2003 Ranger 521VX W/ Honda 225 Prop & Setup Question

[Texas.Bred]

I need some Honda Expert Help!!

I bought this boat in February 2010, and i am not sure if I am getting all that i can from my Honda.

Here is what i have:

Boat:
2003 Ranger 521VX 21.3ft 92 1/2 Beam 1,860 Dray Weight

Motor:
Honda BF225 VTEC BAGJ1100160
Saber Lower Unit
6" TH Marine Pro Hi-Jacker HP - W/ Holeshot Plate
PowerTech 4 Blade 23 Pitch 15.25 Diameter Right hand Rotation (OFX4R23P)
Prop height is 2" below pad

Performance:
WOT 5400rpm, water psi 20, tournament load, 1/2 tank of fuel, 60mph, 2 people 56mph.

PowerTech has recommended a OFX4R21P
Steve's Custom Props recommended a Tempest Plus 3 blade 23 pitch.

What prop do you think would perform better? The OFX4R21P seems like I would gain more hole shot but lose more topend. I would think the Tempest would be a better fit, but i am use to 2 strokes.

I am not trying to go a 100 mph, just trying to get all of the potential out of the motor that i can. I would like to get in the mid to upper 60's.

Any help or advise would be greatly appreciated, Thanks.

[Bigron119]

Like in the other post. 2 strokes are not the same as 4 strokes. I tried and tried to use the same thinking but it doesn't work out the same. I tried the Tempest and the Yamaha props on my 225 but they don't have enough diameter. They would blow out when I tried to accelerate. And if u went to the higher pitch then you would loose top end. Finally to make a humble man out of me I thought the same "2 stroke" thought process of higher pitch would gain more speed would also work, but it didn't.
So I would tend to believe that the Power Tech recommendation would be a better choice than the Tempest. The 21 OFX will increase your top end RPM closer to the optimum of 6000RPM and should also gain more top end speed. Another thing is that Honda's "got to be high" on the transom. The only thing you might consider is a 3 blade 21 Power Tech. The 4 blade is more stable and better on the hole shot but the 3 blade should give more top end. My general rule of thumb is to forget the 2 stroke stuff and learn it allllllll NEW for the Honda. Just my experience's.

[Team Hobbie Hut]

I am running a 23 pitch Tempest Plus with all three holes plugged solid. 62 gps with a full tournament load and good hole shot.

[Texas.Bred]

Here a post that got left out durning the BBC update.

HondaRay:

Ranger buddy,
Because of the design of your hull, moving your batteries is not necessary. My suggestion is the 23" Tempest or the 23" OFS or OFX.
Who owned the boat originally?
You rather buy a OFX from PowerTech. Does your present propeller have Honda etched on the tube??
Again you need solid vent plugs on the Mercury props. You also should check wide open throttle (at the throttle body).

[Texas.Bred]

Here is another.

921 Pro XP:

Try a 3 bladed prop, it should be faster then your 4 blade.

921 Pro XP

[Texas.Bred]

HondaRay,

Not sure if you got my reply, but a guy name Bob Bennet out of South Carolina owned the boat originally. My current prop does not have Honda etched on the tube, just PowerTech OFX4R23P.I have also double checked the throttle cable to verify that it was achieving WOT at the throttle body. jpt7779 has a OFS 22 pitch 3 blade prop that he may let me test on my boat to see how it performs. I wonder what performance differences there are between the OFS 23P 3 blade and the OFX 23P 3 blade?

Do you think that the Fury 24 pitch 3 blade would not be a good choice? I believe that you mentioned something about the fury prop in a previous post just cant find it.

Thanks for your help!!