4 blades vs 5 blades for mild Daytona 30

[Cattitude1]

I'm working some tweaks for the winter- raisng my X another inch, Imco 1" shorty for a total X about 1.75" above the sponson, with the standoffs that are already there.
I've got 1.5 ratio now and the merc 30 4 blades are at the rev limiter so different props will be in order. Are the 5 blades that big a deal on the cats or will I be fine just bumping to a 32" Bravo (vs going with a 30" 5 blade cause the pitch is more accurate and slip is so much less)
Thanks for any real world experience:)

[DMOORE]

I've got an Advantage 28 with twins. Looking at upping the prop size and spoke with Advantage about it. They said after all the testing they have done the 4blade Bravos win hands down for the cats. I am now looking to go from my 30 back up to a higher pitch bravo: 34's ? Not sure yet. Just food for thought.
Darrell.

[TIMINATOR]

On my 25 Daytona, the 5 blade comes on plane quicker, has a lower rpm at the same cruise speed, gains a few mph on top, has a much wider range of trim, porpoises less, and broke the drive twice. I now run the Bravo 1 4 blade again, gas is cheaper than B-Max drives. P.S. the drive is on the rubrail as for height. TIMINATOR

[DMOORE]

On my 25 Daytona, the 5 blade comes on plane quicker, has a lower rpm at the same cruise speed, gains a few mph on top, has a much wider range of trim, porpoises less, and broke the drive twice. I now run the Bravo 1 4 blade again, gas is cheaper than B-Max drives. P.S. the drive is on the rubrail as for height. TIMINATOR
What was the 5 blade size compared to the bravo?

[TIMINATOR]

I have tried several, allways get close to the same results. Slip goes down, breakage goes up. TIMINATOR

[Cattitude1]

I have tried several, allways get close to the same results. Slip goes down, breakage goes up. TIMINATOR
Makes sense, but I suspect you were feeding the 5 blade more form the other end. I've always had good luck keeping Xz's/Xr's alive even in my bigger power single Pantera 700/800 with a P5x.
sounds like 5 blades are worth it with my 425's that will never see more than some CMI's

[Cat & Mice]

When I went from 4-blade Bravo to 5-Blade Hydromotive it made a huge difference. Especially in the mid range, I bet I gained 8-10mph at same RPM in teh mid range.
They guy that bought my boat (28 twin DaytonaLP) went to a 6 blade and he said that it was even better.
MP

[Cattitude1]

When I went from 4-blade Bravo to 5-Blade Hydromotive it made a huge difference. Especially in the mid range, I bet I gained 8-10mph at same RPM in teh mid range.
They guy that bought my boat (28 twin DaytonaLP) went to a 6 blade and he said that it was even better.
MP
Mike, did the boat like P5's or P5x's? what did you run for X? standoff's?

[FREIND OF AA AND TA]

Lets see pics of this dam thing!!
Welcome to Hot Boat BTW. I am Havasu Hound on OSO :rollside:

[Cat & Mice]

Mike, did the boat like P5's or P5x's? what did you run for X? standoff's?
I used the p-5x. My X was pretty high but I don't remember what it was. I didn't have standoff boxes but did have 2" shorter lowers. Here is a pic of the transom you can see about where the X is.
http://www.***boat.com/image_center/data/504/2065DSC01588.JPG

[seanv]

i ran the p5x with a "upgraded" bravo 1 and never broke a thing. if you "drive" your boat you can have a blast with 5blades and not hurt a thing. never above 3k getting on plane and never full throttle below 90 and you wont break a drive.
i ran the p5 on my ao spin out was a deathride. i spun them in and it wasnt much better. went to 4blades and it runs great just bangs the rev limiters :mad:
on the big daytona i would call throttle up and talk to them. both ( sorry i dont remember names) the people there are super helpfull and know through testing and customer input what works. we talked for 30min about my hp,x dim,speeds with what prop, slip etc etc and hit a home run with the first prop.
phone # 877-842-6855 great people to work with.

[GBarron97]

First thing I would do is take a DA to the lowers. Polishing them slows the boat down about 2 mph. As for the X heights, I would try moving it up a 1/2 inch at a time to see what the boat likes. Run the boat with the same props until you get the drive's where you want them and then try props. The biggest mistake people make is trying too many things at one time.
Raise the drives first and see where the rev limiter comes in speed wise, and then try switching props. You will find it much easier to tune it that way.
I have a boat with dual 1200's and that is what we did when we started chasing the set up. One of the best set up guys in the industry did mine and he was correct in doing it the way I discribed. It worked out much better.
My son has a 30 Daytona with 625's and he said he likes the Hydromotive 5 blades with the defusers cut off. Hope that helps. Good luck.

[Cat & Mice]

First thing I would do is take a DA to the lowers. Polishing them slows the boat down about 2 mph. As for the X heights, I would try moving it up a 1/2 inch at a time to see what the boat likes. Run the boat with the same props until you get the drive's where you want them and then try props. The biggest mistake people make is trying too many things at one time.
Raise the drives first and see where the rev limiter comes in speed wise, and then try switching props. You will find it much easier to tune it that way.
I have a boat with dual 1200's and that is what we did when we started chasing the set up. One of the best set up guys in the industry did mine and he was correct in doing it the way I discribed. It worked out much better.
My son has a 30 Daytona with 625's and he said he likes the Hydromotive 5 blades with the defusers cut off. Hope that helps. Good luck.
Gbarron,
Good advice!
I was lucky enough to have a good X-dim from factory, so I just needed prop tuning.
I polished the lowers in that picture because that was the day the guy that bought my boat was coming to get it. I never worried about it to much since my boat would go faster then I wanted to go anyway.
MP

[GBarron97]

Gbarron,
Good advice!
I was lucky enough to have a good X-dim from factory, so I just needed prop tuning.
I polished the lowers in that picture because that was the day the guy that bought my boat was coming to get it. I never worried about it to much since my boat would go faster then I wanted to go anyway.
MP
It does look nice though.

[Cattitude1]

Lets see pics of this dam thing!!
Welcome to Hot Boat BTW. I am Havasu Hound on OSO :rollside:
Thanks guys, here's the new ride. My X should be real close to Mikes (Calibrated eyeball) after the 1" shorties go on. Mine are painted black, will go to Destin once a yr so I chose to avoid raw AL (I'm still looking for a matching Imco lower, either assembled or just case and vert shaft). Spoke with Several setup guys at Elim and several Elim dealers who confirm that 1" up from where I am now (1.75" ish up total) would be the sweet spot- more aggressive would need a tab. Boat has ext boxes.
My Bravo 30's are close to the rev limiter now with a decent load so I'm pretty sure I'm going up in size, better cruise is as important at anything else. Julie at Throttle up is great and helped with my P5X on my Pantera (for sale)

[FREIND OF AA AND TA]

Sweet Ride!!! And a smokin deal too. Have fun with it.

[DCBDaytona]

Gbarron,
Good advice!
I was lucky enough to have a good X-dim from factory, so I just needed prop tuning.
I polished the lowers in that picture because that was the day the guy that bought my boat was coming to get it. I never worried about it to much since my boat would go faster then I wanted to go anyway.
MP
Just out of curiosity...How and how long did it take to polish the lowers?

[Cat & Mice]

Thanks guys, here's the new ride. My X should be real close to Mikes (Calibrated eyeball) after the 1" shorties go on. Mine are painted black, will go to Destin once a yr so I chose to avoid raw AL (I'm still looking for a matching Imco lower, either assembled or just case and vert shaft). Spoke with Several setup guys at Elim and several Elim dealers who confirm that 1" up from where I am now (1.75" ish up total) would be the sweet spot- more aggressive would need a tab. Boat has ext boxes.
My Bravo 30's are close to the rev limiter now with a decent load so I'm pretty sure I'm going up in size, better cruise is as important at anything else. Julie at Throttle up is great and helped with my P5X on my Pantera (for sale)
Cattitude,
That is my next-door neighbors old boat! Jim Mellor.
I love that boat. as you can tell he copied my monochromatic style :) I had my boat first :)
From what I remember that thing took awhile to get on plane with the setup he had. Lots of bow lift.
What motors are in it?? I think he had 496ho??
MP

[Cat & Mice]

Just out of curiosity...How and how long did it take to polish the lowers?
I took about 1 1/2 hours each :cry:
The thing that sucks is as soon as you leave it in the water for very long the polish goes away. I mostly did it just to look cool on the trailer. Since it takes us 10 hours to drive to Havasu we wanted it to look good on the road :)
You don't want to know how long it took me to polish the motors :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry:
MP

[Cattitude1]

Cattitude,
That is my next-door neighbors old boat! Jim Mellor.
I love that boat. as you can tell he copied my monochromatic style :) I had my boat first :)
From what I remember that thing took awhile to get on plane with the setup he had. Lots of bow lift.
What motors are in it?? I think he had 496ho??
MP
Small World huh? I spoke with Jim the week I bought the boat- just left him a message today too- have these 4 little fur covered notched boards- no idea what they do......
Yea, I'm the third owner, 496HO's (Ins and gas friendly)- the boat spent 3 yrs in SC. It needs a little tweaking but it'll work out. slower to plane when loaded, but I'm good with it. Once my X is done and 5 blades are on I'll try different trim settings for a balance of slip and letting the engines spool up- otherwise I'll ventilate the props- already spoke with Matt and Julie at Throttle up about that.
Has electronic trim indicators which operate in a way small range and do not repeat well, have some of the heads up mechanical units on the way.
Now I need ot find a home for this beauty

[Cat & Mice]

When I was running my Bravo 4 blades I put a large cav plate on the drive. it helped a ton. it keeps the props from blowing out and acted as a trim tab as well. I had them cut by a buddy out of stainless. They also worked great for a step into the boat. My wife liked them because it kept the kids feet from hitting teh sharp props.
Once I went to 5 blade I didn't need them. I will see if I can find a pic of them. they where about 8in wide by 12in long.
If I see Jim I will ask him what the boards are for.
Congrats that is a great boat.
Good luck selling the Pantera.
MP

[TOBTEK]

I have a set of almost new merc maximus 5 blades forsale. 28 pitch.... would make a smoking deal on them! didnt work on my O/B's expensive 5 min's :cry:

[bunny 166]

I have a set of almost new merc maximus 5 blades forsale. 28 pitch.... would make a smoking deal on them! didnt work on my O/B's expensive 5 min's :cry:
Shit Tob, I wish I would have known that before we bought ours :cry: ...Granted we only needed one, but damn those things are expensive!!! At least I have a good friend in Gordy at Pfaff...... :boxed:

[INSman]

I have a set of almost new merc maximus 5 blades forsale. 28 pitch.... would make a smoking deal on them! didnt work on my O/B's expensive 5 min's :cry:
Tob
Can I try these on my next trip to Havi on the 14th ??

[playdeep]

...Blaine,
You still have those 32p bravo's,that you told John(Warlock25) and I about?

[TOBTEK]

Tob
Can I try these on my next trip to Havi on the 14th ??
sure as long as you know they dont have a nick or ding in them at all. as long as I get them back the same way. just buy'em....I'll make you a SMOKING DEAL! I have to have Drew/Boatmaster ship them out. They are in his shop up in dublin. Give me a call if you like. number below ....

[Cattitude1]

I have a set of almost new merc maximus 5 blades forsale. 28 pitch.... would make a smoking deal on them! didnt work on my O/B's expensive 5 min's :cry:
I just committed to a pair of 30" Maximus (I've got a 1.5 gear), will advise if it does not work out.
Mike, I heard elim sold larger plates like that now- I was going to try them if needed when the dust settled. Not sure If I want the hard bite with my mild power or if a little slipping is better like flashing a small torque converter

[INSman]

sure as long as you know they dont have a nick or ding in them at all. as long as I get them back the same way. just buy'em....I'll make you a SMOKING DEAL! I have to have Drew/Boatmaster ship them out. They are in his shop up in dublin. Give me a call if you like. number below ....
I am running Merc 32p Bravo 4 blades now
Do you know what that should equate to in a 5 blade ??
27-28 sounds like it should be about right :idea:

[Cat & Mice]

I just committed to a pair of 30" Maximus (I've got a 1.5 gear), will advise if it does not work out.
Mike, I heard elim sold larger plates like that now- I was going to try them if needed when the dust settled. Not sure If I want the hard bite with my mild power or if a little slipping is better like flashing a small torque converter
Ya I don't know! I never gave much power to my boat to get it on plane so I would think you would be fine. I don't think it would hurt. Also I had my hubs shaved on the props also.
I like Gbarron's approach to tuning, move the X then mess with props.
Good luck!

[DMOORE]

I just committed to a pair of 30" Maximus (I've got a 1.5 gear), will advise if it does not work out.
Mike, I heard elim sold larger plates like that now- I was going to try them if needed when the dust settled. Not sure If I want the hard bite with my mild power or if a little slipping is better like flashing a small torque converter
Make sure to let us know how it runs with the new props. I would like to get more data on the 5 blades. I'm moving up from the 30p Bravos on mine , and any info helps.
Darrell.

[Cattitude1]

I am running Merc 32p Bravo 4 blades now
Do you know what that should equate to in a 5 blade ??
27-28 sounds like it should be about right :idea:
I would say 28-29, I know on my Pantera the 25" P5X had top speed results like my Labbed 28 Bravo, but the cruise was 3-4 digits better with the 5 blade. Overall perf was much better.
I'm told that testing is showing the Maximus needs to have 1/2" trimmed off the diff ring- there is so much cone to it it creats more stern lift- the results are showing it's a good mod regardless of the actualy reason. Mine have the mod done already and were used as test props for a bout a 1/2 dozen boats- they worked well on a 30' spectre with IB so I should be decent.

[INSman]

sure as long as you know they dont have a nick or ding in them at all. as long as I get them back the same way. just buy'em....I'll make you a SMOKING DEAL! I have to have Drew/Boatmaster ship them out. They are in his shop up in dublin. Give me a call if you like. number below ....
Tob
Just bring them out so I can try them and buy them if I really like them. Just need the price up front so I know how much liability I am assuming if something happens :rollside:

[DMOORE]

Any updates on the props?
Darrell.

[Cattitude1]

Any updates on the props?
Darrell.
Hope to test this weekend

[INSman]

...Blaine,
You still have those 32p bravo's,that you told John(Warlock25) and I about?
I am pretty sure I do, just can't seem to remember off he top of my head. I will take a look in the Havasu garage this weekend if you would like.

[Cattitude1]

Hope to test this weekend
UPS lost one of my props- will advise- the other looks good, like the holes being there for messing with ventilation- might need them with my meager power :)

[TOBTEK]

Tob
Just bring them out so I can try them and buy them if I really like them. Just need the price up front so I know how much liability I am assuming if something happens :rollside:
Blaine...... recieved your message, BUT we dont have more havasu trips on the books this yr, Other than the boatbling golf torney. Give me a call or email and I'll have to have the props shipped out from Boatmasters shop.

[INSman]

Blaine...... recieved your message, BUT we dont have more havasu trips on the books this yr, Other than the boatbling golf torney. Give me a call or email and I'll have to have the props shipped out from Boatmasters shop.
Where is Boatmasters ??

[DMOORE]

UPS lost one of my props- will advise- the other looks good, like the holes being there for messing with ventilation- might need them with my meager power :)
That stinks. It only happens when your REALLY anticipating something.
Darrell.

[TOBTEK]

Where is Boatmasters ??
Boatmaster is a HB board member and owns a boat shop in Dublin,ca called BOATMASTERS. He's up in the area around the Deltas in No Ca. If you want to use them,AND are pretty serious about buying the set. I will have them shipped to you.

[INSman]

Boatmaster is a HB board member and owns a boat shop in Dublin,ca called BOATMASTERS. He's up in the area around the Deltas in No Ca. If you want to use them,AND are pretty serious about buying the set. I will have them shipped to you.
I think there is a pretty godd chance they would work great, just not sure about the diffuser ring modification.
Obviously it is too late to run them this weekend, but I will likely be going back for the Thanksgiving holiday and then the following Light Parade weekend and would like to try.

[Cattitude1]

The Brown guys brought me a new matching prop last week to cover the one they lost. I got out Friday for a quick test- WOW!
I pulled all the ventilation plugs for the initial run, may play with a tweenr sized orifice plug.
considerable less bowrise, faster to to roll over and break the props loose, use way less throttle/rpm and pull back on the sticks faster to hook it up- cruise is better by about 7 mph, was running 3800 @64 gps which is a nice sweet spot for the hull/power. ran it up to 5k, sticky water etc so speed was just ok (86). may try some 32's after I puut the shorties on.
also need to send the PCM's to merc- confirmed they were some of the early ones with rich programming/sooty transom

[phebus]

also need to send the PCM's to merc- confirmed they were some of the early ones with rich programming/sooty transom
You might want to do a little research before you send the PCM's in. I hear when they're re-programmed, it helps with the soot, but costs a couple mph.

[Cattitude1]

You might want to do a little research before you send the PCM's in. I hear when they're re-programmed, it helps with the soot, but costs a couple mph.
I dunno, if that really happened, it was likely other factors that affected things on that day. No way merc goes to lean on the recal, + it's supposed to be a rich a low/idle speeds thing. To go from rich to closer to optimum should improve things not slow it down.
I consulted with Whipple and so far two owners who had no loss except for the sooted transom. I appreciate the heads up- I'll let you know if I hear more.

[TOBTEK]

as a reminder..... I have a brandnew set of 28 pitch Maximus's that id love to sell.

[Cattitude1]

as a reminder..... I have a brandnew set of 28 pitch Maximus's that id love to sell.
SOmeone should scoop these. If you have not tried 5 blades on your twin cat you're missing out- the cool thing about the maximus is the plugs so you can mess with orifce size on the ventilation holes at the leading edge of the hub- allows you to tune for your boat, can flash the props a little like a loose converter on a fast car. They do say they work best with 1/2" trimmed off the barrel. planing and mid range cruise is way better

[Cattitude1]

digging up an old thread....
put the shorties on, still liked the 30" maximus.
Have a bud with a 28 Daytona with 625's- has lotsof props.....
tried 32" maximus, relativly stock full diffuser, a little leading edge work, 93 mph, 7/8 fuel, 2 peeps, sticky water, 1125' elvation. doggier out of the whole, did not free up as much
tried 34" maximus, tweaked by Elim's shop and delived with the 28 when he bought it, 1" of diffuser gone, a little better cruise, 94 in similar conditions, lots of slip rolling over ordered some imco cav plates to try. These are not great accel props for my boat, but I just roll on plane, cruise 15 miles or so at 70ish and occasionally dust off a bass boat- I f I can get the planing nailed they'll be fine for my needs.