Prop Options for 330

kirk a

kirk a

GreatGrady Captain
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Location
Massachusetts
Model
Express 330
Repowered my 330 last year with a pair of new Yamaha 300's, for last year, we opted to retain the 17" props from the old 225's. I was able to trial a pair of Yamaha Saltwater Series 2 props in a 15 3/4 x 15 configuration and found significant increases in performance and economy in the mid range 4000-4800 RPMs. Roughly a 2-3 knot increase at same RPM with a corresponding increase in economy (example @4400 went from 21.8 to 25kts). Interestingly, the WOT speed was about the same with both.

All that said, I am prop shopping and it seems that those props are a solid choice for this boat / motor combination and appear to be what Grady spec'ed as well. My question, is there anything better - my objective is mainly speed and economy at cruise, as the canyons are ~100+ miles each way and I'd like some additional cushion. I don't care about WOT speed.
 
Do the old 225 motors have the same gear ratio as the new 300s?
 
Call the prop gods in fl, I had same issue before I did repower on 330 with 300,
 
"My question, is there anything better"

My answer: No.
I repowered my 2006 330 as well. Went from F250's to F300's.
Like you, I tried the props from my 250's on the 300's. They did fine except the top end was lacking.
I could only reach about 5,600 RPM's WOT. These were 17 pitch 4 blades built by PowerTech.

After some research, I went with the props you tried out. Yamaha Saltwater Series II in 15 pitch.
At WOT, I can now reach 5,800 which I'm comfortable with RPM wise.
Economy is better as well Vs. the 4 blade 17's. I'm seeing 1.0 nMPG at cruise (22-24 knots) which is 4200 RPM's give or take.

I am told the SWS II in 15 pitch was specifically made by Yamaha for the F300 which is a VERY popular outboard.

I personally do not think you can do better than what you tried. Hope this helps.
 
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HMBJack said:
"My question, is there anything better"

My answer: No.
I repowered my 2006 330 as well. Went from F250's to F300's.
Like you, I tried the props from my 250's on the 300's. They did fine except the top end was lacking.
I could only reach about 5,600 RPM's WOT. These were 17 pitch 4 blades built by PowerTech.

After some research, I went with the props you tried out. Yamaha Saltwater Series II in 15 pitch.
At WOT, I can now reach 5,800 which I'm comfortable with RPM wise.
Economy is better as well Vs. the 4 blade 17's. I'm seeing 1.0 nMPG at cruise (22-24 knots) which is 4200 RPM's give or take.

I am told the SWS II in 15 pitch was specifically made by Yamaha for the F300 which is a VERY popular outboard.

I personally do not think you can do better than what you tried. Hope this helps.
Click to expand...
kirk a said:
Thanks @HMBJack and @wspitler exactly what I was looking for. Cheers, and here's to a good season.
Click to expand...

I have a 2007 330 and repowered with 300's last fall. The Prop Gods and two other prop shops recommended the Power Tech OFS04 15" 4 blade props. I purchased the props at the very end of the season and was only able to run the boat once. Very noticeable difference in increased bite with maneuverability in and out of the slip. I noticed a much quicker lift getting on plane as well. Unfortunately I wasn't able to get any good data that day as it was very choppy and windy. The Power Tech 4 blade props seemed to be a popular choice along with the Yamaha's.
 
Only thing I would add, is on take off, I keep the engines trimmed at like zero to 5%. Once the boat is up on plane, I trim the engines up to about 33% or so. Doing this is no different than what a pilot routinely does with wing flaps on take off.

I think the only drawback of the 3 Vs. 4 Blades is that initial take off since any 4 blade will have more torque than a 3.
That said, the 3 blade performs really really well in all other aspects.
 
I did reach out to Ken at Prop Gods, who confirmed that the 15 3/4 x 15 would be the best choice. Now to find a pair.
 
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