3 or 4 Blade Propellers for SMALL Boats?

[@RobertPeniston]

Let's not get too critical. He took the time and energy to do the video. I enjoyed it.

[@jobhoogeboom]

I have an little 12 foot aluminum v-bottom aluminum boat with an 2010 20hp Yamaha 4 stroke. I recently installed a 4 blade propellor of an Honda 20hp 4 stroke. The boat definitely gets on plane much quicker. And it can even get on plane with 4 persons now.

[@Dyspxptic]

You have a 20hp on a 12 foot v bottom 😭😭 I have a 9.9 on mine I thought that’s all they could take

[@Rlip]

I had a similar boat with a 70hp Yamaha 2005 2 stroke great combo! Good on fuel too

[@ronniehenson4122]

When you guys go to a 4 bladed prop, drop down 1 size in pitch and keep the engine in the correct recommended RPM range and you can have the best of both worlds hole shot and top speed or at lease the same speed you had before the swap.

[@RKHarm24]

OH YES. Going from Aluminum to stainless steel you can bump UP 1 size due to to thinner blades.

[@robertyouens7764]

Nice simple demonstration with the expected results. You want to see 5700 to 6000 rpms at full throttle to assure you are in the ECU optimal mapping curve. With a heavy boat weight, to low motor hp, as you are running, what you gain with a 4 blade is reduced slippage. When properly pitched you will improve hole shot and improve fuel effeciency (up to 10%) with a 4 blade due to reduced slippage. You will typically lose about 1 to 2 mph at top end (due to increased blade surface area), but gain about 10% in fuel effeciency if operated at a moderated planning speed (not wide open). The lighter the boat and the higher the speed the less improvement you will see with a 4 blade... that is why you see racing boats running 2 and 3 blade props (because slippage is not as much of an issue).

[@suadhalilovic1501]

Definitely sticking with 3 blade now👍

[@rogerjackson333]

throw a 75 on it with 25 stickers...thats what we do up here

[@GuitarTherapy144]

lol, we do the same in albania in europe. no need for license up to 40hp so you see sometimes 20 ft RIBs with twin 40 stickered v6 engines going 70 miles an hour lol

[@fiveowaf454]

I've tried 3 and 4 blade propellers on my 14 foot Polarkraft with a 20hp Mercury. I have really found little difference in top speed, or lift onto the plane, but slightly prefer the 4 blade, I definitely notice more bite when for example shifting to reverse and then back to forward. One of the problems in comparing is variations in design, some recommend dropping the pitch going to a 4 blade, with other props the pitch seems it can be kept the same on a 4 blade. It's really hard to get a definitive answer since even a slight change in the wind strength can affect my top speed by a couple of mph, so by the time you change the prop. you cannot guarantee the exact same conditions. All I can conclude is that while they provide very similar performance, the 4 blade does work better a little better for me and my boat, but again that could be just the fact the 4 blade suits the setup and gives the perfect rpm on the top end whereas the 3 blade tends to over rev in one pitch and bog a little in the higher pitch. There are just so many variables.

[@SouthFlaDiver]

Drop the pitch on the 4 and you'll gain back top end and better shot

[@mcplutt]

And raise the engine one hole.

[@patrickgale6911]

Drop pitch is correct!!... you'll get 5850rpm n top out at 25mph.. 4 blade for everything...

[@Avv45]

Exactly, it's not really a fair test

[@josephglaze5919]

Your pitched to heavy forsure. Making the engine run harder

[@ryanpaasch7464]

Dropping pitch will raise rpm and slower top speed with faster take offs like raising rear end gears

[@isajakwa4059]

thanks for spending a lot of time making this very usefull video.

[@jerrygray6702]

Did you really say "hammer down" with a 25hp motor?

[@dougiefresh2521]

I like it - he seems fun

[@motoboy6666]

Relax dude, take a chill-pill

[@jaybo9044]

Yeah, did it remind you of what he tells your wife?

[@dustin9035]

That boat needs a 90's two stroke 50hp. I can't believe any dealer would even sell a boat like that with a 25hp motor.

[@4to20ma6]

I hate that we have been forced to put these overweight hunks of slow junk on the back of our boats. I hunt and fish in the river swamp, my boat is homemade 1/8 gauge aluminum. It is made to jump logs that are up to a foot out of the water. Try jumping a log with one of the four strokes. It will just bog. That's why I still run my 25 mercury two stroke and I buy all the old motors I can for parts. Well at least I will run it as long as I can, until they make a law against that to.

[@Ethefake]

Why from the 90s and why 2 stroke?

[@4to20ma6]

ΞᎢᎻΞЯΞΔᏝ 90s models are the newest. And a two stroke has instant power. The kind of power that can launch you from a dead stop to jump over logs and log jams. It sends the nose of my boat about five foot in the air. From a dead stop. No four stroke 25 horsepower can do that.

[@jarodfindley9456]

@@4to20ma6 The reason for that is because the older two strokes were much larger displacement and many were 3 cylinders not two

[@4to20ma6]

jarod findley I have only ran two cylinder two stroke engines. The only 3 cylinder two stroke engine that you couldn’t wear out was the Evinrude/Johnson 55 to 75 horsepower. They would run forever. And every Japanese company tried to copy it. I know because I worked as a Suzuki mechanic. And they could never hold a candle to the OMC work horses

[@Drunken_Hamster]

Not gonna lie, I think you should get twice as much motor, lol.

[@RWoodOutdoors]

Yeah a 40 or 50hp would be sweet! Unfortunately the boat is not rated for that.

[@Drunken_Hamster]

@@RWoodOutdoors My dad's old boat was rated for 125 and we put a 175 on it. Reinforce the transom and send it, brother.

[@jacobmccandles1767]

@@Drunken_Hamster Illegal. Now that's fine, but if there is ever a collision, accident, or failure, it could mean the difference between "an unfortunate accident" and "manslaughter".

[@wholeass83]

@@crackjack8320 man you safety nazis sure know how to take the fun out of everything. A Volkswagen is meant to hold 175 horsepower. Doesnt mean it cant handle 300hp. I've driven them with 350+ hp. The safety ratings are for the manufacturers so you cant hold them accountable for you putting too much engine on the boat.

[@jacobmccandles1767]

@Kung Fu Money Bee ...says the anonymous keyboard warrior. Look, if you wanna overpower a boat, I'm on your side. Err on the side of liberty and all that, BUT liability IS a real thing. If you accept that, then more power to ya'....uh, literally.

[@davidking1501]

the test in the future you may want to consider is getting out the chart for you motor to see at what rpm your torque first starts to peak and run the test at that rpm range. The 4 prop will increase the efficiency for a given fuel burn by pushing more water. High rpm runs over a period time is a good way to burn up /pit your props when you start air rating the water at high rpm spin

[@sargepent9815]

What's more important is the pitch. I recently changed my prop pitch and while I lost little holes hot speed, it had a higher cruse speed with lower rpm which equals fuel savings. Plus I can troll slightly faster with the same engine speed. Best is to have your local marine service provider supply you with the best prop for your specific boat

[@roughym7663]

If the 4 blade prop has the same pitch as your 3 blade prop then you're not going to achieve the manufacturers recommended rpm at WOT. In which case you may damage the gear case of your motor over time. What pitch is the 3 and 4 blade props?

[@danielhaglund244]

I like 4-blades as well. That hydrofoil will cost you top end speed. As many have said you are over pitched. If you want to run that 4-blade you could try to remove the hydrofoil and raise the engine a bit. The 4-blade will grip better so you can run the motor higher and you already have smart tabs so the hydrofoil may be overkill.

[@unchartedgroupielove]

Hydrofoils are shite. Shouldn't be running that low that your cav plate is under water anyway.

[@AnthonyJones-kf4ts]

keep 3 blade reduce pitch ie from 16 to 14 or even 13 fit a stingray cavitation plate and increase rpm to 6g and youll be fine or up grade to 50 hp.cheers

[@kameranspahn9554]

Just get a 50 man it would fit that boat perfectly even if it’s not “rated” for a 50 you can always strengthen up the transom if needed but you be able to hit 25 mph a lot quicker and easier than what your working with. Good and informative video man🍻

[@tacticaladvantage4763]

Dude !!!! I have this same 25 hp on my 13 whaler and have trouble getting on plane alone. With a heavy load and passenger I can’t get on plane. I thought about 4 blade prop for torque but ended up learning that I need to keep 3 blade and lower my pitch. 4 blade prop isn’t ganna help out problem. Which btw is the fact the motor is unable to reach its rpm’s and power band in a timely manner. Thank you for the video though. Much appreciated

[@spacecommando927]

Should have stated what pitch the different props were before each test in the video. That info is critical in this kind of comparison (yes, I know it was in the description).

[@bentaylor8817]

I was thinking the same straight away. The diameter and pitch must be the same for a fair comparison, personally I like a 2 blade prop if I could find one, initial slip will increase the revs which also helps accelerate the boat faster on plane whilst not labouring the motor, a four blade is for a house boat. Way to much prop than is USUALLY needed.

[@smulderssteve]

Definitely need a lower pitch prop, engine should be hitting near 6000rpm at WOT.

[@djs3484]

Even so Steve when you're that under powered spinning 6000rpm all the time that motor is toast.

[@gaylenes278]

Thank you..I appreciated the tutorial given I'm a new boater with a similar boat. My Merc dealer installed a 4 blade with new 40 hp engine and I wasn't sure of the difference, reasons. Also, now that I have seen how easy it is to change the prop, I might carry an extra in case of mishap. Thanks!

[@javery50]

Make sure you have extra hardware also.

[@edwardabrahamiii3742]

Yup i miss my grandpa being around i use to take boat rides with em on his little 16ft lund boat with a 25 yamaha that 16ft lund was light he had trim and tilt on his 25 yamaha it would fly over the shallows even if it only got a top speed of 27mph

[@shanevonharten3100]

Pitch and diameter. Get the right combination for your boat set up and you can achieve hole shot and top end speed with either 3 or 4 blades

[@selenevolmer1888]

You did a good job of making me decide not to dog my engine for miles for a few seconds of acceleration . Also the loss of fishing time was negligible at two MPH . You just sold a bunch of 3 blade props for somebody . Enjoyed the video ! Can I borrow your boat ?

[@javery50]

Most of the problem is pitch.

[@AAE-cg1il]

Hahaha……..that was good.

[@benharley6594]

I was thinking of going with a 4 blade , NOT now ! Great video thanks 👏👏👏👏👏👏

[@TheBigghunter01]

Sometimes some boat/motor setups run best with certain props. If you have a lot of power sometimes the extra holeshot and grip in turns is worth a couple mph top end, especially if you fish the flats like me where you need to get on plane asap. In my opinion the boat in the video was borderline underpowered. A 40hp motor would push that boat great and the top speed would be closer to 30mph even with a 4 blade and it would pop right out of the hole

[@korndawggy1801]

When you go to a four blade, you should go a pitch or two lower also. He could benefit from a pitch lower even on his 3 blade.

[@natevanlandingham1945]

You could time the time to get on plane. We're they the same pitch? I think you need to step down 2 pitch to get that four blade back into the proper rpm. That four blade really sounded like it was lugging that motor though even WOT!

[@Silentroller93]

I would be curious to see if you got the same top speed as the 3 blade with one less pitch on the 4 blade.

[@jacquespoirier9071]

an obvious advantage of a 4 blade prop over a 3 blade is its smoothness, the other parameters can make both props very similar performance.

[@ChuckNorris01]

Thanks I have the same motor and always wanted to know what difference props would be on our motors

[@tonyt.5316]

Thank you. I just bought the same motor.

[@c.shoefish]

Pitch plays a huge role in it...yours dropped 300 RPMs...had you put the correct pitch on there, you would have gained top end....you want to be as close to your max rpm as possible, you still had 600 RPMs to go. Not to mention, you could be causing damage to that nice Yamaha, outboards are meant to run wide open. You need to drop it about 2 pitches

[@thorthor31]

Ryan, great video. I have a 17’5’’ bayliner with a small 4 cylinder IO. I did the same propeller test and got pretty much the same results, 4 blade did make the hole shot better. Thought i might keep the 4 blade on until i noticed a significant change in the boats top speed handling, ‘’washing out’’kind of scary. not a fast boat at all. But never felt like that before with a 3 blade prop.

[@RKHarm24]

Late 69/70, Grandfather had a Mercury 2cycle 20 horse. I inherited the motor and put it on a 14' Deep V Sea Nymph. 2 blade prop, raised the motor up on the transom about 3/4" and it flew like the wind. It did want to lift when air got under the bow. It was a short shaft tiller motor. I did change the 2 blade aluminum prop for a 2 blade stainless 1 pitch up. The standard prop was a utility, not much rake to the prop and very little cup.

[@kaavest]

as my pioner 10 in the first with a bit slow up on plane, i changed it today from a 8,5 to 7,5 and it was like a new boat, and it is just 2 years old a polyethylene often used down a fjord. Greased in the shaft and bott 3 blades, i have the "old" as a spare. But it impressive how a slightly prop change make better performance. Engine a Tohatsu 4 stroke 209 ccm 2021 ab 150 hours

[@Silentroller93]

Raise the motor up like 3” on the transom, you’ll be able to run a higher pitch prop.

[@fishing8503]

I have a 12x36 jon boat with 9.8 Tohatsu 4stroke. I changed to a prop with more pitch and gained 6mph on the big end. Goes 28mph

[@williamsporing1500]

Same motor I’m running on my Jon boat. What did you switch to?

[@40hills1]

Whale tail AND trim tabs?? Talk about a lot of extra drag.

[@natevanlandingham1945]

I thought the same thing. Get rid of all that crap and set up the motor right.

[@bobcath5067]

I agree get rid of both of them

[@ryanpaasch7464]

Hydro foils help a lot it is a small boat for trim tabs way under powered

[@dannistjana901]

Exactly what I was thinking, get rid of the tail and tabs and see how it goes. If it porpoises then put tabs back on, on a reasonable setting.

[@toddl5667]

@@dannistjana901 the hydrofoil on this boat makes a drastic difference. I own the same model with a 25 Honda, it cut my planing time in half, but I still hit 28mph.

[@manleybadger8311]

I've got a 1960 Glasspar Citation with a 1969 Mercury 65hp outboard. I tried a four blade on the recommendation of a local boat propeller shop. My boat couldn't do better than 5mph at full throttle with that thing on. With my three blade props, I do 32 to 34mph.

[@jeddelse9036]

That thing goes as fast as me in my dinghy with only 6hp fourstroke mercury on a roughneck boat 3.60 lol.

Mine goes 25 knots

[@rustyshackleford1288]

Drop a inch on pitch on the 4 blade and get rid of the hydrofoil and it will run alot better

[@avantgardedntl]

Nicely done. Informative.

[@stevelamperta865]

ever notice tug boats have 4 an sometimes 5 blade props and speed boats have 2 blade props ? is it starting to make sense yet ?

[@Davy-lf4cj]

Thanks for uploading mate

[@ebaygoer8593]

I'm wondering why you went with a larger diameter 4-blade prop. I also noticed that the 4-blade hurt your max RPM a bit. My understanding is (was?) that when going from a 3-blade to a 4-blade, you usually go DOWN an inch (or more) in PITCH. I wonder if you would have kept your max RPM by going with a same diameter 4-blade, but a 9 or 10 inch pitch. What are your thoughts on that?

[@AlexGarcia-ew2fv]

I put a 4 blade prop on my 20ft bayliner ski boat n yesss I made a. Big Difference on the Hole Shot...I did loose 3mph on top end..

[@HouseOfThe8Strings]

Nahh man. You need about a 75 horse Johnson 2 stroke.

[@TopYt36]

With electric choke.

[@ChipBlair]

Johnson sucks but i agree

[@lowcountryadventures5549]

@@ChipBlair old ones were really reliable

[@bertofly9050]

When he said hammer down and i saw how that thing accelerated i was like 😦

[@danielnicholls6868]

what pitch is the stock prop? the Solis 4 blades come in 7p 8 p 9p or 10pitch i think ..i would drop the 4 blade by 1 pitch and try again. thumbs up

[@RWoodOutdoors]

Prop pitch details are in the video description. 4 blade pitch was dropped compared to the 3 blade.

[@danielnicholls6868]

do they have a 10.25 x by 10 pitch? there near the same at 11pitch . usely don't have 1/4 inch pitch changes . seems funny. needs more rpm lower pitch.get rid of the whale tail you have trim tabs on boat . the bow is being pushed to much into water.

[@egresk1]

The 4 blade is almosy always better overall. I have a 3 and 4 blade on my 30hp mercury and 16ft fishing boat. I lose about 1-2 mph of top end but everything else including plane and fuel mileage is better with the 4 blade , especially with more weight on the boat.

[@tieoneon1614]

Awesome, thanks for the info. Picking up a 30hp on a 15ft v-hull. Expecting around 26-28 mph.

[@nmoran2046]

If I can help it I never reuse a cotter pin

[@Crazyreseller]

To put it simply, your boat is underpowered.

[@bigjohnclark349]

There's to many variables your not including in this video like the pitch of the 3 blade and pitch of 4 blade also need tilt and trim set in exactly same position for both. Because i could put a 3 blade on it that would snatch your head off with no top end

[@diadlo13]

Yeah not covering the pitch of the props used makes this video pretty much useless. It's like comparing a Yamaha and a Honda outboard without revealing the HP rating...

[@rickysmith2248]

At idle speed which propeller was slower? Asking for all the trollers out there.

[@Qbhoy79]

Hydrofoil and tabs aren’t helping you at all there.

[@paulsosa1872]

He should get rid of the trim tabs at least

[@thedutchfisherman7078]

@Q: I was thinking exactly the same!

[@HF1600ie]

That is the issue.

[@thesaffellman]

You cant match a 3 blade to a 4 blade like that you have to account for pitch everything else

[@johnnorris1227]

I know right he could stick with a 3 blade and go with a lower pitch and it would get on plane quicker. On a small low hp outboard like that I bet a 4 blade is gonna hurt performance across the board. To my understanding going to 4 blade is mainly if you want better high speed handing characteristics.

[@topwateractionadventures8444]

Hope you pitched down adding a 4 blade......... if you are factory at 3 blade 9.25 x 9 pitch, you want to down pitch by 1 and get a 4 blade 9.250 x 8 pitch...... or you will overprop your motor......

[@richarddegen6184]

No mention of pitch and diameter vs 3 blade, makes a difference

[@RWoodOutdoors]

Prop specs are in the description

[@crispernator]

good comparison i have a 15 foot runabout fibeerglass and i noticed you were doing lower revs with the 4 blade than the 3 and you lost 2mph or 3kmh where i come from which is stuff all so by doing less revs your fuel is extended your engne isnt working as hard but it might take you a few minutes to get to the fishing spot may look into a 4 blade

[@Helikopterpop]

Why didnt you go down in pitch? At least 1-2"

[@adrianvanhuissteden5548]

What about sizes - swapping from 3 to 4 etc also means a change in diameter and pitch to get the best out of the engine.

[@bipedalhominid6815]

Can you operate the engine higher up on the jack plate now that the 4 blades have more bite?

[@thedutchfisherman7078]

Trim tabs and hydrofoil are not working?

[@robertchandler5055]

i have a boat alot like this one and was wondering if ARMY grease would do as well as MARINE grease?

[@AAE-cg1il]

Air Force grease is the best……the boat will really fly……

[@stevelamperta865]

you never mentioned the pitch of the propeller which has everything to do with how fast the boat planes or your power trim which also has everything to do with the boat coming up on plane ! do you know about this ?

[@jasony724]

What was the pitch on both propellers? I wonder if you put a higher pitch on the 4 blade would it have increased mph?

[@RWoodOutdoors]

Pitch details in the video description.

[@RUS_US]

what was the pitch for 3 and 4 blade propeller? did they have the same pitch and diameter?

[@RWoodOutdoors]

Technical stats on the props in the video description.

[@chadbosko8935]

I have a 4 blade 10 pitch on my 20 Honda i get 23 mph I have a 3 blade ordered but I am going to try it with a 11 pitch hoping there will be a noticeable difference. I don't know if you mentioned it but I'm presuming both of your props where the same pitch.

[@joelstanhope7231]

You could have done the same a different pitch blade

[@randolphbaker8998]

According to my Yamaha mechanic, he wants 4 strokes to be at the top end near 6000 rpm at wot. Your was at 5400 rpm, you should drop about 4 inches of pitch, better for your engine.

[@joshuawilliams194]

I have a 16ft Carolina Skiff with a 25hp Suzuki that runs 31mph. The only difference is 25hp yamaha is 2 cylinder and 25hp Suzuki is 3 cylinder. But apparently it makes a big difference.

[@toddl5667]

Yeah, I have a 25 Honda on my JV15 and hit 30mph. I wonder if the trim tabs are sapping some speed, I only have a hydrofoil on mine and it works wonders.

[@HF1600ie]

25hp is 25hp. The difference is boat weight, the propeller size and those unecessary trim tabs and hydrofoil.

[@Bear304inc1]

What about a four blade with a larger pitch??

[@anthonylatronica5108]

Did you drop pitch when going to the 4 blade. It would seem not as your rpms dropped.

[@RWoodOutdoors]

Yes, dropped down a pitch.

[@anthonylatronica5108]

@@RWoodOutdoors my understanding is that you need to drop pitch until you can reach max rated rpm. Would love to see the results if and when you may elect to do so. Thank you for a great video

[@calebdrake9953]

I got a free Yamaha 8hp four stroke long shaft wut kind of boat should I get for it?

[@wills.7626]

Some more info for anyone with an F25 Yamaha. Solas only goes down to an 11" pitch 4 blade in the Aluminum. The stock prop the F25 comes with is an 11" pitch. I tried the Solas 11" 4 blade and it was disappointing in a 15.5' Merc inflatable with a large load. Wouldn't get on step and RPMs were way down. Swapped for a Yammy 3 blade 10" pitch and up on step no problem, good RPMs. Getting the 9" pitch 3 blade Yammy to try. Not sure why Solas doesn't offer the 4 blade Aluminum in a 10" pitch? You can get it in the Stainless version down to 9", but spendy.

[@AAE-cg1il]

Because at 9 inches pitch the aluminum blades would be too straight up and bend from the force of wot……….

[@bobsim3183]

Thanks for taking the time to share this. I'm not going to join the pitch/diameter debate but I have to say I cringe whenever I see someone tighten down the castle nut on the prop. I was taught to leave a little slack there so the prop will travel an 1/8" or so on the splines whenever you shift into reverse and that keeps the prop from seizing. I may be wrong but it has always worked for me. Just saying...

[@RWoodOutdoors]

Agree, you shouldn't crank down on the castle nut. I just snugged it, but hard to show that in the footage. Thanks for mentioning it.

[@HF1600ie]

Didn't know about it. Anyway I always just slightly tighten. Then, the pin does the rest.

[@riv5438]

Or we just follow the service manual torque specs and boom zero issues as well

[@oldphantomflyer]

You didn't make note of pitch and diameter. Both contribute to thrust and max rpm. So unless you match both for comparison - the comparison is invalid.

[@2BearsOutdoors]

Great video! I too had to dabble a bit with lower pitch and go with a 4blade prop to get the boat to run how I would like it.. I'm a big fan of a 4blade prop.. Especially when boat runs 80Percent loaded to the gills with weight. Are you from SF? I have a feeling I've seen you out in the Glades before. I'm new to your channel, I liked and subscribed.. Blessings my friend and stay safe.

[@RWoodOutdoors]

Thank you! I live in central FL, but spend some quality time in the everglades and 10,000 islands.

[@2BearsOutdoors]

@@RWoodOutdoors oh wow.. Well, if you ever find yourself heading down South, let us know. Love to take you and yours out fishing. Take care brother.

[@MrRufus1111]

I can only imagine how much those aluminum props are bending

[@MrCR500AF]

just your imagination,25 hp is not enough hp to cause any noticeable flex under use.

[@markrobbins9552]

I have a 20 footer w/ a mercury 150hp. It has the wrong foot. Some people say it has a better gear ratio. Don't know if that's true. 4 blade prop, says ski prop right on it. Boat will practically jump out of the water and lands on a plane. Ok, been on a lot of boats and seeing a couple of things that bother me. The motor looks, at least to me, like it is mounted a little low. Wake doesn't look right. In the center right behind the motor looks a little flat and wider than normal. Pulls to the right like a S.O.B. prop turns clockwise if viewed looking at the boat from behind. Top end not too impressive but it's heavier than it looks. Most of zinc fin cut away to clear prop adjusted as far as it will go to trim steering. No visible hull anomalies. Any ideas, anyone?

[@richardneff284]

Was the 3 blade and 4 blade same dis and pitch?

[@RWoodOutdoors]

4 blade was a pitch down

[@TR4zest]

I was surprised there was no mention of pitch, which is more important than number of blades.

[@RWoodOutdoors]

Those details can be found on the video description. Recommend going down in pitch when switching from 3 blades to 4.

[@andrewsnow7386]

It would be interesting to see you do the same test without the hydrofoil on the motor (I apologize if you have already done this, I didn't look back through all your videos). Years ago I had a small inflatable with a 15 hp outboard. I put a hydrofoil on it thinking it would help it get on plane when I had a heavy load. It didn't. I discovered there were conditions where I couldn't get on plane at all with the hydrofoil, but without it I could struggle onto plane with proper weight shifting. However, the hydrofoil did improve high speed stability when lightly loaded.

[@toddl5667]

I own this exact boat the the hydrofoil made night and day difference for me. It cut my planing time nearly in half. The tabs in addition to the foil are probably a bit much.

[@utube358]

My j12 carolina skiff runs 30 mph with 1 person struggles to plain with 2 guys and gear might try the 4 blade as loosing a mph or 2 isnt the worst

[@1964krazyeric]

I have a 90's 15 hp Honda outboard and a 15-foot aluminum boat that is at its weight max or close to it. I am a heavier guy, and though it is close, it will not get on plane. Do you think a 4 blade would make the difference for me?

[@RWoodOutdoors]

The 4 blade won't be "magic" but it might be worth a try. At that size it won't be too expensive and it is easy to swap props. Good idea to choose a lower pitch with the 4 blade than the pitch of your current 3 blade.

[@jack-yt2084]

I run a 3 blade 11” prop on my 20 hp 14’ Arrow Glass restored boat... only runs about 20 mph top speed but gets on plane quick. My old 50 hp Johnson was big, bulky and pushed that thing all over the water but I just couldn’t afford a 50 hp.... your rig is nice...... love it

[@mercuryforlife969]

does an heavyer prop earch higher top speed than an light one

[@BubiCindy]

Is the wave behind the boat bigger with a 4 blade prop or with a 3 blade prop?

[@RWoodOutdoors]

No noticeable difference

[@outdoorswithlarryrobin]

Hello Just subscribed, we just bought a new 60 hp Mercury 4 stroke with a 3 blade👍🏼🇺🇸

[@melectrok6859]

Sorry i didnt read all 300 comments, but did you use the same pitch between the two? Also you can drop down one more in pitch and get the speed and rpms back.

[@RWoodOutdoors]

Yes, I dropped down a pitch on the 4 blade.

[@rodolfo8559]

Y si en lugar de cambiar por helice de 4 palas se coloca una de 3 pero de mas paso? y una de 2 palas pero mas paso aun ? Saludos desde Argentina.

[@chasepacker2416]

Well what if mine only goes 25 and it’s a brand new 25 horse 4 stroke mercury

[@gradyturner3367]

suggestion sir: check lower unit depth.... many times this is not set properly for given application and it effects all aspects of operation..... ive had several C.S. boats and they all outperformes all expectations once i added power lol yer gonna end up repowering this ride lol

[@1jjwilliams]

Question if this is even going to get red because it's the video was made a year ago. I have a 16 ft with a 1991 Evinrude 40 horsepower outboard motor what type of prop do I need for this outboard motor? And should it be a three or four propeller??

[@KyleC0430]

I have a 1752 allwelded boat and had a Yamaha 15 gave to me for now but need a bigger motor no doubt! Any for sale ?? Haha

[@dyro132]

Hello! Do you think a 4 propellor blade will pull a wakeboarder faster/stronger out of the water? Example: pulling a person of 65kg out of water is no issue. When trying with a person of 80kg it has not enough power.

[@RWoodOutdoors]

The 4 blade prop is not "magic", but seems like that would make a difference in your situation.

[@89mallard]

Hey what’s up man I have a jv17 with a 30hp Yamaha on it and I’m about to re-prop it do you know what pitch your 3 blade prop is ?

[@austinbbronsing214]

Nice boat that thing pushes good for 25hp an nice spot to put it in water c-54 is awesome

[@richardmills8401]

I think you should try a paddle. I'm sure it wouldn't hurt that boat any. You might out both props with a good quality fiberglass paddle.

[@AAE-cg1il]

Are 4 paddles better than 3?