Prop Testing Swap?

Hey guys, I’ve been going through a lot of prop testing trying to get the setup right on my boat. I’ve tried Fury 3 blades and every pitch Tempest, to no avail. I’m wanting to try out a couple of 4 blades and see if that helps my setup.

Does anyone in the DFW area have a 4 blade Trophy Plus or Bravo 1 in a 24/25p that they would be willing to meet up and let me test? I have a 24p Fury 3 blade and you’d be more than welcome to test that if you wanted also.

Thanks in advance!

What boat are you running? If you were closer I’d let you try both those.

I have a 1999 Pro Craft 200DC, 2006 Mercury 225 straight Optimax. Also have a Talon on the boat.

Ahhh, I know nothing about Pro Craft. From my many dollars wasted with my 198 Champion I have run the following props:

2 different trophy 24’s - good holeshot, great handling; but the slowest prop I’ve run.

Bravo xs 25- no bow lift at all, it makes the stern raise so the boat runs more level; but you kind of spear waves more since the bow doesn’t have much lift. Speed was best when heavily loaded down.

Bravo xs 24- same as above and actually 1 mph faster than the 25 because of the increase in rpms.

Fury 4 24 - fastest prop of all when I was running empty, when loaded down it became the second slowest.

I ended up running a 24 tempest plus, seems to just do all.

What kind of problems are you experiencing? If it’s a weight issue, Bravo xs 24 is prob the ticket.

Thanks for that info!

This is definitely a really heavy boat.

The 24 Fury 3 blade is the fastest prop I have run on this boat. 65.1 mph but only 5400 RPM’s at WOT.

24 Tempest - 64.8 mph, 5500 RPMs WOT

23 Tempest - 63.2 mph, 5625 RPMs WOT

That testing was all done on the same day, in cooler temps, and prop to pad height adjusted to where each prop liked it best.

Trying to find a prop that will balance the RPM’s where they need to be and keep the speed up. Now that it’s hotter out, that 24 Fury will only turn at 5200 RPMs WOT, and she just won’t run at that point.

Should also note that holeshot is great with any of those props.

GS - what boat/motor setup do you have? Thanks.

2005 Champion 198 Merc 225 Pro XS with about 3/4 of Bass Pro inside of it, loaded heavy.

What jackplate do you have? With a 10 inch slide master and a 200 optimax , most would run best with a good 24 tempest. The key word is good as alot of even pitch tempest props are not that good out of the box. If you have a 225 optimax, put a 25 tempest on it . Set prop shaft 3" below pad and see how it does. If you have a hot foot make sure your getting full throttle. Something is not right if your not hitting the Rev limiter with a 23 pitch prop.

I have a 6” Hydro Dynamics jack plate.

You can see the numbers I’ve done above on testing with a couple of different Tempest props. This boat/motor combo will absolutely not turn a 25 Tempest.

I talked to Josh at Steve’s props and he told me something is wrong with my motor if I can’t spin a 25 Tempest. Then I talked to Steve over there and he told me that he’s not surprised at all with this boat/motor combo that I would have to drop down to a 23. So people have been all over the place on it.

This boat has a Bullet pad on it, and I’ve been able to run it all the way up to 2” below pad before I start dropping any water pressure. I think I could get a 24 Tempest to work pretty decent, I would just like to try a couple of 4 blades and see how they do on this rig. I’ve heard a lot of guys with heavier boats say that they perform really well.

Also my Optimax is not a Pro XS. I know that makes quite a bit of difference as well.

remember your max rpms on that engine should be around 5750.
so anywhere from 5550 to 5750 you will be fine at w.o.t.

have you had extra tip cup added to that 23p tempest??

The 23 Tempest was a buddy’s prop, and it was worked by Josh to give him more bow lift on his Bass Cat.

I need to test an out of the box 23. Not sure how much difference that would make.

when you ran the tempest vs the fury, did you raise the motor 3/4"

Yes sir, I ran it up to a full inch higher. 2-1/2” below pad. That was where it ran best.

your doing the right thing then.

Do you have any input on how a 4 blade Bravo or Trophy may help or not help me?

typically, the bravo gives stern lift, where as a trophy can actually do both.
of those two props listed, i'd choose the trophy plus.

if your looking for overall lift,etc.


i'd still choose a tempest over both of them... but i'm curious to hear your results.

Steve, I will report back with results. Thanks.

The Tempest Plus is a great prop. I ran a 23 on my 18' Ranger with a modded 175 Black Max and that prop did it all. Holeshot and the lift along with max RPMs. The only prop I ran that was faster was a 24" longed eared chopper. Only problem was it took forever to come out of the hole.

I am in the same position but with a bigger heavier boat. I thought the prop I bought would be the answer but I now think I should have tried a Tempest. Kind of wish I had kept the 23 and knocked it down and inch or 2. Playing with props can get expensive.

Chris, I ran several procrafts early and late models. First one was a 2001 and last one was a 05/ 06 200 super pro. Both had 10 inch jackplates and would run around 67 loaded with good 24 tempest . Looking at your prop test #s the 24 had lowest slip of the props . Fury slip #s are misleading. I would ask Steve about a 10 inch plate and work the 24 and that's probably going to put you around 67 or so loaded. Also know if you go from 6 inch to 10 inch plate steering cables might not be long enough

Thank you for that info. I’m currently running a 6” plate. The steering cable length is what I was worried about with going to a bigger plate.

I just removed my Talon today as well. I should retest a 24 Tempest.