i got a great deal on a 25p fury prop from merc, and my hole shot is dramatically improved.  im shocked to find that i will likely be able to creep into my max rpm's.  i thought the fury moved a lot more water, you would think that would make it harder to turn and less rpm's.  

so... what would indicate that a leap to a 26p is possible?  when i trim it out just right it pushes it up over 5800-5900 on the way to max speed. but it doesnt thrust over, it just crawls up to those rpms.

i am getting a little less on the top end than i was with my tempest 25p.  

i know the diameter of the fury is smaller than that of the tempest, and im guessing this is the cause.  

any input would be great.

i run a '99 201 stratos, and a '01 225 optimax

I went to the Mercury prop site to look at the differences of the props.  The tempest was built for a heavier boat and maybe that is why you are getting more top end from the tempest, the fury may not be enough prop for your boat.  Also the change in the prop may require a change in the carb jets, the fuel/air mixture may need adjusted to get the most out of the prop.  The "hidden properties" of the propl may be the culprit as to why you can't get full engine rpms, that is why I'm thinking that you will need some engine mods to get the most out of the prop.  While in the Coast Guard on of the mechanics was a performance nut, constantly changing the props to get the most speed, power whatever.  I was a cox'n (ran the boats) he was constantly asking me what I thought of the props, what I thought was the differences between them was so miniscue that I really couldn't tell the difference.  Then again that was 15 years ago and technology has gotten a lot better.  Merc has staff that should be able to pinpoint the restrictions of the props given the make of boat that you run, considering factors like hull design, weight, weight distribution, fuel requirements of the engine, etc. Putting a performance prop on the boat without taking into consideration all of the factors of boat handling, loading, fuel mixtures, carberation, jetting, etc, is sort of a shot in the dark as far as results. Good Luck