My brother went to west Texas and bought an old center console Ranger. I think it's an 81 or 82 model. There's a 150 Evinrude on it, it has been sittin' out in the desert for years, so the seats are history, Dan has put in new gauges, put a tilt switch on the motor, installed a radio and some speakers, new pumps, rolled on a rubberized decking on the inside of the hull, refinished the wood trim on the console and the seat back, has new upholstery comin', replaced plumbing and wiring as needed, fixed the tach, and ordered a bimini...it's gonna be a pretty nice ride when he gets finished.

Here's the rub...damn boat won't plane out. The prop that came on it ain't right, the spare prop that was tossed in the deal ain't right. Prop shop seems to think a three blade 24 pitch was the ticked on that particular rig...He put a jack plate on it, and tried the original props again...I think they are pitched in the low 20's...has messed with the motor position on the jack plate....we put my four blade 25 pitch in it, and it did better, but didn't quite tach out.

It wants to porpoise...the three blade low 20's pitched props will not pick the boat up, it plows and porpoises. The four blade 25 pitch will get the bow up out of the water, the porpoise deal slows down, but it's 2-4 hundred rpm off max...A bud has a three blade 26 pitch. He says so anyway, but as how he's always been Merc man, I don't know what he's doing with an OMC prop...we'll see. If so, that's next.

Now, that boat/motor has been around since the early 80's. I just can't believe that it has never been properly propped in all that time.  

I typically use a 17 -19 pitch 4 blade on my center console....

Same here. 21 pitch at the most. 23 wont plane my boat either.
got a 19 on mine now. Pops out of the hole and planes great.

He's got a four blade 24 pitch on it now, it's about dialed in, he had to come up quite a bit with the jack plate. It's doing almost what one should do, but running a bit over max on the RPM's. Just my brother and about twenty gallons of fuel and the three batteries though...full tank and more weight in the boat might make the difference, but he's thinking my four blade 25 pitch might have been a better fit. Rooster tail comes up to almost the top of the motor when trimmed out, and the boat has quit the porpoise stuff. Getting 60 mph. It's an old 380 Chief.

Finally got a four blade 25 pitch and the jack plate dialed in, tachs 5000, runs right. Almost 60 mph.

Slick if he will take the good prop to a shop that will put a little more cup in it all the problems will go away -- most go fast bass boys run three blade 24 pitch 14.50 dia.on that HP motor - it all about raising the engine for best performance - a well cupped prop will reduce out of the hole time

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Those who would give up constitutional freedoms to elected officials in exchange for a false sense of security, deserve neither freedom or security.

He took that rig over to Beaver Lake yesterday, I'll mention about the prop to him when he gets back in a few days. He seems to be happy with the 25 pitch four blade...that's the same prop I run on my Stratos.