1999 Searay 180BR Prop Upgrade Info - Please

G

gethightech

New Member
Aug 20, 2009
6
Ok. I have done a lot of reading the last 2 days on this forum about props and still do not quite have my answer.

So here we go: I have a 1999 Searay 180BR and here is some info on it.

Motor is a 4 cylinder - 3.0L Alpha I MCM Stern Drive - 135HP at (WOT) Wide Open 4400 - 4800 and Max MPH 30 - 35. The current and original Prop is a 14.25 X 21 - 3 blade aluminum.

I am looking for more launch/hole shot for skiing/wakeboarding and from what I have read I should get one of the following:

Aluminum 4 blade - 14.25 X 18P?
or
Aluminum 3 blade - 14.25 X 19P?
or
Stainless 3 Blade - 14.25 X 17P?

Does anyone have a 98 - 2001 that changed the prop and have the same motor that could tell me which one to get including brand and part number?

Thanks for any help,
Rob
 
I bought the same 180 bow rider (2001) with the 3.0 that you have. I went through about 10 propellers until I settled on the Mercruiser High-5. I have both a 19 and a 21 pitch. The 19 pitch is my main prop and I use it for general cruising and also a lot of watersport activities. It was bar far the smoothest prop with the best hole shot.

It's main for me is the ability to keep on a plane at minimum speed which makes pulling skiers or tubes much easier and forgiving for less experienced drivers. I only gave up about 2 mph on the top end, but it was well worth it.

I am also going to purchase a 17 pitch High five for when I have a fully loaded boat. I normally have about 5 people in the boat with the 19 pitch. Just last weekend, I pulled myself (220 lbs) and my wife (135 lbs) together on skis which was a first.

I use the 21 pitch down at Lake Powell for cruising and minimal water sports. With the High five props, you only lose the top end slightly when you are very lightly loaded. If you are heavily loaded, you won't notice any difference in top end.

A lot of people say this prop is primarily for watersports, but I have a lot of real experience with this set up and I would beg to differ. It is a smooth running prop all around and gave me the best performance over all types of tested three and four bladed aluminum and stainless Mercruiser props I tested last year. It's not a big deal to buy used props on E-bay and then re-sell them if you don't like the results. That is what I did before I ended up with my choice of prop.
 
Thanks for the info. I was leaning towards the High Five Prop. I guess I will keep an eye on ebay for a good deal on one.
 
For about $40, you can install a hydrofoil (whale tale etc..). I installed one on my 1992 180 to improve hole shots and pulling me out on waterskis...works great...I have the 3.0L also....
 
Thanks for the response. Yep I already have a whale tail on it. Those are very nice and help plain out quickly with the trim control.
 
I just ordered a Mercury Enertia in 19 pitch for my 3.0L 185. Should have it by the end of the week and I will report back on how it performs.

I'm currently running a 19 pitch Black Max. I'm hoping the Enertia will outperform it in both hole shot and top end.

If the Enertia doesn't work out, I will probably try a Mercury Vensura/ Quicksilver Typhoon (both the same prop) 4 blade in 19 pitch. All of these were suggested on the Mercury Prop finder.
 
Last edited:
Hi Everyone.

I just wanted to do a quick update on the prop. I ended up getting the High 5 Prop 19p and it is great. The hole shot is awesome and wakeboarding is quick out of the hole. I got the new Quicksilver High 5 prop from PropGods.com and Ken was great help. It was $379 and $35 for the hub kit. The difference was night and day from the old original prop. Starting out of the hole is great and it come up to speed faster. It is also nice because it keep the RPM's within the limits.

Thanks,
Rob
 
I knew you wouldn't be dissappointed. How did you get the $379 price on your prop though. I went to the web site you mentioned and they are well over $400.
 
I contacted Ken at Propgods.com via email and that was the quote he sent me. Great person and he was also very helpful.
 
What is your Max RPM with your 19P high five? Mine is about 4400 trimmed out with two people and a full tank of fuel on board
 
Forgot to add one variable on the RPM. I have the 1.98 gear ratio on the drive unit.
 
My Gear Case is 4.75. I only tested it yesterday and we mainly did wakeboarding but I did notice the following at one point. At about 30MPH the RPM was 4k. Which is well within the 4400-4800 range of the boat. I did not try to max out the speed as I did not have time. We had 3 adults and 3 children on board for a total of about 600lb of people and maybe 60lb of gear.

Hope that helps.
Rob
 
So I just bought an 00' 180 w/ a 3.0 Merc it's got a SS 17 pitch on it currently At 4000-4200 RPH I'm hitting 30-32 MPH on the guages is that about all the 3.0 has? Also my only issue with the boat is it doesn't plane out at lower speeds well. It really does well at 4k RPM but any lower it's wanting to ride a little nose high I think. I'm new to boating so I'm sure these are very novice questions. Also what RPM do you all cruise at for better fuel consumption? if I want to make a longer trip 30 or so miles each way am I going to gain much by slowing down or does the lil 4 cyl get about the same where ever the throttle is? I do not as of yet have a Whales Tail I think I need to get one. Anyone have any info on if the ones that angle up so the tips are out of the water at higher speeds (Says it cuts down on drag) are any better as the package says or does it really matter?
 
All of these motors use more gasoline the faster you run them. It will make a significant difference in fuel consumption depending upon the throttle setting you use. You will get the best range by going the lowest speed you can comfortably plane. I have heard this can be lowered by using a Wale Tail, Smart Tabs or traditional trim tabs. I am sure this is true I just have not tried it yet.

I own a 2006 Sea Ray 185 Sport 4.3L. I currently run the boat stock without tabs or tail. I average about 2 about GPH the way I boat which is planning at 20-25 MPH with a lot of low speed operation due to no wake zones. I am sure if I did most of my boating at 40 MPH I would use closer to 8 GPH.

I plan on installing trim tabs this winter with the goal of lowering my cruise speed and smoothing out the ride.

There are a number of posts on this forum for Smart Tabs. You should read them they are quite informative.

Chris
 
I run a 19 pitch high five and it is excellent for better control and lower planing speed ability. I cruise about 3100 RPM which will get me a little over 20 mph. I top out at about 35 mph (GPS) at 4500 rpm and it is my best all around prop and I can't recommend it enough for this boat / motor combo. I also have a 21 pitch high five prop that picks up about 2 mph and is even better for cruising but sacrifices a little on the hole shot.
 
Yeah I think i'm going to pull the GPS out of the truck and see if I can get an acurate GPS Reading on speed for now and see if the speedo is off or what the situation is on that. Next couple of purchases will be a GPS and Depth finder as I got into a bit of sand over the weekend... Think I have a great idea for birthday presents next month! but ont he other note back to the props so what I am understanding on this drive unit it's level of pitch is close to a mph when it's all said and done? 19-21 pitch gives you 2 mph... so 17 back to a 21 should pick me up about 4 give or take but loose some out of the hole. With the 17 and 4 adults I was at about 30-31 mph on the guages so yeah that maths pretty much works out for me. Now the descision if 4 mph is worth the cost of another prop.
 
User Error said:
Yeah I think i'm going to pull the GPS out of the truck and see if I can get an acurate GPS Reading on speed for now and see if the speedo is off or what the situation is on that. Next couple of purchases will be a GPS and Depth finder as I got into a bit of sand over the weekend... Think I have a great idea for birthday presents next month! but ont he other note back to the props so what I am understanding on this drive unit it's level of pitch is close to a mph when it's all said and done? 19-21 pitch gives you 2 mph... so 17 back to a 21 should pick me up about 4 give or take but loose some out of the hole. With the 17 and 4 adults I was at about 30-31 mph on the guages so yeah that maths pretty much works out for me. Now the descision if 4 mph is worth the cost of another prop.
Click to expand...
Hi can you please tell me what size the high 5 is? I know the pitch is 19 but I was wondering what diameter it is please? Thanks
 
Scottbenson said:
I run a 19 pitch high five and it is excellent for better control and lower planing speed ability. I cruise about 3100 RPM which will get me a little over 20 mph. I top out at about 35 mph (GPS) at 4500 rpm and it is my best all around prop and I can't recommend it enough for this boat / motor combo. I also have a 21 pitch high five prop that picks up about 2 mph and is even better for cruising but sacrifices a little on the hole shot.
Click to expand...
Can you please let me know the prop size? I know the pitch. Thanks
 
Mike, the High 5 (or any SS prop) is really too much weight for the 3.0L. While the High 5 is an upgrade over a regular 3-blade SS, improvements seen (in this case) with a High 5 come from the dropping of pitch, not the actual prop. The 4cyl just doesn't have enough torque to spin the SS quick enough to take advantage of it. You can be just as successful by dropping pitch with an aluminum or going to a 4-blade aluminum... and save a ton of money. Just keep in mind that when you drop pitch, you now have the opportunity to over rev the engine with too much throttle.

BUT... you CAN have your cake and eat it, too! Keep the original prop and install a set of Smart Tabs (Bennett has a good version, too). Just google for those - or search on this site. They are fantastic - they do exactly as advertised. Plus, they're pretty inexpensive and only take about an hour to install.
 
Thanks for your fast reply! I’m currently running a 14.25 19 p ss prop and have been offered a very cheap immaculate ss high five 13.25 19p prop! My question is will this make a difference in comparison to what I have currently? My worry is the diameter of the five prop? Is it too small? Ps I have installed smart tabs and they are great.
 
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