Answer

Hello. Unfortunately, you can't have all of those things from any prop - the prop will always be a trade off among them. You can select a propeller for the pickup or hole shot it offers, for the top speed, or for the maximum efficiency at cruise power. What you cannot generally find is a propeller that will offer all 3. In addition, there is no one "best" - it all depends on the boat weight and configuration. The best way to size a prop is to start with a known prop and expected engine performance. Take your boat out in reasonably smooth water with a normal load and run at WOT. Note the RPMs on the motor, and compare that to the recommended max RPM range for the motor. If it falls in that range then the prop is correctly sized, and you can change RPMs by about 200 per inch of pitch, so adding an inch of pitch will decrease RPMs by about 200. Having a higher pitch will give you better top speed, but will be slower out of the hole. Because of this, unless there is one factor that is much more important to you than the others, most choose a prop of moderate pitch that averages out all the performance factors.

Expert:	Captain Dave
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Answered:	10/2/2009

Marine Mechanic

USCG Licensed Captain, 20+ Years Boating, Fishing, Maintenance and Repair Experience