My father has an 18ft 1998 Procraft with a 175 mercury.  It has a 4 blade 24 pitch prop.  It runs good but to me it seems to stand up high before sitting back down.  The boat is trimmed correctly but I didn't know if a different pitch would sit it down faster and not raise up as high.  Thanks for any info..

Yea I'm thinking that 24 might be a little strong for the 175. Of course you have got to take in consideration how much weight you have in it and what height the motor is sitting.

Yeah as far as getting on plane its a big difference when you don't have as much weight.  With more weight it will stay up a little longer but it still gets up there with less weight or more weight.   Thanks for the response...

Back in the 'old days' (circa 1980s), we referred to props in 2 basic ways.. Power prop or Speed prop. Power props were best for bass rigs that often towed skiers as a family boat. Speed props got out of the hole and on-plane faster.

The trick with a Power prop (unloaded) is to trim the engine all the way down while getting on-plane and then gradually trim back up until max speed is achieved.

Keep in mind that being trimmed for max Speed / Fuel economy does not neccisarily translate into max Hole Shot. Too many variables come into play. Even something as simple as how much gas is in the tank.

That 4-24 sounds like a power prop to me, as the 175 is more than plenty to push an 18 footer out of the hole quickly under a full throttle.

A clean hull does wonders, too.  

Try my trimming tip. If that doesn't do it, holler back with more info on your rig.

I'd make sure your dad has that motor trimmed in all the way when he's taking off.  A 175 with a 4 blade 24p should have no problem launching that boat out of the hole and fairly quickly too.  

Thanks for the advice guys.  Dad doesn't use it hardly so I'm the one using it all the time.  Used it at gaston, chick, nottoway and other locations.  I will try the trim trick because I have been starting with the motor trimmed up a little and then coming down with her as she came down.  It makes more sense what you fellas are saying.  I will try it.  After reading some post would I need another prop if I wanted to pull my wife sking or would that one work.  Thanks again for the replys....

How many rpm are you turning at full throttle, if near the max recommended, you should be good on the prop. If 400 or so below, go down one prop size. That will help some by getting it up a little quicker.

Sounds like your not fully triming the motor in.

You could add a SE Sport 300 hydrofoil that will also help a lot.

I guess you posted while I was typing.

You're doing your trim backwards, trim all the way in to start and start trimming out when it starts laying over.

As far as another prop to tow your wife skiing, you shouldn't need it.  A 4 blade 24" prop on a 175 HP outboard should pull her up just fine.

I have a 18 1/2' Ranger with two props a 25" Powertech 4 Blade that I run in cooler months and when running solo/light.  I also have a 24" Powertech and that thing gets up and goes even when pulling a 180-200lb skier!  Trimmed all the way down of course.   Oops, I forgot to tell you I am only running a 150HP.  

dangit, Froggin. I'll draw you a picture, okay? But you have to remember your highschool Physics junk that you never thought you would use in 'reel life'. Okay?

The deeper (lower) your engine is trimmed, the faster that it will force the bow of the boat downwards once the engine reaches max RPMs. This downward position also reduces "sucking air" that is likely by an engine tilted too high. This is when you want to trim back up. Slowly.

The "Center Of Gravity" in the boat now comes into play. Being Bow- or Stern-Heavy plays into this - hence my ref to fuel in the tank(s). It's your big variable. That fuel is roughly 8 pounds per gallon.

The lighter the rear of the boat gets will require minute (mi-nute') adjustments throughout the day unless the person on the front deck drinks a lot of beer and stays seated while the craft is underway. :-X

Lift (speed = less friction) is created under a boats hull by the amount of air that becomes trapped between the tension of the water and the imperfections in the texture of a boats hull, OR, features designed into the hull. Boat racers have often been known to lightly use 80 grit sandpaper on an orbital-sander on the rear-most contact areas of a hull to trap tiny bubbles to increase Lift. Of course, on a bass boat, this is not something that a serious fisherman wants to have to dwell on. It may only gain your boat 7 feet of distance traveled in a mile but, in Racing, that's 7 feet devided by .25 and fractions of a second.

Operating a boat to its max potential is not like driving a Ford :-/

EDIT - I forgot to ask what the lady looked like. You DO have a mirror for towing skiers. Right? I like short blondes that dig guys in Chevy trucks. LOL

     

Appreciate all the info......I will give it a try next weekend when we take the boat to gaston.....I will try it out with my wife.......By the way she is 5'9 130lbs.....So I should be able to jerk her but right out of the water....