Boat propellor?

Question

i have a 2005 stingray 185ls and just installed a wakeboard tower and i tried to take it out and wakeboard it pulled me up but would not plane out even at full throttle could this be the prop pitch? but when your not pulling anybody it does fine

Answer 1

First I would check if you installed your wakeboard tower in the correct position on your boat.

Second, If you have a prop with a pitch higher than 19, then get one for your boat that will have 19 pitch or less, probably a 17 or 19 is good.  Boats with 21 and 23 pitch are "light load" props mainly for cruising and light load applications (non-towing).

Go to your a merc dealer of your choice or Mercury marine's web site and use their prop selector system.

Third, make sure the trim is all the way down when starting your towing run.  I cannot stress the importance of this, otherwise you will have a steep rise in the bow and this will put more stress on the outdrive system.  Trim out to level trim when you are planeing and at the right speed for towing.  Also, if already planed and the water is smooth, then raise the trim just a "very small" amount above level trim.

Finally, if you continue to have problems planeing, invest in getting a good hydrofoil stablizer installed on your cavitation plate.  Stay away from the new no-drill one, I've heard its unreliable and often doesn't stay secured for long.

Answer 2

Yes.......you will need to try several different props to get the right one for your application. Have your local dealer look at his prop chart for your boat and he should be able to get you headed towards the right prop.

Answer 3

You need trim tabs

Changing the prop won't solve this one as you have changed the  "point of pull" on the boat thus shifting the centre of gravity when under load. Bigger engine may help

Answer 4

You may need to add trim tabs to change the angle of the prop in the water.

Answer 5

wrong size prop

decrease the pitch   so if your turning a lets say 13x21   go to a 13x19

Answer 6

when you installed the tower you changed the pitch of the boat because it is now being pulled from a weird angle the boat is probley harder to handle you can change the pitch on the engine buy moving the rod I think there are 3 different settings on that engine or just put some gear up front like the cooler and any people

Answer 7

You probably have a 3.0L mercruiser with the alpha 1 drive.  If this is the case you should try a lower pitch prop.  You only have 135 H.P.  It is plenty of power if used correctly.  Try the Mercury Prop Selector http://appcenter.mercurymarine.com/propS...  

You don't have to have a Merc to use this but If you don't have one you should really get one.

Answer 8

I would have expected this boat to plane a wake board with ease.  I think it's the combination of the "tower' and the trim of the drive.  Prop can help!    Exactly here is the "tower", and what size prop are you using.  Are you sure the boat operator had the trim all the way down and was using wot to get you up?  It sounds like the tower is to far aft.

Answer 9

rotator

Answer 10

sounds like you need to go down on the pitch in your prop- it is pitched too high.You need to test a few different sizes to make sure you get the pitch that will allow you to wakeboard with it- a prop shop can help you in that respect, and can also change the pitch of your prop when you find out what you need.