4 blade prop!
 

I have a Bayliner 195 with a 5.0 220HP and was wondering what 4 blade prop i should be looking at getting. It currently has the stock 3 blade prop on it right now but i need something that can give it a little more acceleration. Would like to be able to keep some high end speed if possible but not to worried about it. Also looking to go the stainless steel rout also.

I had the mercruiser high 5 SS prop on my old Bayliner and it did wonders for hole shot. Just about any 4-5 blade SS prop would be a huge performance gain for you.

How about speed wise how much did you lose there?

Also what pitch should i be looking at? i just dont want to spend the money and end up not having the right one haha

Simply buying a 4 blade doesn't mean chit. There are way too many other factors involved. A four blade might be the right call but, not because it simply has four blades. You didn't mention what drive you have, what current prop your running, what altitude you're at, how much your boat weighs, what typical load you have on board, your typical uses, blah, blah, blah.

As always, I recommend calling ACME. You'll quickly realize what I'm talking about.

Unfortunately ACME doesn't make sterndrive props. You need to know what your WOT speed and RPM are at a normal load on the boat as you are with your current prop. What the current prop is in diameter and pitch and model. What you want to achieve and what you are not concerned about losing when you change props.
Four and Five blade props give more surface area pushing on the water so can help on acceleration but having the right amount of ventilation can help more by allowing the engine to run at higher RPM at slow speeds while not affecting the high speed operation. Lowering the pitch makes the biggest change in acceleration because it's just like using a lower gear.
Many prop shops will let you try a couple different ones as long as you are buying one from them and don't damage them.

I'd call a local prop repair shop or some other prop experts and give them the year, make and model of your boat, what engine and stern drive does it have and how heavy it is with your normal setup including ballast. You should get some good recommendations. When I said any SS prop will give you a performance bump, what I meant was that if you got a 3 blade SS prop with the same dimensions as your current aluminum prop, you will see better acceleration and the same top end speed. The aluminum prop flexes during acceleration and the SS will not, so your prop keeps it's shape and helps push you out of the hole better.

It's been many years since I've shopped for an I/O prop but there might be some equivalent size charts on overtons or iBoats to compare your current prop with the 4-5 blade props.


Sorry I can't help more than that, good luck, and put a lock on it when you go SS. Very easy for thieves to pull it off in your driveway or hotel parking lot.

best thing i ever did with my old searay was get a new four blade prop! I had to call a real prop shop, but they KNEW what they were talking about. Hole shot improved 150% and top end was not that much different, but it ran smoother and quieter...

Oops. My bad. For some reason I thought they did but, it appears you are correct.