Turbo TXP Props???

[rpr]

Anybody ever try any of Precision Propeller's Turbo props???

[Stormsearch]

Have a Turbo 1 that I've had for 8 years, no complaints

[fxnrxn]

Ditto, Turbo on my rig-no problems. Seems like a well made unit. Mike

[staylor]

...and I've run them off and on since the early 1980s. A turbo II 3 blade in 24 pitch was my best prop on a bass boat I ran with 175 OMC back in the mid-1980s. Today, my walleye rig goes Musky trolling with a turbo 2+2 OT 4 blade in 20 pitch- it's a very smooth running prop with no bad habits at all. I do note that it's not quite as fast as my modified Merc Trophy Plus 4 blades, but these are a bit ragged at 3-5 mph due to the PVS vent holes. The Turbo 2+2 OT has no vent holes, just a small hub so it vents over the blades- a bit old school, but it sure runs smooth.
Doug

[rpr]

Thanks for the feedback. I am currently using a 25p High Five on my Triton 215X and it handles great, but I am hoping to find a prop that can do a little better top end without sacrificing ride quality too much.

Steve at Precision Propeller just recommended the Turbo Offshore 4 blade as opposed to the 2+2 OT. Not sure I'm comfortyable with the recommendation. It may work, but I'm looking for performance increases and I'm not sure the Offshore prop is the right way to go.

[staylor]

This may be why he suggested it. If he's talking about the Ultima 4 blade, its 14.25 diameter vs. 13.75 for the 2+2. Your 215 is a big rig, and usually this size boat likes larger blades. You might ask him how the rake angle compares to the 2+2 OT since you either need a high rake angle or big blades to carry the bow on a larger rig. If the rake is within 2-4 degrees of the 2+2 OT then I'd take his suggestion since he's probably had experience with your brand or at least similar hulls. I'm guessing he's talking about the Turbo Ultima 4 blade, which their site claims will lift the entire rig for offshore running. Usually this comment about lifting the entire rig indicates that the prop has less rake than a typical bass/walleye style bow lifting prop. If it's got a smaller rake angle by more than 4 degrees than the 2+2, then I'd stick with the 2+2 instead. Either one of these should gain you a few mph, since High 5's are not noted for much top end- but they sure do pull a good holeshot.
Doug

[rpr]

Thanks for the insight, however, the OffShore prop is different thyan the Yltima. It is also referred to as the OS1, for Off Shore 1.

I think he mentioned it is a 14.5" diamter prop, but I didn't ask him about rake or anything else like that. Precision propellers has the worst most useless pictures of their props on their website, they look like cartoon fun house renderings, so I hate to buy a prop that I can't get a good feel for how it looks in terms of blade thickness, etc.

So confused...

[staylor]

I'm lucky in that the local prop shop sells Turbo so I can go and look at the props and then call Turbo for suggestions. You could also consider buying a Mercury prop, and I think if you ask those here who have the same boat as you you'll get some good comments. The Merc props are available on line with some pretty good discounts. My Trophy Plus and Tempest props were bought on line from Jaco marine, service was great and prices were very good. You can use the Merc prop selector at the Mercury Marine web site to get a reasonable reccomend for props that will work. Just make sure to be honest about your actual weight of stuff in the boat or you'll end up with 2 inches too much pitch. The Merc Bravo sounds like it's comparable to the Turbo Offshore, but I suspect that the Merc selector will suggest a Tempest Plus.

So many props......so little time and money!
Doug

[rpr]

Well, I pulled the trigger and ordered a Bravo 1. I am having it shipped directly to a prop shop to have dual PVS holes drilled (2 per blade, total of 8).

This has ben reportedly working extremely well for bass boats. As far as I know, I will be the first to be trying it on a walleye rig!

[staylor]

...and let us know how it runs. I've been eyeing the Bravo for a while wondering how it would run. The bass boats seem to have good results with it as you've noted, and doubling the vents should allow those big blades to spool up fast. Never be timid about playing with props. One of my favorites for my current Starcraft SF 176 SC with 150 Opti is a 23 Trophy Plus on which I altered blade shape radically with a hacksaw 2 days after I bought it- I wanted to see how reduced blade area and heavy pitch worked- since I normally run a 21 pitch. After the blades looked about right I filed them to a reasonable smoothness and ran the prop- and it worked very well. I then sent it to Mark's props ( Mark was not impressed too much by my work) and had him professionally shape the blades and rework the cup. It now is my fastest Trophy prop. Only do crazy things like this if you don't mind risking the prop. In my case, I raced boats as a tennager so I'm used to modding props with hammer, saw and file in the pits. It's just a lot more work with a modern 14 inch stainless prop then the bronze 2 blade 7 inch diameter props I used to race with in the A and B outboard classes- back when my knees still worked!
Doug