"LakePowell" wrote in message
ups.com...
RPM at WOT did eventually get up to 4500, but it took quite a while to
get there, and the boat seemed slow out of the hole. No gear on the
boat, but we did have about 1,000 pounds worth of people. Test
elevation was slightly over 4500 feet, though most of my family's
boating will be at Lake Powell. Bravo III outdrive, so two stainless
props.

So, while the WOT RPM is in the range you mention, it was sluggish
getting there. Prop pitch, if I remember right, was 26.

If you don't mind, a couple more questions... 1) Would it help to go
down a notch in pitch or will it over-rev?

I believe that what you are witnessing is simply a boat that is slightly
underpowered for the conditions at hand, namely altitude and load. Even at
4500 feet, the WOT RPM did get into the recommended range, but got there
slowly. Dropping 1000 feet to Lake Powell's level will help a bit. The
question as to whether to re-prop has much to do with your boating style.
If you tend to get on and off plane frequently, such as in water sports,
there is a definite case to be made for dropping pitch in your prop set. It
will make the boat much more responsive. If you tend to cruise long
distances, it could well be that the set you have might be more economical
than a lower pitched set. Dropping two inches in pitch would not cause an
over-rev situation at 4500 feet, but could be a borderline ever-rev at 3600
feet. Of course you always have control over an over-rev situation by
watching the tach and throttlling back if necessary. You have no such
control over and ender-rev/over-propped situation.



2) The props are in
excellent shape...any idea of whether you can trade props in for a
reasonable fee?

It's a dealer-by-dealer thing. I beleive a new set goes for about
$1,200-$1,400. Used sets can be found for about $700. Any dealer taking in
your set in trade would expect to make a profit from them, so your set
likely has a trade-in value of less than $500, assuming you could find a
dealer that was interested in trade-ins at all.


3) Does the Bravo III require stainless props or can
you go aluminum to save some $?

Only stainless and only Mercruiser. No aftermarket.



My recommendation would be to take the boat to Powell and see how it does.
If you still feel that you need more responsive performance from the boat,
then I would search for a used set of 24's (Ebay?).

A couple of questions for you:

1. Is there any reason to believe that the engine was not performing to
it's potential?

2. Possibility of stale gas?

3. Was the boat's bottom clean?

4. What lake were you on when did you do the 4500 ft. test?