Bravo 1 FS on a F250 Offshore

[LabradorHuntMaster]

Decided to install a Bob's action jack plate on my 2013 Ranger 620 and looking for input from others with this setup. I contacted Ranger looking for their recommendations, which is a 8" setback. My rig is on the heavy side, running 9.9 kicker, 4 group 31 batteries, terrova and enough tackle and gear in the boat to add to the weight.
I'm also looking to go to a Bravo FS prop on my rig and curious if anyone can share their knowledge with this prop on their 620 with a F250 offshore. I run two Yamaha props now, Yamaha M1 15 X 21 which I get 57-5800 RPM with 57-59MPH. This prop runs a little loose at WOT but has a decent hole shot with a heavy load. My other prop is a Yamaha Saltwater Series II SDS 15 X 21 which I get 54-5600RPM and 54-56MPH. This prop is little poochy and the hole shot is is a bit lacking with a heavy load. I do like the quiet shifting and no rattle at idle RPM's with this prop. Much of what I understand the Bravo will give me a excellent hole shot, better planing at slower speeds and controls the boat better in rough water and WOT.
What I'm attempting to achieve is the ability to fish in shallower water and fine tune a prop performance with the jack plate. Much of what I read from others is that a jack plate was the best add-on they put on their rigs and would never own another boat w/o one. The second thing is a better hole shot with a heavy load and more importantly the ability to get the boat on plane at slower speed in heavy seas. I'm not so concerned with how fast this boat can go at WOT. Any information from others would valuable.
Thanks

[hempbake1]

20 pitch bravo fs. Mount the offshore on the plate in the third hole down on the motor. Run the plate up about 2 inches or to your liking and wait for the smiles. It works very well with this setup, from my own experience.

[LabradorHuntMaster]

hempbake1
Thanks for info, very useful and valuable. I know their are a few owners who have this knowledge from their experience, that is what I'm looking to learn. Did you have a 8' setback on your jack plate? Do you remember your RPM's with the Bravo 1 FS 20P? I spoke to Rick at Brainard props, he recommended a 22P with the Bravo 1 FS , one up from my 21P Yamaha 3 blade.
Thanks again

[Waxy]

If hole shot and lower planing speeds are your main goal, I’d suggest the Rev4 over the Bravo. The Bravo isn’t a great prop when it comes to those factors, it’s middle of the road. The Rev4 is the superior prop for those parameters in my experience. I’d suggest a 19, and the possibility of getting it worked by DAH or Croxton.

If you want to go Bravo, and those are your primary factors, then I’d suggest going Bravo LT. The longer tube does give you a slightly better holeshot and lower planing speeds than the FS in my experience. It’s not a huge difference, but they’re the same price, so you might as well take advantage of it. There’s no real down side on top speed either.

I would go with the 20P Bravo as hempbake recommended if hole shot and planing speed are your focus.

Waxy

[BroadwayBill]

Originally Posted by Waxy

If hole shot and lower planing speeds are your main goal, I’d suggest the Rev4 over the Bravo. The Bravo isn’t a great prop when it comes to those factors, it’s middle of the road. The Rev4 is the superior prop for those parameters in my experience. I’d suggest a 19, and the possibility of getting it worked by DAH or Croxton.

If you want to go Bravo, and those are your primary factors, then I’d suggest going Bravo LT. The longer tube does give you a slightly better holeshot and lower planing speeds than the FS in my experience. It’s not a huge difference, but they’re the same price, so you might as well take advantage of it. There’s no real down side on top speed either.

I would go with the 20P Bravo as hempbake recommended if hole shot and planing speed are your focus.

Waxy

This is excellent advise. A 20 Bravo will run about the same rpms as your Saltwater II and a titch slower. I’m surprised Ricky recommended a Bravo to you when his advise to me was a Rev 4 as well. My rpms with a Saltwater II 21 are identical to you and speed is the same as well. I tried the Bravo from a friend and have a Rev 4 I’m trying to get out on the water now in a 19 to test. I’m loaded to the hilt as well with a 9.9, 360 transom and a 12 foot Talon.

Make sure to get the temp up on that Offshore before you hammer down or it will be a slug out of the hole. 112 degrees is the magic number if I remember right.

Bill

Bill

[hempbake1]

6" Bobs hydraulic plate. Tried the Bravo LT 20 pitch, slightly faster holeshot and maybe a mph faster. I run at about 3000 ft elevation, so pitch is at 20 for that reason, could turn 5900 to 6000 pretty consistently. Ran a solid 58 mph with a load and touched 61 light. The guy i sold the boat to lives around Devils Lake and at that altitude he"s seen 64 mph. You can try a Rev 4, I did, never liked it. The bravo rides better in my opinion on this setup. To each his own. The yamaha will turn the bravo easier than the rev4 19. I doubt you will be disappointed with the bravo.

[BroadwayBill]

Originally Posted by hempbake1

6" Bobs hydraulic plate. Tried the Bravo LT 20 pitch, slightly faster holeshot and maybe a mph faster. I run at about 3000 ft elevation, so pitch is at 20 for that reason, could turn 5900 to 6000 pretty consistently. Ran a solid 58 mph with a load and touched 61 light. The guy i sold the boat to lives around Devils Lake and at that altitude he"s seen 64 mph. You can try a Rev 4, I did, never liked it. The bravo rides better in my opinion on this setup. To each his own. The yamaha will turn the bravo easier than the rev4 19. I doubt you will be disappointed with the bravo.

Do you remember what your numbers were before the Jack? I don't think Yamaha puts enough movement options into there motor supports like you get from Merc. Therefore I feel like on these hulls they need a jack for the best performance.

Thanks for posting.

Bill

[hempbake1]

Numbers werent good. Holeshot sucked, 5700 rpms on the top. You're right, isnt enough holes on yamaha to get it high enough out of the water. Tried a 4 inch manual plate first and found vast improvement. Didnt even mess around, got a 6 inch hydraulic and started playing with props and height till I found what worked best. Lots of time and money but found what I needed to make it run like it should.

[BroadwayBill]

Originally Posted by hempbake1

Numbers werent good. Holeshot sucked, 5700 rpms on the top. You're right, isnt enough holes on yamaha to get it high enough out of the water. Tried a 4 inch manual plate first and found vast improvement. Didnt even mess around, got a 6 inch hydraulic and started playing with props and height till I found what worked best. Lots of time and money but found what I needed to make it run like it should.

Thanks for the reply.

Bill

[SLE]

If your truly don't care about top speed and you want the absolute best hole shot and boat control, Waxy hit the nail on the head with the Rev 4. The bravo is no comparison as far as boat control, responsiveness, and handling. you will give up several mph however.

I've ran the following props; 21P Stock Tempest, 21P DAH worked Tempest, 22P Enertia, 22P Bravo FS, 23P Trophy, 22P High 5, 21P Vengence, 19P Stock Rev 4, 19P DAH worked Rev 4, and a Yamaha 21M. pretty sure I'm missing one or two but at the end of the day, the Tempest and the Rev 4 are what I spent my money on to get customized. The tempest being my speed king and the Rev 4 for every day rough water and boat handling. the Bravo seem to fall somewhere in the middle. Boat control, hole shot, and handling weren't quite as good as the Rev 4 while the speed was slightly slower than my Tempest. I think with some tweaking it would be as fast as the Tempest and handle better but not as well as the Rev 4.

The rest of the those that were listed each had there own pros & cons and at the end of the day, the Rev 4, Tempest, and or Bravo would be where I'd start if I were starting from scratch. Which one would depend on what kind of performance goals I was after.