Suzuki DF 140 - Prop Help Please

[Yooper2]

I have a Triton 177 walleye boat with a DF 140. Currently running a 3 blade 14x20 stainless prop which performs good for general fishing / cruising. I am running about 41 MPH at 6100 RPM. I tried pulling a skiier out last weekend and it struggled to plane then was OK. Would anyone have a recommendation for a different prop I could put on when pulling skiiers? I was thinking about trying the 14x18 stainless, but not sure how much I would gain out of the hole or lose on the top end. Any help would be appreciated.

[propmann]

If you really want a better holeshot get a 14 x 18 4 blade stainless. You will lose a couple mph off top end, but props are easy to swap out and then you put your 20 pitch back on when you want speed.

[Yooper2]

Thanks propmann. I didn't want to drop the coin on another stainless prop just to find out it wouldn't do the trick.

[propmann]

Originally Posted by Yooper2

Thanks propmann. I didn't want to drop the coin on another stainless prop just to find out it wouldn't do the trick.

They do make aluminum 4 blade props that work pretty good, you'll probaly want to go with a 19 pitch though. A heck of alot cheaper that a ss prop.

[REW]

I would go with a 14 X 18 or 14 X 17 or 14X16 aluminum prop for skiing.

When skiing, you really don't care about top end, you just want something with a good hole shot. Best way to get a good hole shot is to reduce pitch.

When you run a very low pitch prop on your engine, be sure to keep an eye on the tach so that you don't overrev your engine.

I have often gone 3-5 inches in lower pitch when I am hauling a super heavy load of skiiers. No problem at all to pop out 5 skiiers at a time, if you drop the pitch low enough.

I don't necessarily agree with the idea of going with a 4 blade prop in an 18 pitch prop in a 4 blade. I doubt that you have enough power to spin it up.

If you want to go to a 4 blade, I think it would make more sense to go to a 4 blade 15 or 16 pitch.

I certainly wouldn't spring for a stainless prop until you figure out exactly what you want for a prop. For engines of this size and when using props of a relative stable design, you will not see much difference at all in the performance of your rig, whether the prop is stainless or aluminum.

You will get a huge durablity difference between stainless and aluminum. i.e. you have a much much tougher prop when running stainless than when running aluminum. But to get the motor, boat, and prop dialed in - try a bunch of different aluminum props to get very close to what you want and need for the application.

REW