Prop Help

Jason,
We need some info. What prop is on it now? (dia. and pitch) What's the WOT? What do you want to do - better hole shot - better top end? What's the condition of the engine?

TRBenj wrote: Acme 541.

You sure about that Tim?

davidg wrote: Guys....What is the differnce in the AMCE 541 vs. 542....other than one:)??

One's a bacerds turnin' prop, t'other's snot (little smaller too)

ACME Props

davidg, I have a 540 on the boat right now we could take off if you want to run that too. I'm thinking you should just trailer over to Twin Lakes and you can try all 3 in one day. Grab some beers with Kenny then hit the hot tub!

MW Federal 13x12
MW Federal 13x13
ACME 540

What do you guys think about these ACME's for a Southwind? They have a 14" pitch vs. the 11.5 or 12" pitch. Is that too much pitch for these boats?

1598 13.00 14.00 .080 cup 3 1" RH
1458 13.00 14.00 .135 cup 3 1" RH

I don't think the hull clearance would work for a 14". I only have ~1/2" clearance now.

It would be an interesting exercise to try your different props to see which one works best with my motor/hull.

Which prop do you like best on your '88, and why?

Just like HW said, you dont want the 1458 or 1598 on a 351w powered Southwind- too much boat, not enough engine. Ive tried both of those props on our 55+mph 454 BFN and actually prefer the smaller of the two.

I agree that you probably cant fit a 14" diameter on a SW- our '79 BFN (no rear notch) has minimal clearance with a 13" wheel, and the hulls are supposed to be the same.

New CNC props tend to be more accurate in their dimensions. You'll see sizes like 13x12 (540 and 541) and 13x11.5 (542). Older non-CNC props just rounded their dimensions off. A 13x12 Acme doesnt spin too many more RPM than an equivalent 13x13 stock prop. In some cases, it will actually spin less- its all dependant on the condition of the stock prop.

Regardless, I think you'll find that the Acme's are at least as good as anything out there when it comes to efficiency- meaning they will transfer engine RPM's into speed. They'll also be great out of the hole, smooth, and hold speed well. Theyre the hands down choice on a modern ski boat, and in my opinion, a decently fast prop. Some of the fastest boats on the site run Acme props. The fastest running delinquents (Boat Dr. and Marshall Morgan) both have big-cube motors in small boats- and Acme doesnt make a prop for their application. Ive found that stock-ish boats will still run faster with an Acme- even the small 16-footers (and yes this was GPS verified on multiple boats). Just FYI.

David, long story short, try the 540. I think you'll love it. Theres a reason everyone here raves about it.

I suggested the 541 to Jason because unless Im mistaken, he's got a non-original LH motor in his Southwind. The 541 is the same prop as a 540, but LH.

I have two new Oj's here, one a 13X13 force.
I like the Acme's initial performance characteristics, however they seem to loose their shape and loose performance because of the thin blades and blade root. I also prefer the Oj because of it's robustness. we run a Oj on our 09 409 Correct Craft 196, it tends to out perform the 668 Acme that it came with in both deep water acceleration and top end. It also dropped the RPM at slalom speeds around 40 rpm's.

Joe,
You don’t see 500 hours on a boat per year either! Over at the ski school over 1500 hours a year get put on 2 boats. Joe do you support and operate as a factory rep at 6 major pro/world events each year? Also do you participate and drive nearly 25 record tournaments a year? Do you prep boats for these record tournaments???Have you driven the US Nationals three times? And driven the Moomba 11 times? Have you driven 5 world records in all three events? Do you have over 40 years experiance as a boat builder, boat racer and tournament skier? So if you did you would see what I have seen with the product over the last 8 years. Joe you go on drinking that ACME Kool-Aid and my boats will run circles around your ACME equipped boats.
When ACME first came on line at the factory I did all the initial testing and performance work with the product. It took OJ a few years to come out with a better mouse trap but CNC they did. I have a stack of ACME wheels here in my shop that took light hits from turtle’s small sticks and are so thin in the blades they bend and vibrate or small chunks out of them. I don’t see much of that with the OJ product. Also their are only two people that I know of that can repair an ACME and get it right and that’s the ACME factory and Skip Dunlap. I like the ACME product but have also seen over the years their weakness and feel that the Oj product is a superior product.
Diversity is what makes the world go round I will keep pushing the Oj product and if you don't buy it! Oh well!

I doubt the southwind is putting 1500hrs per year or many record runs, either brand should last a while

Hey no worries! Kinda like chevy vs Ford.