New to me - 2300 HPS Prop Selection

[dholley]

I recently purchase a 2015 2300 HPS with 250 SHO in early June and brought it back home to Jacksonville, FL. After addressing a ton of small issues, I'm working on getting it propped correctly.

The boat originally had a 20p Enertia ECO which ran well on sea trial 57 mph / 6000 RPMS. This was an unloaded boat with half tank of fuel and 3 passengers (500 lbs). The leading edge of the prop is really blunt and probably missing 1/8" of material. Mid-range was good as well turning 4200 RPMs = 40 mph.

I've since tried a 23p Tempest (could only spin 53-5400 RPMs at 57 mph) a barrel cut 21p Rev 4 (57 mph at 5900 RPMs) and a 22p Bravo 1 (57 mph at 5400 RPMs, with heavy offshore load).

The Tempest and Rev4 were holdovers from my Action Craft 1890 w/ 200 SHO and don't appear to be the right props for this application. The tempest can't get the RPMs up and the Rev 4 doesn't seem to do well with a load.

I've been impressed with the Bravo 1, but it's pretty beat up on the leading edges. So my plan is to send the Bravo to have the barrel cut, PVS holes added, and leading edges corrected along with the Enertia ECO to have the leading edges cleaned up.

I'm typically running heavier loads in the summer with center livewell full, 100 qt cooler behind the seat, 50 qt Engel in front, 4 group 31 batteries in console, cast net, safety gear, 200' anchor + chain, etc.Given the load described above, what should my performance expectations be? I really thought the Rev4 would be 1st or 2nd string, but it doesn't seem to be that way.

Right now the Bravo has the best feel and numbers. I haven't seen much discussion on the Enertia ECO, so I'd appreciate some opinions on which props to keep or others to try.

[Sunstone]

Is the Bravo 1 a fs  or just a 1?  I have the fs 22 on my 23 and couldn't be happier.

As shown by its name, the pro finished Bravo I FS (Four Stroke) propeller is designed specifically for high-horsepower four-stroke outboard engines and is positioned somewhere between the standard and the lab finished Bravo I.

In other words, Bravo I FS is a new version of the standard Bravo I propeller in which some specific modifications of its characteristics have been made. The most important of these are the following:

• its exhaust barrel has been shortened
• the cup height of its blades has been reduced
• the leading edges of

[dholley]

Bravo is the longer barrel, not an FS. I got it for cheap with intention of having the barrel cut and blades thinned. 

I loved the Rev4 on my flats boat, but it doesn't seem to be as good as the Bravo at this point. I sent the Enertia ECO out today to get fixed up. Should have it back in a few weeks.

[BradM]

There's been a ton of discussion for propping the 23 HPS. You can't go wrong with a Bravo FS in 22p, especially with the loads you run. What prop shop are you using? 

Also, I am local to you. Lets see some pics of your rig, I'll keep an eye out for you. Mine is dark gray and looks black on the water, no t-top. 

[dholley]

Hey Brad, I've seen several of the posts you mentioned on propping the 2300. Just wanted to make sure I wasn't making a mistake by sending some props down the road when setup might be the real issue. I'm still learning the boat and how it likes to run with trim and jack plate.

I'm usually fishing out of Goodby's Creek (3 min from my house) or Mayport. 

Here's a pic from last weekend's snapper mini season.

[BradM]

That's awesome! I grew up on Beauclerc Rd. and Goodby's is the second closest to me now, with Mandarin Park being the closest. I do the same as you, runaround close to the house during the week and out of Sisters on the weekend. I have a Bravo FS in 23 you're welcome to try out....It might be a tad stiff, but maybe not so much. It's been sand blasted once just inside of Nassau sound. 

Also, for me, top end comes with the jack plate all the way down, and around 1/2 - 3/4 trim. I'm not as fast as I was now that I'm running 5 batteries and some more gear, but it still moves out just fine!