New prop time already....'04 X2

Just as the hour meter rolled passed 70, we hit a good sized dead head with the X2 and dinged the prop. It's still usable, but vibrates a little. The game plan was to buy a spare prop from the get go, so I guess now it's time. I'm going to have the stocker repaired, but I want an extra prop incase we hit a major snag, it won't ruin out whole day.

I also want a lower pitch, because we run 2300lbs and 3-7 people all the time. It still planes out pretty quickly, but it could use a little more punch. Right now the stock prop says, "OJ 13.7x17". It's a 4 blade.

Has anybody moved to a lower pitch prop on a new X2? The manual lists the 14x20 for the Predator, and a 14x18 for the MCX from the factory. I have the MCX.

We never drive fast anywhere, so top speed is not an issue.

What's the hot setup? Acme Stainless Steel?

I would shy away from stainless because you would rather have your prop be the breaking point in the drive train than the drive shaft of tranny. You don't get much better performance and personally, I don't think its worth it. Acme is defiately the way to go. Hit up Karl at Boarditup.com or talk to propellersonline.com to get the best prop for your application.

Acme 847 - $365 shipped. Should wake up the boat in the hole shot. You will lose a bit of top end. More hole shot. You can drop another inch in pitch, but you will hit the rev-limiter on the top end. Remember, you have a splined shaft, it is a special case. It costs more than the key-way props due to more machining time.

Just sold one today to a customer in TC, MI. Must be something in the water.

FYI - Acme does not use SS. The use a Mil-Spec NiBrAl from their own foundry. Only one that does it that way.

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my lake sucks! i will be on my 3rd prop now, my friend hit a sandbar in the boat, and morphed the prop like crazy.

i just ordered what was stock 4-blade O.J it was $350.

you are way better off to have 2 props, and then when something happens to one, you just switch them out and take the old one to a repair shop and spend around $100 on repairing it rather than dropping close to $400 each time.

You can go stainless but its a tradeoff. If you have a stainless prop you really need to run it with an alluminium shear pin so you don't damage the shaft or anything higher up if you hit something.
What this does mean though is that when the pin shears your paddeling back (or getting towed if your lucky) then you put the boat on the trailer replace the shear pin and launch it again.

If you board where theres heaps of friendly boaties likely to give you a tow I'd go stainless and have spare pins available.
if you bord where theres not many boats stick with brass so you can limp home nd change it provided its not too badly damaged

Guys, I primarily boat on rocky-bottomed lakes (which can destroy a prop pronto) but how does a sand bar tear up a prop up so bad? Every time I've hit one it just kicks up some sand, and nothing happens. Guess I haven't hit one at high enough speed? (thank God)

hitting a sand bar doesn't really bend it up, but i morphs the crap out of it, i hit one at 20mph and got the boat stuck, the prop is all dinged, and ripples are in it.

The aluminium pin won't work on a splined shaft. A NiBrAl prop is the way to go. As was mentioned earlier--stainless steel is much tougher. If you have a prop strike with a stainless prop you will most likely have to replace your drive shaft and/or more. Something has to give after a strike. I would rather it be the $400 prop than then $1500 prop shaft.

what is the definition of a splined shaft??
I was told that it was an option on my DD inboard by the manufacturer so would like to know a bit more as I am looking to get a Vdrive very soon and was tossing up whether to do it or not

cheers

i diged my props over the last 2 years and have repaired mine my with a 16 oz ball pieen hammer and my ball hitch .
its verry simple just tap the prop back into asemmetry with the other blades and use the other blades as a reference.
aprox: a 3 beer project