1982 226 Seafarer prop choice

D

Diamond Jim Grady

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Hi folks, Great site here. Hopefully someone can point me in the right direction. I just sold my little 17 Whaler and bought a 226 Seafarer. It clearly has the wrong prop on it. The prop is a 15x19 and I don't seem to get full RPM out of it- about 4300-4400. It is also a little banged up.

I have a 1989 200HP Yamaha on the transom. The engine is solid and runs great.

Any suggestions on what a good all around prop would be for this set up? I mostly fish with 2-4 of us on the boat and would like to pull my kids in a tube a couple times a year.

I am thinking on going alum instead of SS based on the age of the engine. Why drop 500 bucks if the engine goes in a couple years?

Any prop suggestions are very much appreciated.

Jim
 
Diamind Jim,
basic rule of thumb......if you want to increase your engine rpm, decrease your pitch....and if you want to decrease your rpm, increase your pitch......you gain/lose about 200 rpm for every inch of pitch. There are a million new styles of props these days but you probably dont need anything like that...a good standard painted SS prop will cost you $150....I like stainless because I like getting out of the hole quickly which puts torque on the prop....the aluminum prop will deflect a bit and your engine is pretty good sized.......you may want to experiment a bit but your local prop dealer should fit you up well and may let you try several before deciding on one....a rebuilt prop thats been tuned and re-bushed is a low cost alternative.

good luck
 
I see you are in CT too. I haven't come across any dealers out here that will let you try one out. It's all been "all or nothing" when I tried this on a Hydra Sport I was having prop issues with. I hate to just buy one and was hoping someone on here may have the same set up as me with a good prop size. Hopefully someone does. These old Grady's hold up well and so do these Yamaha's if they are taken care of.

I will probably end up trying a 15 1/2 x 15 first. I've heard anywhere from 100-200 increase in RPM per inch.

Thanks for the reply.
 
Jim, I may have a rebuilt 17 in the garage if you want to try it....its off a Yamaha 150....but I'll check......I'll be down at the marina this weekend working on the boat if you want to drive up and check it out...I'm at Three Belles in Niantic...
 
Wow, that sure is nice of you. I just pulled it out tonight. I need to do a few things. This is a great old boat. The hull is near perfect. It was a "garage queen" most of it's life.

I am probably going to throw the 15 1/2 x 15 on and give it a shot. I have the boat out now and am doing the water pump and t-stats.

I have a couple OMC stainless props here just all redone from H and H but I doubt they will fit. I'll probably Ebay them and buy what I need.

Catalano's told me a 15 or 15 1/4 by 15 should do it. They are pretty good over there so if the 15 1/2 doesn't over rev I may be close. I am still holding out for hopefully someone with the same set up.

What a great boat coming from a 17 Whaler. Night and day. It takes quite a pounding through the heavy stuff. Glad I bought this boat for sure. No more looking at the marine forecast- just hop in and go!
 
Careful, those old Whaler guys are lurking in the dark around here...they love their foam!

No problem on the prop...like I said, its a spare sitting in the garage, so if you wanna try it let me know...I'm running the same on my twin 150's
 
I loved my old Whaler. It was a 1965 and looked like a new boat. Just too small..Great boat lasting all these years. It will last another 40 years at least. [/img]
 
did they even make closed cell foam back then? Maybe that's why it lasted so long! LOL......I think thats a Ray Hunt design...before he passed away?
 
It was foam for sure. Pretty nice little boat. I was only the 2nd owner. I hated to sell it but my kids are 8 and 10 and they have friends who come along and 17' doesn't get it done anymore.

That boat was solid as a rock and dry as a bone between the hull and floor. (Not dry while moving in the lightest chop though) My Seafarer is solid too but a couple soft spots in the floor but very minor and not worth fixing yet. They are in the covers so it shouldn't be a big deal.
 
welcome to the world of wood.........it makes a great ride...as you can see......but it does bite the hand that feeds it once in a while.....come by the marina and I'll show you :)
 
I went with the suggestion made by Catalano's in Greenwich. They told me 15 1/4 x 15. I took a shot and bought one today. Took the boat out tonight and it did 5400RPM and 40MPH! Jumped right out of the hole too.

I love those guys over there. They know their stuff about Yamaha's!
 
I had the tide in my favor and it was flat. I can't believe the difference. I got lucky I guess on the first try. I can't wait to fish this boat this weekend.
 
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