best prop for 23 lsv
 

Specs: 2010 23 LSV Wakesetter 350 Monsoon w/ Acme 537 - 13.5 x 16

Issue: Need more holeshot and power to maintain speed when loaded down - full ballast and wedge. But want to maintain the handling and fuel consumption when driving from spot to spot.

Resolution: Stay with 537 and live with it? Go 1235 and lose the fuel range. Or is there something in between?

I like the Fusion prop from OJ also. It specs out the same as the 475 and is a little bit cheaper. I don't think you'll notice very much of a drop in fuel consumption, you may actually see a gain due to the fact you won't have to turn so many rpm's to get on plane and when underway. You may loose a few top end mph, but should only be minimal.

I have an 07 with the Hammerhead but I love the 1273.

We run full MLS (4 tanks)
750s in the lockers
500 in the bow
Some like the wedge and some dont.

I think the OJ 475 would be nice. I ran one a couple months back for a week. With 9 people in the boat and over 2500# ballast there was no issue getting on plane or keeping speed. It's a very smooth prop. I didn't notice any additional fuel consumption between that and the 537.

With OJ I think they will let you try it before you buy it.

I was skeptical about the Fusion at first, Eric did offer a full refund or exchange if I was unhappy with how it performed. No need to use the offer though. It did everything he said it would. The 475 and the Fusion are essentially the same prop, one is cnc machined and the other is hand finished (fusion). I was always led to believe that I needed a "CNC"D" prop so that was part of my hesitation. Eric assured me it would perform just as well if not better. It did , and it comes at a bit of savings also.

More holeshot with same or less fuel consumption? You're gonna have to sacrifice some fuel.

Depends on how the boat is loaded and under what conditions it is being operated. Most of the time when a boat is over loaded and you dont have enough prop to get on plane quickly, you conteract your inabilty with more throttle. With a deeper and larger prop, you get more propulsion per revolution and less "slip" which allows the engine to be more efficient at a given speed range. YES, if you are running wide open throttle all the time at full speed and you switch from the 537 to the 475, then you would most likely see a difference in fuel consumption.

gotta run the 1235 on that hull if it is weighted enough to make a good wake. The 536 won't cut it.

I too was one of the very skeptical ones about switching to the Fusion, but it has been all good. There was no downfall switching from the 537 to the fusion for me. My RPMs actually dropped in all situations, even WOT, more hole shot, and I seem to get better gas consumption also. The fusion is a bigger diameter prop and is obviously much more efficient in my situation, but I only have a 21ft boat. My son and I did a comparison one nite real quik and this is what we came up with, both props on same boat within 30mins or so, we pulled the boat out changed prop and put rite back in, it did calm down just a bit with the 537 on but there was still very little chop with both of them.


537 prop
empty 22MPH 2600RPM
empty 27.5MPH 3000RPM
empty 45.6MPH 5600RPM Rev limiter

weighted for wake/kneeboarding
22MPH 3000RPM About 5.7 sec. to get there.

weighted for surfing
10.8MPH 2550RPM


Fusion Prop
empty 22MPH 2400RPM
empty 27.8MPH 3000RPM
empty 45.1MPH 5400RPM

Weighted for Wake/kneeboarding
22MPH 2900RPM About 5.1 sec. to get there.

weighted for surfing
10.8MPH 2400RPM

Acme 1235 for sure. Fuel consumption will stay about the same or improve slightly because you won't be ploughing as much water getting out of the hole. BUT, if you sack the boat more because you can, all bets are off on the fuel consumption. Also if you run for long distances, obviously, the 537 is more efficient for that application. I would stay away from OJ props. I have found them to be not not as well balanced as the Acme props. We tried running an OJ prop on our Axis. It caused a noticeable increase in vibration compared to the Acme. Acme seems to manufacture their props to tighter standards than OJ.

I have the same boat with the same engine. The 537 is a great all around prop if you rarely run with a big crew, ballast, or wedge. That means the 537 sucks for anything other than cruising and pulling tubes. Go with the Acme 1235 and you will kick yourself for not having done it sooner. I have had the 23LSV with the HH and Monsoon. Same story for either engine. I have not noticed a difference in fuel consumption, but I do very little cruising. You will lose 4-5 MPH on the top end. Once you feel the holeshot with the new prop, you will not give the loss of top speed a second thought. I keep the 1235 on the boat and use the 537 as a spare. There are times when I know I will be doing lots of cruising and no wakeboarding, such as 4th of July on a busy river with a long ride to the ramp. I switch back to the 537 for days like that. I have been told that the OJ prop gives the same holeshot with less loss of top end due to a larger cup. I have not bothered to look into it because the Acme 1235 works so well. One thing for sure, whether you go Fusion, Acme, or OJ, you are going to be happy with the way your boat pulls a rider up with a full load.

I have a different boat but I made the swtich from an OJ prop to the Acme 1235 and it was amazed that only after 2-3 min of getting on the throttle after the "no wake" zone my girlfriend who was sitting in the back of the boat even said, "Wow". She noted less engine/cabin noise in the back (as did I) and absolutely no vibration as the passenger or driver. Steering is more neutral right to left while underway and holeshot was easier/faster for the boat.