Everyone with a df90 need some quick advice

[Ssericz]

Ok I had a stock Suzuki 15p prop on my 90 and it was mostly good all around good mpg good hole shot top

speed ect it did have a little hard time getting up on plane when the boat was really loaded down sometimes

but now my question. I have the opportunity to re-prop (wife forgot to raise motor when loading it yesterday)



and I'm trying to decide 3 or 4 blade alum or stainless suzuki or solas

Need help and I know you all want to! :)

[T-Rex]

Ouch   
I tried the 14x16p vented 3 blade Suzuki stainless and it lifted the bow way too much..i was in the correct power range however.
Also tried a 13.25 x15p four blade Solas Stainless and it was super slow and hit the rev limiter..
I ended up going back to the Aluminum 13.75x17p  3 blade Suzuki..
My loads are much lighter than yours though.

Given your location i would think you can find a prop shop that will allow you to try a couple props out...
i doubt you will want to go up in pitch at all...

[GregE]

Power loading?? 

Yikes.....   

[Rokefin]

I think we all would have blamed it on our wives

[La-Z-Buoy]

It sounds like you were propped about right. You can get your broken prop rebuilt for a fraction of the price of a new one. I've done that and was very satisfied with the result.   :twocents:

I know my comment goes against our motto of helping our members spend their money but just trying to help.  :biggrin:

[SalmonSeeker]

That prop is beyond repair lol...

:applause:

[Peddler]

That prop is beyond repair lol...

:applause:

I've seen worse get repaired.

I see no pressing reason to deviate from what you had... It weren't broke, till it got broke. [emoji15]


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[amazing grace]

Any good prop shop can fix that right up for a spare. Threeweight is our resident suzuki 90hp prop expert. I would wait for him to chime in. He runs with some heavier loads and use's a four blade I am pretty sure.

[wedocq]

This is a tough one for me. I have the df140, with a stock Suzuki 19p prop. I went to a 4 blade Solas 19p. I loved it until I really loaded the boat up to tuna fish and couldn't get onto a plane. So I dropped down to a 4 blade 17p for tuna. It's WAY to much prop, even super loaded for tuna. So back to the stock 19p I go I suppose. I dunno. 
-Shawn

[Ssericz]

That's the thing I've been super loaded with tuna before and unable to get the boat up over 9mph... One of those oh shit moment but luckily we already were close to home when we found all of them and seas were flat

I was thinking a 4 blade stainless would be better with like a 14p but I don't want to under prop and constantly be hitting limiter but with the 15p prop and a standard load I can only hit 5500 max in perfect world conditions but 5 grand is super easily hit

[Threeweight]

Solas Amita 4 blade aluminum, in the 13.75 diameter, 15 pitch size.

Trust me, you will not find a better prop for that motor when it comes to holeshot, heavy loads, and cruising efficiency.  I've spent $$$$ on trying various Suzuki stainless and aluminum options.  I have yet to find anything that performs better.



When propping that motor, remember it was designed to push heavy loads, and to rev high (6300 RPM).  Very low gearing in the lower unit, and large prop diameters for a 90 hp engine.  Stick to 13 3/4 or 14" diameter, and given that you fish the ocean with heavy loads, I'd want a pitch that let me hit 6200-6300 RPM unloaded.  The Solas 4 blade I use does that perfectly in my boat.  Your photo also shows the reason I like aluminum... had a stainless prop chewed on the ramp like that, a lot more pressure/vibration would have been applied to the lower unit before the hub spun, and you'd be looking at a much bigger replacement bill.

re: Shawn's experience... with three guys and a big load of ice and Tuna!, he's probably pushing the limits of weight that a 21' Arima can handle, regardless of motor/prop.

[Chasin Baitman]

Interesting.  I don't need another prop for my DF115 but I think it would be good to have a spare.  You think the same prop would work just as well on the 115?

[Ssericz]

3wt would a 13.75 or a 14x15 4 blade be better I'm about to order one. Where is the best place to order one

Thanks
Eric

[Threeweight]

Rory, for your 115 I'd try a 13.75x17 (maybe see if Shawn will part with his  :whistle:)  You have the same gearing as our DF90A, but an extra 25 horses... the 17 pitch is a better fit I would guess.

Eric, I ordered both of mine (I bought a second after I scraped one on a sandbar) off of Iboats.com.  Good prices and free shipping.

[Ssericz]

3wt is this the one
There are 2 different 4 blade on iboats


Edit re read your post answered it already I wish my brain worked sometimes lol

Ordered it! Let u guys know how it turns out

3wt thank you very much for the advice I appreciate it

[wedocq]

Interesting.  I don't need another prop for my DF115 but I think it would be good to have a spare.  You think the same prop would work just as well on the 115?

Rory,
If you want to try my 17p Solas out, you are more than welcome. If you like it, maybe we can make a trade?  :biggrin: On my DF140, loaded with 800 lbs of ice, a 35 gallon bait, and 3 guys I was hitting well over 6k and top speed around 26 mph. Cruise was 22-23. Same conditions with a stock 19p, I am hitting just under 6k, top speed 31-33mph, and cruises at 24-26mph.
-Shawn

[T-Rex]

That's the thing I've been super loaded with tuna before and unable to get the boat up over 9mph, with the 15p prop and a standard load I can only hit 5500 max in perfect world conditions

Your case is a bit extreme with your loads and all.
I don't see how a fourth blade is going to help you when loaded, unloaded maybe but your going to be lugging that motor even more, by 200 rpm roughly, hopefully the characteristics of the Amita are different enough from your Suzuki 3 blade that you don't lose any more rpm (you can't afford that) but i doubt it...
You should be propping it to hit 6,000 at least @ wot with a "normal" load which in your case is very very heavy..
Sounds like you were already over propped if you could only get 5,500 rpm out of it, just wouldn't wanna see anyone lugging their motor too badly.
:twocents:
I guess its only a few bucks so worth the shot...

[Threeweight]

The extra blade doesn't help with lugging, but the additional surface area relative to a three blade helps with thrust to get the boat up and onto plane, and to maintain plane without needing to rev as high. 

However... I use my 17' for all kinds of crazy things, but sometimes we need to take a step back and realize what we are asking these boats to do, and what they are designed to do. 

If a prop that takes a DF90A up to 6200-6300 RPM lightly loaded can't even plane the boat with the load you want tomove, then the boat is overloaded.  :twocents:

[Ssericz]

I was thinking it was over propped and maybe falling to a 14p but I don't want to be bouncing off rev limiter with a 13p but that's the next step or maybe trying a 13" instead of 13.75

[SalmonSeeker]

 

The extra blade doesn't help with lugging, but the additional surface area relative to a three blade helps with thrust to get the boat up and onto plane, and to maintain plane without needing to rev as high. 

However... I use my 17' for all kinds of crazy things, but sometimes we need to take a step back and realize what we are asking these boats to do, and what they are designed to do. 

If a prop that takes a DF90A up to 6200-6300 RPM lightly loaded can't even plane the boat with the load you want tomove, then the boat is overloaded.  :twocents:

[Ssericz]

I should have stated we couldn't get the boat past 9mph till a swell helped get us on plane and we were able to cruise 4600 rpm at 19mph it was getting out of the hole was the issue

[headduck]

I became quite interested with the semi cleaver form
http://www.ptpropeller.com/
4 blade 15.

Haven't pulled the trigger yet but when i do, that will be the one...

[Threeweight]

The Solas we are talking about is a cleaver style blade profile (just aluminum rather than stainless).

Eric, you have trim tabs on your boat?  Dropping down to a 13 pitch would be an option.  You could also have the blade angles tweaked on an existing prop.  I think the max they can adjust is 2" of pitch (so they could drop a 15 pitch down to a 14 or a 13.

If you were able to get on plane with the help of the swell, it sounds like maybe the old prop was cavitating/venting rather than getting a good bite on the water.  If that's the case, then the 4 blade should help (more blade surface = better bite).

The heaviest load I have used mine for was up at Neah Bay, with 3 "big boned" anglers (probably 700@ combined), full halibut gear and lead and assorted regular gear, kicker motor, tools, spare parts, etc... (300#), and #250 of fish and ice.  Was still able to plane easily, and when we got to flat water I topped out @28 mph at around 5800 RPM w/ the throttle pegged.

[Ssericz]

Yes I believe a 4 blade will remedy many of the slow out of the hole shots we've had when the boats loaded down, since once on plane the boat would climb rpm easily with the 3x15

I have lencos on my boat and those work well just we had too much weight 3 guys, bait tank 48 gallons), 20gallkns fuel then close to 1klbs of fish. I know we were prob over limit on weight but it wasn't a normal everyday trip and got a little carried away.

If the 4 blade 15 doesn't help some I'm going to take it to one of my customers who owns Wilmington propeller services and have them tune it in for what I need.

[Peddler]

I have lencos on my boat and those work well just we had too much weight 3 guys, bait tank 48 gallons), 20gallkns fuel then close to 1klbs of fish. I know we were prob over limit on weight but it wasn't a normal everyday trip and got a little carried away.

Did you haul the bait tank back to the dock full of water? Could you have jettisoned that 400-lbs?


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