On Wed, 20 Aug 2003 20:19:29 -0500, "Jason"
wrote:
Im questioning whether or not I have the correct prop on my outboard. I
purchased the boat used about a month ago. Its a 15' starcraft aluminum boat
with a 35 hp mercury (1985). Im confident that the outboard is tuned and
running well. I am getting about 22 mph (GPS) with two people onboard. I
never questioned the speed until I went on a friends 24 ' pontoon boat with
a 40hp motor and got to 18mph with 2 people on board. The weight difference
has to be huge in the two boats.

On my prop it has the following markings :
48 816704 A40 13P

I've looked on google for any info but have come up dry. Can anyone offer
any insight or am I running as can be expected.

22 MPH sounds about right to me for that boat/motor combination. When
I was a kid 35 HP motors were very common on 14 ft runabouts and we
used to get speeds in the low to mid 20s depending on the weight of
the boat. The only way to tell for sure is to check your RPMs at wide
open throttle and see where you are in the power curve.