Stainless prop - MW Rapture

[John N]

Hi guys and gals. Still prop shopping, and I seem to be zeroing in on a Michigan Wheel 19" Rapture for my 115 Merc on a 17' Lund ProSport. Priced at around $250, it seems to be a pretty good value, and I understand with my proclivity for stump-thumping it's a little more durable than the MW Ballistic. Any comments about this prop before I pull the trigger? Thanks again. John.

[FJH1]

I would strongly recommend purchasing an o.e.m. prop (in your case something manufactured by Mercury Marine). I've done a fair amount of prop experimenting and I've found that the o.e.m. props are the way to go. You might pose this question to Hans as well. I think he was recently in the market and settled on an o.e.m. prop instead of an aftermarket. Just my opinion.

Best Regards,

FJH

[Al]

Everyone's experiences are different, but I've found OEM props, from Quicksilver to OMC, to be over priced. I've used Turbo/Stilleto as alternatives to the Rakers, Trophy etc that I've had in the past. I've not been disappointed with my choice. In fact, Bass and Walleye boats have done some testing in the past and the Turbo's outperformed all other off the shelf props. No I don't work for turbo, I've just been around the block a few times. One suggestion I'd make is go to www.wmi.org the bass fishing home page and go to props. Rich Boger is the board guru on props. He'll flat out tell you the aftermarket props are fine and which one's to stay away from. I've also got a lund, and I can tell you that aftermarket props are just fine for these applications, unless you think you need a five blade. Walleye boats are not the hopped up machines that bass boats are. You are only going to get so much with any prop out of a heavy hull like walleye rigs, especially our lunds.

[T-Mac]

That is a screamin price!
I'm guessing 17p would be a better choice, however.
That prop turns hard, it is aggressive!

[agt]

also running a 19 pitch turbo($325) on 115 merc. 1775 lund, happy with the performance,but knowing what i do now i could get a good used(merc lazer ect)at e-bay for 1/2 that price,theres a lot of good ss props floating around

[easymoney]

I tried a rapture prop on a boat I had some years back,4 or 5 boats ago. The prop got the boat up on plane fast and had real good holeshot but I lost over 400 RPMs running the same pitch as my aluminum. Run nothing but OEM props now, worth the money to me,just my opinion.

[Planocat]

Al pointed you to the right guy...... Rich Boger. I bought a 1996 1950 Grand Tyee with a 150 Intruder. It had a OEM 19p aluminum prop that had a great holeshot and that's all I can say about it. I called Rich Boger and he recommended a Rapture 15p with the explanation that SS requires going down a pitch over aluminum and the Tyee is a real heavy boat which could go down another pitch. I know the 15p sounds low, but I took his recommendation, bought the prop from him and it did exactly as he said it would. Still great holeshot. No longer blows out. Running the correct rpm's and picked up 3 mph. I couldn't be more pleased. His price is a few dollars difference but I got that back on sales tax saved and I would gladly pay for his advice anytime. He is the man! And you won't deal with a better guy anywhere.

Planocat

[T-Mac]

I agree. However, sometimes, you cannot get an OEM prop that is just right for the boat/motor/altitude combination you are faced with.
Yamaha, for example , simply offers no performance type props for its mid-range engines in 15, and 17 pitchs.
So, we tried some Raptures and found them to be the answer for
many of these situations.
I have been pretty happy with how they performed.

[John N]

Well, after visiting with a few folks that seem to be in the know, including the techs at Michigan Wheel, Rich Boger and some others, I've ordered a 17" Rapture. All were extremely helpful, as were the responses on the board. I'm far from seasoned at this, and prop shopping seems to be a trial and error kind of thing. Very happy to accelerate the learning curve and hopefully remove most of the "learning the hard way" from the process. Thanks again to all. Now I'm anxious to get the prop and give it a spin. As a footnote, the Michigan Wheel folks noted that it's necessary to get a different Mercury thrust washer and Mercury trim tab to use this prop. Thanks again. John.