I still do not know if my prop is pitched right and do not even know
my real mpg for my Tolman. Whenever I look at my fuel meter and
divide the speed by it I get roughly 4-4.5 mpg. HOWEVER, I have only
had the boat to WOT twice because conditions never allow it. When I
was at WOT, I forgot to look at the tach. This means I cannot
determine if I am pitched right for WOT. BUT, does WOT mean anything
if conditions do not allow me to use it?
I cannot complain about fuel usage because i have never used more than
7 gallons/day, even when we spent the afternoon with 6 people aboard
towing the tube (90 hp 2 cycle Yamaha). My recent scalloping trips
used only 6 gallons each. With so little fuel usage, is there any
reason to worry about proper pitch?

On Aug 17, 5:02*pm, wrote:
I still do not know if my prop is pitched right and do not even know
my real mpg for my Tolman. *Whenever I look at my fuel meter and
divide the speed by it I get roughly 4-4.5 mpg. *HOWEVER, I have only
had the boat to WOT twice because conditions never allow it. *When I
was at WOT, I forgot to look at the tach. *This means I cannot
determine if I am pitched right for WOT. *BUT, does WOT mean anything
if conditions do not allow me to use it?
I cannot complain about fuel usage because i have never used more than
7 gallons/day, even when we spent the afternoon with 6 people aboard
towing the tube (90 hp 2 cycle Yamaha). *My recent scalloping trips
used only 6 gallons each. *With so little fuel usage, is there any
reason to worry about proper pitch?

If the prop is a little too small then there's not really much issue
as long as you are careful not to run at wot for any length of time.
Too large creates an additional load on the engine no matter what
speed you run at. If it seems to be performing reasonably then odds
are good that the prop is in the ballpark.

wrote:
On Aug 17, 5:02 pm, wrote:
I still do not know if my prop is pitched right and do not even know
my real mpg for my Tolman. Whenever I look at my fuel meter and
divide the speed by it I get roughly 4-4.5 mpg. HOWEVER, I have only
had the boat to WOT twice because conditions never allow it. When I
was at WOT, I forgot to look at the tach. This means I cannot
determine if I am pitched right for WOT. BUT, does WOT mean anything
if conditions do not allow me to use it?
I cannot complain about fuel usage because i have never used more than
7 gallons/day, even when we spent the afternoon with 6 people aboard
towing the tube (90 hp 2 cycle Yamaha). My recent scalloping trips
used only 6 gallons each. With so little fuel usage, is there any
reason to worry about proper pitch?

If the prop is a little too small then there's not really much issue
as long as you are careful not to run at wot for any length of time.
Too large creates an additional load on the engine no matter what
speed you run at. If it seems to be performing reasonably then odds
are good that the prop is in the ballpark.



Interesting. Conditions on the Gulf are so bad that Brother O'Hara has
only been able to run his engine up to WOT *twice*? I had no idea that
area of the Gulf was so rough all the time. The few times I have been on
it, all I saw were nice gentle rollers that I would have been able to
run my smaller outboard boats in at WOT or close to it.

Heck, even my buddies with perfectly flat-bottomed Carolina Skiffs were
on occasion running at WOT in the Atlantic Ocean.

I wonder what the "specs" are on that Tolman that make it such a "flat
water" boat. What does the boat weigh? What is the deadrise at the
transom? What are its dimensions?

On Mon, 18 Aug 2008 05:33:47 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

If the prop is a little too small then there's not really much issue
as long as you are careful not to run at wot for any length of time.

At WOT the engine speed will be above redline. Don't do it at all if
you want the engine to last. Install a tach if you don't already have
one. Maybe you could trade the wrong prop for the right one. It is
like having a numerically large rear axle on a car. More engine speed
for the groundspeed. You have better accelleration at all speeds with
a slightly small prop. Watch that tach and figure on burning slightly
more fuel due to higher average engine speed.

Too large creates an additional load on the engine no matter what
speed you run at. If it seems to be performing reasonably then odds
are good that the prop is in the ballpark.

Buy, borrow or rent a tach. Better yet, install one. The quick and
easy way is to email the boat builder. After all, what would he know?

Casady

On Aug 18, 11:54*am, (Richard Casady)
wrote:
On Mon, 18 Aug 2008 05:33:47 -0700 (PDT), wrote:
If the prop is a little too small then there's not really much issue
as long as you are careful not to run at wot for any length of time.

At WOT the engine speed will be above redline. Don't do it at all if
you want the engine to last. Install a tach if you don't already have
one. Maybe you could trade the wrong prop for the right one. It is
like having a numerically large rear axle on a car. More engine speed
for the groundspeed. You have better accelleration at all speeds with
a slightly small prop. Watch that tach and figure on burning slightly
more fuel due to higher average engine speed.

Too large creates an additional load on the engine no matter what
speed you run at. *If it seems to be performing reasonably then odds
are good that the prop is in the ballpark.

Buy, borrow or rent a tach. Better yet, install one. The quick and
easy way is to email the boat builder. After all, what would he know?

Casady

Clearly from his original post he has a tach.

Most boat engine redlines are considered "sustained". I often run a
prop that allows me to exceed redline when the boat load is light so
that I still have a good holeshot when the boat is loaded. You just
need to keep an eye on the tach and not run it for long periods above
redline.

is there any reason to worry about proper pitch?

Certainly. Under pitch the prop, and over rev your engine. Over pitch
the prop, and overload your engine.
Your engine should have a " recommended " rev limit. Pitch the prop to
get close to that figure, and your fine. I changed from a 16 pitch to
an 18 on my Chris, and get more top end, but now my trolling speed is
a little too high.

On Mon, 18 Aug 2008 09:06:10 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

On Aug 18, 11:54*am, (Richard Casady)
wrote:
On Mon, 18 Aug 2008 05:33:47 -0700 (PDT), wrote:
If the prop is a little too small then there's not really much issue
as long as you are careful not to run at wot for any length of time.

At WOT the engine speed will be above redline. Don't do it at all if
you want the engine to last. Install a tach if you don't already have
one. Maybe you could trade the wrong prop for the right one. It is
like having a numerically large rear axle on a car. More engine speed
for the groundspeed. You have better accelleration at all speeds with
a slightly small prop. Watch that tach and figure on burning slightly
more fuel due to higher average engine speed.

Too large creates an additional load on the engine no matter what
speed you run at. *If it seems to be performing reasonably then odds
are good that the prop is in the ballpark.

Buy, borrow or rent a tach. Better yet, install one. The quick and
easy way is to email the boat builder. After all, what would he know?

Casady

Clearly from his original post he has a tach.

Most boat engine redlines are considered "sustained". I often run a
prop that allows me to exceed redline when the boat load is light so
that I still have a good holeshot when the boat is loaded. You just
need to keep an eye on the tach and not run it for long periods above
redline.

That is a new one on me. Every redline I have encountered in the last
fifty years has meant 'never exceed'. There may be a lower yellow line
marking maximum continuous. I do not believe boat engine redliines are
somehow different from all the rest.

Casady