3 or 4 blade props

Had a suggestion from Acme to go to a 4 blade vs. the 3 blade 543 I run now due to having so many props getting dinged up then $90 to repair them 2-3 times a season. Any thoughts? Prop shop didn't like the idea and suggested a OJ because they are a little thicker bladed. Another $3-350 doesn't sound to good to me for a "try out".

it depends on the boat, motor, where you ride (elevation) and what you like to do behind the boat. The wake will be harder at skiers speed, for the most part if you go with a 4 blade. I sport the 4 blade now and have been on the last boat. Skiers and boarders are fine with it, but more boarders are behind our ride.

just got off the phone with acme earlier today, they said that the three blade works better for direct drives than a 4 blade. im looking at the 542 for my 2001 and it has just as much surface area as a 4 blade. i dont really understand all the logistics but its pretty cool how different props work. well i get the basics just not the 3 vs 4 and why

Acme knows tier stuff. And believe it or not the 3 blade does. I am an acme fan as is my MC dealer. Acme's were always leading the field, tho now OJ has come a long way with some of their new props. I always just got a little better performance from the acme's I chose than the Oj's. As to thickness I have no clue

Acme gave me the short version. They will usually recommend the 3-blade for non gear reduction boats. I know for 2000-2005 V-drive Centurions with Mercs they even still recommended the 3-blade an I can tell you from experience that blew the compareable 4-blade they said to try out of the water.

Though I don't know the apprlication of the new 14.25 X14.25 4-blade Acme for other boats, but I just got that prop for my 2000 X-star with LTR 1 with gear reduction and it's by far the sickest prop I have ever put on a boat I have owned

(Message edited by xstarrider on July 17, 2007)

Acme recommend 3 blade props for 1:1 transmissions and 4 blade for gear reduction. Most v-drives are gear reduction hence the 4 blades for v-drives myth.

We have a DD MC205 The 3 blade 543 has been great,EXCEPT they bend and ding up to easily. Last week we simply chopped on a small tree branch that was floating in the creek and 2 of the 3 blades are bent over. We have hit small pieces of floating wood ect.. and bent props, it has been very frustrating cause the stock OJ took alot more to ding it up. My prop shop agreed that they know they bend easy but people love the performance. I do to but I'm getting sick of 3-500 a year in prop repairs as that is what the last 2 yrs have brought on. The OJ I looked at was thicker and is CNC machined but as I said an expensive "try".

Brian - Trying our propeller is a no risk deal, as we have done for over 70 years, if you are not happy with our propeller we will take it back.

3 Blade VS 4-Blade - I built our first 4-blade props in the early 90's. At the time they performed better than a standard 3-blade. Better acceleration, held speed better and much smoother and quieter. The first 4-blades were run on 1:1 MB's. A 4-blade will run slower on the top end, 1-2 MPH than a 3-blade, just as a 2-blade is faster than a 3-blade. When the CNC machined propellers arrived in early 2000 the overall blade area of 3-blades increased providing comparable low end power without losing top speed. You will find 4-blades on most gear reduction transmissions as they are much smoother than a 3-blade and the difference in performance is smaller. As for Centurion V-drives as well as Sanger, they used a 1:1 transmission in the V-drive, so 3-blades were popular. I still sell a lot of 4-blades for 1:1 boats as some prefer the performance of the 4-blade. It really comes down to personal preference.

I designed the XMP EDGE line of propellers, the larger 14.25 diameter and blade area wakeboard specific props, in 2004 to help with the heavily weighted gear reduction boats. As opposed to the standard reduction of a few inches in pitch to help with acceleration, the larger blade area and lower pitch works much better. These props are now standard from several builders on their wakeboard boats. The concept is also being used by other prop builders.

Feel free to give me a call if you have any other questions.

Eric @ OJPROPS 800-359-9730

I recommend giving Eric a call. I bought a new 3 blade OJ prop and it didn't perform the way I wanted so he made me a 4 blade with the pitch I wanted and shipped it to me to exchange for the 3 blade. He makes a great product and stands behind it 100% Thanks Eric.

Keith you were right. WOW, I spoke to Eric @ OJ and he was extremly helpful and made me a great deal.FANTASTIC service, I will be an OJ guy from now on as my original OJ has been a real work horse but under heavy loads it wasn't getting me on plane fast enough but was very durable. Eric really does know what real service and support means.

I can say that Eric has been an excellent source of information for me. I contacted him directly, and he walked me through the details.

As for heavy loads. My new OJ 3 blade does an excellent job at getting my Sanger V230 out of the hole. If you are not familiar, it's a big boat! Add ballast, and a few passengers, and you're pushing some serious water.

See my original post for prop selection information. Eric recommended that I switch to a 3 blade for my 1 to 1 V-Drive application.

http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/3183/462128.html

The original 4-blade 13 x 14 1 1/8" performance was, GPS verified 40 MPH at Full Throttle RPM 4200 (4800-5200 WOT).

My desire was to get a better hole shot, and to move my Full Throttle numbers up into the WOT range.

The new 3-blade 13 X 12 LC 1 1/8" XMP really let the engine run. Difference being 3 vs. 4 blade, and two inches of pitch and CNC machining.

New performance numbers are 41 MPH at full throttle RPM of 4875. I now have higher RPMs on the hole shot, and a serious launch.

Just last week my brother and I both boarded at the same time, with at least 6 passengers in the boat. It was "Tons of Fun", and there was no difference getting out of the hole. Seriously, there was NO problem pulling two 220lb grown men out of the water.

Eric, thanks for the time, and the excellent information and product.

Toneus

As promised by Eric my new prop is here and I will update as we will try it out FRI-SUN. Great service as usual.