280 Prop size

[Potato]

I'm thinking about moving down from 24P to 22P props. The 24P props were fine on the sea trial 18 months ago, but that was before I added bottom paint and a full tank of dubious marina gas. Last time I was out I could barely get onto plane with 3 adults, 2 kids and full fuel/water without using the trim tabs.

My WOT RPM is just under 4500 with just me on board and half a tank of fuel. It should be in the 4600-5000 range IIRC. I had MM look at it at the last service and they couldn't find any specific issues with the engines.

Does it sounds like 22P is the way to go? Has anyone else had to step down a pitch on a 280?

Thanks!

 

[gerryb]

If you can't get on plane quickly with the 520 HP that are generated from the T5.0's, something is definately wrong and it is not the prop pitch. What kind of top speed numbers do you have? ALso, what is your GPH when hitting a cruise speed of 25MPH?

 

[Potato]

Top speed is about 43/44MPH at 4500 RPM.

I use about 17-18 GPH at 25MPH. I get about 1.4-1.5 MPG running anywhere from 3000-4000 RPM.

Normally it feels fine (except for that one instance), but it's always bothered me that the WOT RPM range is low and I've been putting off doing anything about it.

 

[marqbloq]

My 2003 280DA with single 496MAG-B3 came with a 22P set. I tried a 24P set for two or three months and did not like it at all, went back to the 22's which were indeed perfect for my configuration.

 

[Dave S]

Keep in mind that 2 sets of B3 props will set you back about $3000 or more as well. :wow: :wow: :wow:

 

[Presentation]

Any chance you have a buddy that would let you try them before you buy them?

 

[Potato]

Thanks for the feedback everyone!

My 2003 280DA with single 496MAG-B3 came with a 22P set. I tried a 24P set for two or three months and did not like it at all, went back to the 22's which were indeed perfect for my configuration.

What kind of difference did you see in your WOT RPM between the 22P and 24P? I'm looking to pick up about 400 RPM I think.

I don't know anyone with two sets of 22P props to try unfortunately. The price is a large reason for my procrastination. MarineMax wants $2800 for two sets of props, although I'd probably buy them from the online place I get most of my stuff from for $1800. It's still a lot of money which is why I am trying to get as much info as possible.

 

[marqbloq]

My dealer (Trudeau’s Sea Ray in Portland) is an especially customer centric and high touch team and the owner let me borrow a pair for a few months and if I would have preferred them he said we could trade straight across; just don’t ding them of course if I decided I did not want them. Ask you dealer if you can borrow a pair for a while.

WOT dropped on my single 496MAG B3 from about 4970 rpm with 22P’s to low 4600’s as I recall (and it has been a long time). The top speed remained about the same (~47MPH) though it took longer to get to it but what really made me unhappy was the hole shot and the lower fuel economy.

On my boat the 22p set just performed better all the way around.

Good Luck