I'd like to take an opportunity to introduce myself to the forum and bug you with a few questions. I'm Paul and I spend most of my free time on the MS and LA coasts. I have been an avid saltwater fisherman most of my life. I have done some bass fishing on a friends boat and have done a great deal of kayak bass fishing. I finally decided to get a boat. I won't ever seriously do any tournament fishing, so I knew I didn't need a new 21' rig with a 250, but I might do some local stuff. I shopped around and found a brand new Procraft 165 with a 90 horse Merc 2 Stroke and trailer for $10000 even. On top of that I get a 2 year extension on the engine warranty and a $300 gift certificate from BPS.

That's the background and now for the questions. The boat has a smallish 22 gallon livewell. How do you think this would limit me in local tournaments with either 5 or 7 fish limits? I rarely run WOT. I will need to take off in shallow water on occasion. I'm looking for a prop that will give great holeshot, great midrange and reasonable top speed. I read where one guy was spinning a 26" on the same rig and getting 59 GPS. His hole shot must have been horrible though. What are your thoughts on propping this rig? I'll typically run alone. Any other tips for a beginner? Thanks.

Paul

that is an impressive speed with that boat. i have a 18 1/2 foot nitro with a 175 hp motor that runs 62-64 mpg gps on a perfect day.

the first bass boat i had was a 17 1/2 foot nitro w/115 hp motor and it was all it could do to run 50 mph gps.

as far as props go, im not an expert but the trained tech ive talked to say the prop you run should have the boats rpm's maxed or just over at WOT. anything other than that is not whats best for the boat.

finaly, if you can get the boat, get it and fish a lot.

Not much help on your questions, but welcome to the forums.

Congrats on the new boat!

You shouldn't have any problem with a 22 gallon livewell as long as you have a good recirc / aeration system.

If you want to learn more about the right prop, I suggest you look at the Mercury website and look around for their prop calculator.  You will be asked a few questions (size of boat, type of fishing, etc) and based on your answers, it will recommend a prop right for your boat.

Have fun!

Shellback, thanks for the response.  I forgot about Mercs prop calculator.  I'll have to check that out.  Were you prior Navy?

PDB,

I would work closely with the dealer who sold you the boat. They should be able to get you the best prop. You should load your boat with how you will fish it most of the time. You should include full fuel tank, live well and other items you will carry. Then the dealer should loan you two props. One, one size smaller and one, one size bigger than what came with the motor. Take your boat out with the standard prop and run it at full throttle . Check the tach. are the RPMs in the max range for the motor? If it is that is the best prop for your setup. If the RPMs are below the max try the smaller prop. This will increase your hole shot and get your motor into the correct RPM range. Are The RPMs over the max RPM range. Switch to the bigger prop and try it again. In this case going to the bigger prop will increase your top end speed. After you run this test you may need another size prop, smaller or bigger, to get your motor in the correct RPM range. This is where your dealer should work with you on letting you try a few before you buy one.

This will only work if you are using the same kind of prop. Meaning material. a 15" aluminum prop will perform different that a stainless steel one of the same size. If the boat has an aluminum prop now stay with aluminum ones for testing. If you want to change to stainless all prop tested should be stainless.

Good Luck,

Paul