On Wed, 25 Apr 2007 17:48:56 -0700, JR North
wrote:

I went through the 4 blade thing a while back, couldn't see the case for
it to justify the expense then, or now.

I had a different experience.

When I repowered with the ETEC, I used the recommended SS three blade
and had the exact same problem I had with the FICHT - no bow lift. The
boat just plowed until the engine got up to about 3k, then wham, it
was on plane.

I switched over to a same size/pitch four blade and big difference. I
had plenty of bite, bow lift up the wazoo and smooth acceleration.

Another problem solved by the four blade was cavitation. I've had that
problem with this boat for a long time in particular with certain
types of wave/wind conditions. When I switched to the four blade,
that problem also went away.

Since last summer, I've played with a couple of different 3 blade
props, but they just don't work as well as the four blade.