Propeller pitch

"I have a 1995 Evinrude Vindic

"I have a 1995 Evinrude Vindicator 200. The prop I have currently is a 17 pitch. I was told I should either get a 19 pitch, or not run my motor at full throttle with a 17 pitch. The prop I have now is off an Evinrude 150.

Your thoughts are welcome, thanks!"

"Do you have a tach??? If you

"Do you have a tach??? If you are not exceeding the Wide Open Throttle (WOT) range for you motor, then run the prop....

Two identical boats, with the exact same motor may need to run a different pitch because one may routinely carry a single passenger with little to no gear, the other may carry a whole family with a days supply of stuff.

Pitch is determined by the WOT of "YOUR" boat, not "Bob's" or the "this guy" at the marina.....

Try opening it up with the 17 pitch - if you don't exceed WOT spec, you're fine...."

"Hey Graham,

Thanks for the

"Hey Graham,

Thanks for the advice. t was the mechanic that told me not to run it past 5500 RPM with that prop, but if I got a 19 pitch I could run it a full throttle. Really I only put the throttle up to get on plane, after that I lower it down to about 4000 or 4500 RPM. I do have a tach and haven't gone past 5000 RPM, but here on the ocean if I carch a current or go with the tide then she tends to RPM more naturally. I guess I'll just have to be careful. It's a 2-stroke so I should be running it at higher speeds."

"As long as you don't exce

"As long as you don't exceed the max WOT recomendation, you will be fine. The lower pitch will allow you to run the boat heavier than the 19 would for sure.

Also, as the tempurature/humidity climbs throughout the summer, your motor will labour and appreciate the lower pitch.

There is actually a science to matching pitch to the boat/motor/displacement.

The 19 pitch would have the effect of cutting your max rpms by about 400. 2 strokes like to run (in) their max range.

The range for your motor is 5000 - 6000. I would peg your optimal at about 5750. So "if" you could achieve that with the 19p then running the 17 "would" put you just over the top..."