, and come back with the same enthusiasm as I did when I got the right one under my rig. The difference is simply indescribable. Hi Mulligan, my name is Brad and I'm here because....... 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JEM Posted December 26, 2018 Report Share Posted December 26, 2018 1 hour ago, BradM said: Glad to hear that prop is running well, JEM! It means a lot when you have has many hours on your set up as you do, and come back with the same enthusiasm as I did when I got the right one under my rig. The difference is simply indescribable. Hi Mulligan, my name is Brad and I'm here because....... LOL. I actually got my wife to allow me to go "fishing" for a couple of hours early yesterday afternoon while she and the rest of her family were gathering at her parent's house........like on Christmas Day! But actually, I was just going to run the boat for fun. Fishing was just my excuse! I knew she wouldn't understand running a new prop! I chunked some plastic for....maybe....... 5 minutes, and spent the rest of a couple of hours just running around like a kid on ......Christmas Day! 2 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BradM Posted December 26, 2018 Report Share Posted December 26, 2018 5 hours ago, JEM said: LOL. I actually got my wife to allow me to go "fishing" for a couple of hours early yesterday afternoon while she and the rest of her family were gathering at her parent's house........like on Christmas Day! But actually, I was just going to run the boat for fun. Fishing was just my excuse! I knew she wouldn't understand running a new prop! I chunked some plastic for....maybe....... 5 minutes, and spent the rest of a couple of hours just running around like a kid on ......Christmas Day! I had to do all my testing undercover. I would put 3-4 props in the truck and go run the boat because I wanted to "make sure I kept good gas in it" (never an issue in our other Pathfinder ) She finally caught me when a Merc Racing prop box showed up at my door.....confused because it wasn't an Amazon box. She never brought it up again when I drew that parallel. JEM and I have been messaging; if you run this prop, I recommend the Solas, Rubex hub kit because it doesn't "clunk" going into gear. I do not recall the part number, but it is on their website. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geeviam Posted December 26, 2018 Report Share Posted December 26, 2018 16 minutes ago, BradM said: She finally caught me when a Merc Racing prop showed up at my door Hahaha! My wife has the Prop-Radar dialed-in pretty well now too! She just doesn't understand the importance. Go figure, lol! Hey, I'm willin' to understand the importance of all those pairs of shoes! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CG RYAN Posted December 27, 2018 Report Share Posted December 27, 2018 8 hours ago, JEM said: LOL. I actually got my wife to allow me to go "fishing" for a couple of hours early yesterday afternoon while she and the rest of her family were gathering at her parent's house........like on Christmas Day! But actually, I was just going to run the boat for fun. Fishing was just my excuse! I knew she wouldn't understand running a new prop! I chunked some plastic for....maybe....... 5 minutes, and spent the rest of a couple of hours just running around like a kid on ......Christmas Day! Not many people get the same enjoyment out of just driving the boat like some of us do. There is not much better, especially when everything is working perfect. Sounds like a great time! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mulligan Posted December 27, 2018 Report Share Posted December 27, 2018 I was at my parent's for Christmas and just thinking how my dad does his "prop" work, not with props but other things, and trust me I was taking close notes. My parents have been married 45+ years and when I was younger I learn things like car, boats tools, ect. from my dad. While I still am learning those things from him I am learning more how to get things through the door unnoticed and if noticed how to play it cool like nothing happened. I will not give away all his secrets but here is an example of how he worked it over the holiday. My dad has been looking for a new carry pistol and as most of you know there is no returning them once they leave the store. He had it narrowed down to a couple but could not make up his mind on which one. So the thinker he is he buys a couple and gives the other as a gift on Christmas! So now he gets a new toy,gives one as a gift, and all under the radar. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whichwaysup Posted December 27, 2018 Report Share Posted December 27, 2018 Replaced the plugs, fuel filter, lower unit oil, and impeller on my engine yesterday. First time I have done it with this engine. Thankfully all the bolts were well greased and it was any easy job. Only issue was that the old impeller was frozen to the shaft and it had to be cut off. Still not too bad a job. Hopefully be hanging it back on the boat in a few months. Heres to a better 2019! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigfun33 Posted December 27, 2018 Report Share Posted December 27, 2018 Since my RF18 is a 2003 I decided to re harness the entire boat due too some green gremlins making an appearance. Well this is the long and short of it. Since I was pulling the harness out I thought I might as well change steering hoses, shift cables, and of course upgrade the GPS/FF so a new transducer cable. If anyone wants to under take this process I bought the harness from EZACDC and it comes with a Blueseas fuse panel and separate ground buss already installed. As near as I can figure the only thing original on my boat is the fiberglass! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THE OUTLAW Posted December 27, 2018 Report Share Posted December 27, 2018 Logged 127 miles , in ENP with the new moto . Burned 18 gal gas . The prop I have is not what I want , for this motor . Everybody is closed for the holidays . Uggggggggggg ! Off to Keywaden Island tomorrow . 🇺🇸☠️😛🦀 PS IF ANYONE KNOWS HOW TO ORIENT THE PICS 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishmanjj Posted December 27, 2018 Report Share Posted December 27, 2018 Great pics ! The creative orientation makes it even cooler.....JJ. Happy New Year 👍🎣🍺 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoneyB Posted December 28, 2018 Report Share Posted December 28, 2018 Here ya go. Got you and your first mate straight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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