Earlier this week, I saw a 26x for sale on the side of the road. Of course, I had to stop and take a look at it. It was a heavily modified '97 with a 2002 Honda 50. On the info flyer, it stated the boat could go 24mph under power (which I assumed was just repeating the standard factory statement). Regardless, noting the nice Honda stainless steel prop the boat had, and wondering what kind of difference in motoring performance it would make, I called the seller. He said although he thought it could get up to 24mph with some gear removed, his top speed was more like about 22mph.
I was very intrigued at this point (I get about 17mph with my aluminum Honda prop), but he was measuring his speed with a "paddlewheel" gauge, while I measure mine with the GPS, so I thought that perhaps his speed indicator wasn't perfectly accurate. But still, that's an awfully big increase in top end speed, and if true, this might be the holy grail of 26x props.
Anyway, I asked if I could borrow the prop for a day (with a security deposit given) to see what kind of speed I got with it on my boat, and he agreed. Yesterday evening, I went out for a quick run on the bayou, and found that my speed and RPMs were about the same as my aluminum prop (17mph / 6,000 RPM). My aluminum prop is 11 3/4 x 10, while his SS is 11 3/4 x 9. I guess the firmer blades of the SS prop account for it turning at the same speed as the steeper pitched aluminum prop. Oh well, it was worth a shot, and I was happy to have had a chance to try the prop on my boat without having to buy one. I returned it to him this evening.
I told him how it went, and as I was about to leave, as an afterthought, I asked him what his top RPM was. This is where it gets REALLY interesting... he said his motor runs WOT at 5,500 RPM. Huh?
Our boats are very similar... both have quite a bit of extra gear on board, so I think the weight is probably about the same, and both are bottom painted, and both have Honda 50's (his is a 2002, mine is a 2000). But, for some reason, his no-ballast WOT RPM (with the same prop) is substantially lower than mine. Plus, depending on whether or not his speed indicator is accurate, his top speed is higher than mine.
Setting aside the speed thing (which may or may not be accurate) for a moment, is there any logical explanation for the RPM difference? Is it possible that Honda changed the gear ratio or something in the later model motor?
--Mike
Honda Prop Mystery
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Richard Lisch
- Chief Steward
- Posts: 63
- Joined: Tue Jan 06, 2004 8:50 am
- Location: Puerto Rico