Propellor being used on 228G Seafarer and 250 Four Stroke

[wrxhoon]

Hi Wxrhoon,
Not to get into a huge debate but in my experience the 228 handles slow speed manuevering better especially in reverse around the dock with a 4 blade prop. I also saw noticable improvement in following seas especially in moving through an inlet with standing waves and needing to slow down and time your approaches between waves and such. Also, we use our boat to pull toys from time to time on the lake and a 4 blade prop holds a tight turn better at speed. I also got about 10% better fuel economy at cruise with my old yamaha 3.3 liter f250.

No arguments here with the above statement hence my comment ""As a rule 4 blade props will give you better holeshot and 3 blades better top end everything else being equal"
As for the 228 reversing due to the fact that water hits the transom she is harder to reverse than a boat with the outboard hanging of the transom as in 226. Trimming up fully it helps as it pushes the water lower so it doesn't hit the transom as much. On my newer 228 the bracket is longer so the out board is further away from the transom and the fact that it is V shaped underneath it helps reverse easier.

 

[Don Davis]

So just an update on my propology journey, I did chat with Ken Reeves and he was great in explaining the various prop characteristics. He said that the Michigan Wheel 4 blade that I had was fine with the 14 3/8 diameter by 18 pitch as I was able to corner very well with it. I decided that I needed a spare prop anyway as we spend 4 days in the boat at a float cabin on the West Coast of Vancouver Island and didn’t want to ruin a trip by spinning a prop and not having a spare. So I bought a Suzuki 3 blade 16 inch diameter 18.5 pitch and wow what a difference. Awesome hole shot , 32 mph at 4400 rpm and top speed of 42 mph. The prop will pay for itself, both props were stainless as well, thanks for all the great advice.