Props for 265 with 225 4 strokes

[jekyl]

After many sleepless nights and much consideration and advice; I have just ordered Yamaha 225 four strokes and now would like some idea of where to start with props.
In the deal the reatiler provides new props to my satisfaction........so I'm wondering where to start and what would be ideal either 4 or 3 blade?

The tech was trying to convince me that the black stainless actually has less slip than polished stainless????

I won't move my scuppers until I see if it is an issue with my boat. We are all fairly light and i would think removing the oil tanks will help. Plus we have yet needed to fill both tanks so usually just use the front tank.

Thanks for all of your help and suggestions.

Singlehandedly I will move this GFC along..."yes we can"

 

[SlimJim]

i am happy for you!! You will love the Yamaha 225 hp 4 strokes! I had them on my other GW and loved that engine. Did you sell your twin HPDI'S? Let us know how they work out. I am sure you will love them.

 

[jekyl]

Thankyou, I must say I am becoming more at ease with my decision and am starting to think of all the advantages that I know come with 4 strokes.

She'll be like the boat I really wanted. Having had 150 honda's on my previous boat it always felt like I had sacraficed something to have my dream Grady. Now i will have it all. No more wishful thinking........

 

[ocnslr]

We had the Black SS on the F150s when we repowered in Nov '05 (>800 hours ago). They were the 13.75"x17" and they didn't have enough "bite" to suit me. After putting up with them for too long, we repropped last year. Experimented a good bit, and ended up with PowerTech OFS16 props in 15.25" diameter. Much more bite under all conditions, and the loss of one inch of pitch has had minimal effect.

According to the Yamaha web site http://www.yamaha-motor.com/outboard/powermatched/09_prop_pdfs/150~300, F150~F250.pdf, the "Painted SS" in the pitch you need (17") only have one model in 15" diameter. You DO NOT WANT the smaller 13.75" on those engines.

As to "less slip" on the painted surface, I have to hoist the BS flag on that one. The paint eventually wears off and you are left with a dull, un-attractive surface.

I recommend the original Saltwater Series prop, or the newer Saltwater Series II. They do, of course, cost more than the "black SS" props.

Good luck on the repower, and let us know how it goes.

Brian

 

[ocnslr]

Some more quick research found this 2003 performance bulletin on the Yamaha website: http://www.yamaha-motor.com/assets/...in_otb_4StrokePerf_HPV6_225hp_02-56-GRW-B.pdf

Appears that 19" Saltwater Series were the props used.

However, the boat wasn't heavily loaded, had no bottom paint, etc, so 17" pitch may be needed to get you to the top of the RPM range at WOT.

Brian

 

[gw204]

I would be looking at Merc props. They seem to put the most R&D in them... Mirage Plus/Rev4/Enertia/etc. can all be made to fit with the correct hub kits.

 

[gradyfish22]

I have 17" wheels, I will get the exact size if I can, I'm propped out very well, see full rpm or darn close when full of fuel and have no shortage of power. A 4 blade would be very interesting though since this boat does require you to power up harder then pull back to jump on plane easily, the 4 blades would come up easier and hold on plane at lower rpm and speed which is nice for offshore runs if seas kick up, I believe that would suit you well. As far as black coated, that is BS...they are not anywhere near as smooth and they have more surface friction, often times the painted weigh more but not always since corners seem to be cut on materials. I would opt against the painted, seems like the dealer is trying to make more money out of the deal. I agree with what was said above, I would likely go with merc props if I were to reprop my boat, they seem to be giving better efficiency and lasting longer with less corrosion issues, not saying the Yamaha props are bad, but for the money the Merc's seem like a better deal.

You will love the F225's, I'd love to compare numbers once they are on to see how the boat runs. FYI...my engines I believe are mounted all the way down on the bolts, my plate on the lower unit seems to sit slightly low so one bolt up might be best, I will be down friday and will double check the mounting location and take some pictures for you. I'd love to move them up but do not have the time to and over all I'm happy with the performance and whatnot. Since you trailer a lot, I would be less concerned with the scuppers, but see how the boat really sits once all is done and make your decision then. Best of luck!!! I think you will really like the new power package, it is much quieter and no smoke...and for trolling you will not have to worry about issues that many 2 strokes had and it seems like you experienced for a little while.

another helpful hint since the 4strokes are new...troll them out of sync when possible, they are so quiet and do not create enough commotion, running out of sync makes 2 harmonys as opposed to 1 with them in sync and is much more effective on the troll....we have played around with it and my whole crew agrees we are more productive with the engines out of sync. I've had guys next to me not catching fish and as soon as I tell them to troll out of sync with the 4 strokes they hook up as well.

 

[ElyseM]

congrats. an old slipmate of mine had the '02 265 w/ twin f225's. as others said, they were prop'd from the factory with ss saltwater series. don't know p or d.

only thing i would say is that these things are extremely quiet at idle -- pay attention so you don't bust up a starter

 

[Bill_N]

Merc props are the way to go. It depends on how you run your boat. If you run with heavy loads all the time I think the best you can do is get a set of Mercury Mirage Plus 17" props. You'll probably get 5 or 10% better economy out of them than Yamaha SWS props.

I'm running a set of Mirage Plus 18's on my '02 265 with F225's that I bought last year. I picked up .2-.3 mpg but I put them on late in the year and the jury is still out as far as how they'll be fully loaded. My son and I went out last w/e and I had 170-180 gals of fuel when we left. at 3900 rpm I was getting 1.9 - 2.0 mpg on the ride out running with the tide. On the way back the wind had come up a bit and we were running against the tide I was getting 1.8 mpg most of the way in at the same rpm. 3800-3900 rpms seems to be the sweet spot.

Rev 4's would be nice to try. You would get a better hole shot and they might be better at cruise with a full load but all around it's hard to beat the Mirage Plus.

 

[gradyfish22]

Bill what exact props are you running? I'd love to throw them on my boat, if I could get that economy I'd be able to reach another canyon or two from my location without having to run south, or could save maybe 15gal a trip, cutting cost by roughly $50, would be worth considering for that fuel economy. I get 1.6 as my best, might see 1.7 in right conditions, 1.5-1.6 is more the norm it seems in a chop. I'd throw a party if I saw 2.0....

 

[Bill_N]

They're Mercury Mirage Plus 18 the 2nd and 3rd up from the bottom on the chart on the attached page. I got a great deal on them last year and I average around 1.8 mpg with them. I have seen 2.1 a few times. This is with 140-190 gals of fuel.

http://www.propgods.com/content/mercury ... eplus.aspx

 

[jekyl]

Thanks for the ideas guys. Bill just wondering why you use 18' pitch and are obviously very happy with the performance; but recomend 17' for my boat? I noticed the 17' has larger (15 1/2) diameter to the 18" (15 3/8).

 

[Bill_N]

It depends on the load. That's what I was trying to say. If you run with 4-5 people and full fuel all the time get the 17's. If you run with 2-4 and 1/2 fuel most of the time the 18's are the ticket.

 

[gradyfish22]

I checked my mounting holes, my engines are actually mounted one bolt location up from the lowest location. My trim plate runs maybe 1" below the water, it could be higher, but up another hole would likely be the max height I would go because you would then be running like a go fast CC and this hull would not run well since there is no eurotransom or bracket to extend the engines further back to grab a hold of water easier in rougher seas.

You can also compare your scupper location and waterline to mine, in the picture I have a full aux tank and 50gal in my main tank, I also have 200lb of ice in the cockpit so I am trimmed aft basically as low as you will likely ever see the boat.

 

[jekyl]

Thanks for the great pics Tom, makes it much easier to comprehend. I have been talking to Propgods re 4 versus 3 blades........still unsure.

I went in today and they haven't got my motors on yet. I am having a new transom plate made to replace the old one. We are going to make this one cover the whole top of the transom and also put a teflon backing plate under the motor mounting plates to protect the transom from stress damage.

 

[fishingFINattic]

Do you have pictures of the plate? Will be closely following your upgrade!

 

[jekyl]

Not yet but I'm sure that can be arranged. It is not a big deal, and I'm not sure why the plate is done by Grady the way it is..........we have quite a few boats here that have an alloy cover plate over the top of the transom.

 

[Bill_N]

I am having a new transom plate made to replace the old one. We are going to make this one cover the whole top of the transom and also put a teflon backing plate under the motor mounting plates to protect the transom from stress damage.

What plate are you talking about? Is this the aluminum cap on the transom edge?

 

[jekyl]

Yes the exsisting plate appears to be slightly corroded on one end.

 

[jekyl]

Well after a lot of mucking around , the dealers finally got the motors off and then the alloy transom cap. To have a stainless full cap custom built was going to waste at least another 2 days and mean towing the boat to the metal fabrication yard.
When we removed the cap I was pleasantly surprised to see my nearly 10 year old transom was nice and dry and that there wasn't nearly as much timber exposed as I feared there might be .
So we have decided to just make a new stainless copy of the original and go heavy on the sikaflex.
I would love to know if there is a reason for Grady leaving the small gap under the cap. Most glass boats here have a protection strip of metal on the top of the outboard mounting bracket or transom but they are all completely glassed underneath.