19 or 26 pitch prop?

[flatsbroke]

My Lieutenant here at the firehouse just purchased an Actioncraft 2020 SE w/ a 200 Optimax,super nice rig...He wanted me to asked you boaters more experienced in this area to suggest whether he should stay w/ the 19 or go w/ the 26?(which he's already purchased btw due to random reveiws).He shouldn't. have too much trouble w/ hole shot as the boat has trim tabs and jack plate but is looking for all around best combo for that boat/motor.Thanks in advance for the advice fella's.

[silverking]

Sure it's a 26 that he bought? Seems like way too much wheel for that boat/engine. If it's a 21, then that might be just about right.

[flatsbroke]

I'll check w/ him in the a.m. but 90% sure that's what he ordered,overkill huh? I was thinking that sounded a lil' much too,probably should've split the diff such as the 21 you recommended.

[wevans]

It's ALL about the WOT RPMs!! He needs to look up the WOT for the motor and then take the boat out and run it WOT with the 19 pitch. Then adjust the pitch according to if the RPMs are to low or to high for the motor

[RED ZONE 48]

There are a lot of pitch selector web sites some even have it down to the exact boat and motor , but nothing beats running it on the boat. the 21 sounds about right on that boat, if he isn't looking for just top end a 4 blade will give a better hole shot and lift on plane and you can run slower on plane but you give up a little top end. prop pitch would also be different. maby a 19, 4 blade or 21,3 blade. also S.S. works different than aluminum. google prop pitch selector , also the brand of prop makes a difference yamaha, mercury, stellito , michigan wheel .etc. lots to choose from out there.

[flatsbroke]

You guys seem very knowledgeable in this dept..I know for sure it came w/ a 19 s.s. (4 blade) on the boat,not sure why th heck he ordered the "26",seems like WAY too drastic a jump in pitch from 19 but some mess he read on line and wanted me to ask y'all. He hasn't even removed the 26 from the box yet and from what I'm gathering here he should research a lot more for one and maybe even go ahead and send the 26 back for a 21 s.s. 4 blade.I'm gonna call him today or have him pull up this site and read these reviews as he is not a member,not YET anyway.

[Steve Stinson]

Wevans is right on the RPM's. You want to be sure you are running within the recommended range for your motor - Don't bog it down with too much prop or rev it too high with too little prop. 19 pitch to a 26 pitch is a huge jump, and my bet is the correct prop is for an Action Craft flats boat is closer to the 19 end of the scale.

A 26 pitch is made for speed on a bass boat, which rides up on a pad with a lot less hull in the water than a flats boat.

[silverking]

With the correct prop the boat should ideally run within 250-500 rpm of the manufacturer's stated top end or Wide Open Throttle for the Mercury.

I have a 20-foot custom flats boat and run a 200-hp Evinrude E-TEC. I'm also running a four-blade stainless steel 21-pitch prop.

Best bet is to run the 19 with a normal load and see what it does in terms of performance (hole shot, top end, cruising speed, etc.). Tell him to take rpm readings at wide open and compare to the specs. I'll bet he'll be returning the 26 for a 21.