3 or 4 Blade Propellers for SMALL Boats? 

throw a 75 on it with 25 stickers...thats what we do up here

I have an little 12 foot aluminum v-bottom aluminum boat with an 2010 20hp Yamaha 4 stroke. I recently installed a 4 blade propellor of an Honda 20hp 4 stroke. The boat definitely gets on plane much quicker. And it can even get on plane with 4 persons now.

thanks for spending a lot of time making this very usefull video.

Nice simple demonstration with the expected results. You want to see 5700 to 6000 rpms at full throttle to assure you are in the ECU optimal mapping curve. With a heavy boat weight, to low motor hp, as you are running, what you gain with a 4 blade is reduced slippage. When properly pitched you will improve hole shot and improve fuel effeciency (up to 10%) with a 4 blade due to reduced slippage. You will typically lose about 1 to 2 mph at top end (due to increased blade surface area), but gain about 10% in fuel effeciency if operated at a moderated planning speed (not wide open). The lighter the boat and the higher the speed the less improvement you will see with a 4 blade... that is why you see racing boats running 2 and 3 blade props (because slippage is not as much of an issue).

Ryan, great video. I have a 17’5’’ bayliner with a small 4 cylinder IO. I did the same propeller test and got pretty much the same results, 4 blade did make the hole shot better. Thought i might keep the 4 blade on until i noticed a significant change in the boats top speed handling, ‘’washing out’’kind of scary. not a fast boat at all. But never felt like that before with a 3 blade prop.

Late 69/70, Grandfather had a Mercury 2cycle 20 horse. I inherited the motor and put it on a 14' Deep V Sea Nymph. 2 blade prop, raised the motor up on the transom about 3/4" and it flew like the wind. It did want to lift when air got under the bow. It was a short shaft tiller motor. I did change the 2 blade aluminum prop for a 2 blade stainless 1 pitch up. The standard prop was a utility, not much rake to the prop and very little cup.

Thanks for uploading mate

Nicely done. Informative.

Thank you..I appreciated the tutorial given I'm a new boater with a similar boat. My Merc dealer installed a 4 blade with new 40 hp engine and I wasn't sure of the difference, reasons. Also, now that I have seen how easy it is to change the prop, I might carry an extra in case of mishap. Thanks!

I've tried 3 and 4 blade propellers on my 14 foot Polarkraft with a 20hp Mercury. I have really found little difference in top speed, or lift onto the plane, but slightly prefer the 4 blade, I definitely notice more bite when for example shifting to reverse and then back to forward. One of the problems in comparing is variations in design, some recommend dropping the pitch going to a 4 blade, with other props the pitch seems it can be kept the same on a 4 blade. It's really hard to get a definitive answer since even a slight change in the wind strength can affect my top speed by a couple of mph, so by the time you change the prop. you cannot guarantee the exact same conditions. All I can conclude is that while they provide very similar performance, the 4 blade does work better a little better for me and my boat, but again that could be just the fact the 4 blade suits the setup and gives the perfect rpm on the top end whereas the 3 blade tends to over rev in one pitch and bog a little in the higher pitch. There are just so many variables.

Definitely sticking with 3 blade now👍

That boat needs a 90's two stroke 50hp. I can't believe any dealer would even sell a boat like that with a 25hp motor.

the test in the future you may want to consider is getting out the chart for you motor to see at what rpm your torque first starts to peak and run the test at that rpm range. The 4 prop will increase the efficiency for a given fuel burn by pushing more water. High rpm runs over a period time is a good way to burn up /pit your props when you start air rating the water at high rpm spin

I had a similar boat with a 70hp Yamaha 2005 2 stroke great combo! Good on fuel too

Yup i miss my grandpa being around i use to take boat rides with em on his little 16ft lund boat with a 25 yamaha that 16ft lund was light he had trim and tilt on his 25 yamaha it would fly over the shallows even if it only got a top speed of 27mph

Did you really say "hammer down" with a 25hp motor?

Just get a 50 man it would fit that boat perfectly even if it’s not “rated” for a 50 you can always strengthen up the transom if needed but you be able to hit 25 mph a lot quicker and easier than what your working with. Good and informative video man🍻

What's more important is the pitch. I recently changed my prop pitch and while I lost little holes hot speed, it had a higher cruse speed with lower rpm which equals fuel savings. Plus I can troll slightly faster with the same engine speed. Best is to have your local marine service provider supply you with the best prop for your specific boat

When you guys go to a 4 bladed prop, drop down 1 size in pitch and keep the engine in the correct recommended RPM range and you can have the best of both worlds hole shot and top speed or at lease the same speed you had before the swap.

I was thinking of going with a 4 blade , NOT now ! Great video thanks 👏👏👏👏👏👏

Thanks I have the same motor and always wanted to know what difference props would be on our motors

Not gonna lie, I think you should get twice as much motor, lol.

You could time the time to get on plane. We're they the same pitch? I think you need to step down 2 pitch to get that four blade back into the proper rpm. That four blade really sounded like it was lugging that motor though even WOT!

as my pioner 10 in the first with a bit slow up on plane, i changed it today from a 8,5 to 7,5 and it was like a new boat, and it is just 2 years old a polyethylene often used down a fjord. Greased in the shaft and bott 3 blades, i have the "old" as a spare. But it impressive how a slightly prop change make better performance. Engine a Tohatsu 4 stroke 209 ccm 2021 ab 150 hours

Dude !!!! I have this same 25 hp on my 13 whaler and have trouble getting on plane alone. With a heavy load and passenger I can’t get on plane. I thought about 4 blade prop for torque but ended up learning that I need to keep 3 blade and lower my pitch. 4 blade prop isn’t ganna help out problem. Which btw is the fact the motor is unable to reach its rpm’s and power band in a timely manner. Thank you for the video though. Much appreciated

Great review.

Drop the pitch on the 4 and you'll gain back top end and better shot

I would be curious to see if you got the same top speed as the 3 blade with one less pitch on the 4 blade.

If the 4 blade prop has the same pitch as your 3 blade prop then you're not going to achieve the manufacturers recommended rpm at WOT. In which case you may damage the gear case of your motor over time. What pitch is the 3 and 4 blade props?

keep 3 blade reduce pitch ie from 16 to 14 or even 13 fit a stingray cavitation plate and increase rpm to 6g and youll be fine or up grade to 50 hp.cheers

Good video really good walk through on the prop change but the hull need more hp or less weight i would definitely try shifting some weight from the bow to the stern even if its just a battery I have a 16x48 riveted flat with a 25 2 stroke and run 28 with two men fishing gear ice chest 20lbs of ice 1 battery and 6 gal of fuel granted my hull is much lighter but your boat should not be that slow out of the hole regardless I also notice your trim tabs are set very low id like to know why they are set like that that may be another good reason your struggle out of the hole

Nice boat that thing pushes good for 25hp an nice spot to put it in water c-54 is awesome

Just forgot to add your anti-seize on you spacer and shaft nut👍❤️Great video👍

Pitch plays a huge role in it...yours dropped 300 RPMs...had you put the correct pitch on there, you would have gained top end....you want to be as close to your max rpm as possible, you still had 600 RPMs to go. Not to mention, you could be causing damage to that nice Yamaha, outboards are meant to run wide open. You need to drop it about 2 pitches

You did a excellent comparison. I already new the answer but you did a great job explaining and showing the mph&rpm range of the 3 and 4 blade. It's possible under certain conditions if and I repeat if with the 3 blade using the power trim a experienced boater can achieve getting on plane and top end over the 4 blade. But I myself use a 4 blade on a Alumacraft Classic 165 with a four stroke 60 h.p. And the performance is great. Thanks again I enjoyed your video.

I like 4-blades as well. That hydrofoil will cost you top end speed. As many have said you are over pitched. If you want to run that 4-blade you could try to remove the hydrofoil and raise the engine a bit. The 4-blade will grip better so you can run the motor higher and you already have smart tabs so the hydrofoil may be overkill.

On my Mercruiser 425 HO i had a 4 blades stainless steel prop and good performance.....

I'm wondering why you went with a larger diameter 4-blade prop. I also noticed that the 4-blade hurt your max RPM a bit. My understanding is (was?) that when going from a 3-blade to a 4-blade, you usually go DOWN an inch (or more) in PITCH. I wonder if you would have kept your max RPM by going with a same diameter 4-blade, but a 9 or 10 inch pitch. What are your thoughts on that?

It would be interesting to see you do the same test without the hydrofoil on the motor (I apologize if you have already done this, I didn't look back through all your videos). Years ago I had a small inflatable with a 15 hp outboard. I put a hydrofoil on it thinking it would help it get on plane when I had a heavy load. It didn't. I discovered there were conditions where I couldn't get on plane at all with the hydrofoil, but without it I could struggle onto plane with proper weight shifting. However, the hydrofoil did improve high speed stability when lightly loaded.

Thanks good clear presentation😊😊😊

Definitely need a lower pitch prop, engine should be hitting near 6000rpm at WOT.

an obvious advantage of a 4 blade prop over a 3 blade is its smoothness, the other parameters can make both props very similar performance.

Pitch and diameter. Get the right combination for your boat set up and you can achieve hole shot and top end speed with either 3 or 4 blades

What about sizes - swapping from 3 to 4 etc also means a change in diameter and pitch to get the best out of the engine.

Should have stated what pitch the different props were before each test in the video. That info is critical in this kind of comparison (yes, I know it was in the description).

I run a 3 blade 11” prop on my 20 hp 14’ Arrow Glass restored boat... only runs about 20 mph top speed but gets on plane quick. My old 50 hp Johnson was big, bulky and pushed that thing all over the water but I just couldn’t afford a 50 hp.... your rig is nice...... love it

I put a 4 blade prop on my 20ft bayliner ski boat n yesss I made a. Big Difference on the Hole Shot...I did loose 3mph on top end..

Can you operate the engine higher up on the jack plate now that the 4 blades have more bite?

You did a good job of making me decide not to dog my engine for miles for a few seconds of acceleration . Also the loss of fishing time was negligible at two MPH . You just sold a bunch of 3 blade props for somebody . Enjoyed the video ! Can I borrow your boat ?

I've got a 1960 Glasspar Citation with a 1969 Mercury 65hp outboard. I tried a four blade on the recommendation of a local boat propeller shop. My boat couldn't do better than 5mph at full throttle with that thing on. With my three blade props, I do 32 to 34mph.

good comparison i have a 15 foot runabout fibeerglass and i noticed you were doing lower revs with the 4 blade than the 3 and you lost 2mph or 3kmh where i come from which is stuff all so by doing less revs your fuel is extended your engne isnt working as hard but it might take you a few minutes to get to the fishing spot may look into a 4 blade

I have a 4 blade 10 pitch on my 20 Honda i get 23 mph I have a 3 blade ordered but I am going to try it with a 11 pitch hoping there will be a noticeable difference. I don't know if you mentioned it but I'm presuming both of your props where the same pitch.

Great video! I too had to dabble a bit with lower pitch and go with a 4blade prop to get the boat to run how I would like it.. I'm a big fan of a 4blade prop.. Especially when boat runs 80Percent loaded to the gills with weight. Are you from SF? I have a feeling I've seen you out in the Glades before. I'm new to your channel, I liked and subscribed.. Blessings my friend and stay safe.

Sounds like a 25 is underpowered for that boat, but if you are happy with it, that's all that counts. That was a good demo between 3 and 4 blade props.

Drop a inch on pitch on the 4 blade and get rid of the hydrofoil and it will run alot better

I have a 1752 allwelded boat and had a Yamaha 15 gave to me for now but need a bigger motor no doubt! Any for sale ?? Haha

Hey what’s up man I have a jv17 with a 30hp Yamaha on it and I’m about to re-prop it do you know what pitch your 3 blade prop is ?

Hello Just subscribed, we just bought a new 60 hp Mercury 4 stroke with a 3 blade👍🏼🇺🇸

Y si en lugar de cambiar por helice de 4 palas se coloca una de 3 pero de mas paso? y una de 2 palas pero mas paso aun ? Saludos desde Argentina.

hey guys I didn't watch the entire video but did he go down in Pitch when he put the 4 blade on? can anyone answer that for me? I was told you have to do that to compensate for the extra drag to get your Rpm range back up

you never mentioned the pitch of the propeller which has everything to do with how fast the boat planes or your power trim which also has everything to do with the boat coming up on plane ! do you know about this ?

Question if this is even going to get red because it's the video was made a year ago. I have a 16 ft with a 1991 Evinrude 40 horsepower outboard motor what type of prop do I need for this outboard motor? And should it be a three or four propeller??

Raise the motor up like 3” on the transom, you’ll be able to run a higher pitch prop.

When he said hammer down and i saw how that thing accelerated i was like 😦

At idle speed which propeller was slower? Asking for all the trollers out there.

That thing goes as fast as me in my dinghy with only 6hp fourstroke mercury on a roughneck boat 3.60 lol.

Nahh man. You need about a 75 horse Johnson 2 stroke.

Thank you your video is a little slow but I GREATLY appreciate your putting out this free information and sharing your experiment. I am trying to figure out my prop situation. I have a 115 Yamaha and my +/- 2800 pounds boat load feels like a pig to get it on plane, now I just hit something and destroyed my propeller, time to upgrade

I have a 12x36 jon boat with 9.8 Tohatsu 4stroke. I changed to a prop with more pitch and gained 6mph on the big end. Goes 28mph

nice video man

It's all about trim. If your trimmed all the way down like you should be. You will pop right on to plsne. Then slowly toggle your trim up until you see your speed start to decrease. By .2 or .3 mph...... then you know your top high then trim it down just a tiny bit. But remember to trim down next time you take off.

If I can help it I never reuse a cotter pin

does an heavyer prop earch higher top speed than an light one

The 4 blade is almosy always better overall. I have a 3 and 4 blade on my 30hp mercury and 16ft fishing boat. I lose about 1-2 mph of top end but everything else including plane and fuel mileage is better with the 4 blade , especially with more weight on the boat.

What pitch props did you use?

what was the pitch for 3 and 4 blade propeller? did they have the same pitch and diameter?

I got a free Yamaha 8hp four stroke long shaft wut kind of boat should I get for it?

i have a boat alot like this one and was wondering if ARMY grease would do as well as MARINE grease?

Is the wave behind the boat bigger with a 4 blade prop or with a 3 blade prop?

According to my Yamaha mechanic, he wants 4 strokes to be at the top end near 6000 rpm at wot. Your was at 5400 rpm, you should drop about 4 inches of pitch, better for your engine.

I have a 20 footer w/ a mercury 150hp. It has the wrong foot. Some people say it has a better gear ratio. Don't know if that's true. 4 blade prop, says ski prop right on it. Boat will practically jump out of the water and lands on a plane. Ok, been on a lot of boats and seeing a couple of things that bother me. The motor looks, at least to me, like it is mounted a little low. Wake doesn't look right. In the center right behind the motor looks a little flat and wider than normal. Pulls to the right like a S.O.B. prop turns clockwise if viewed looking at the boat from behind. Top end not too impressive but it's heavier than it looks. Most of zinc fin cut away to clear prop adjusted as far as it will go to trim steering. No visible hull anomalies. Any ideas, anyone?

ever notice tug boats have 4 an sometimes 5 blade props and speed boats have 2 blade props ? is it starting to make sense yet ?

Some more info for anyone with an F25 Yamaha. Solas only goes down to an 11" pitch 4 blade in the Aluminum. The stock prop the F25 comes with is an 11" pitch. I tried the Solas 11" 4 blade and it was disappointing in a 15.5' Merc inflatable with a large load. Wouldn't get on step and RPMs were way down. Swapped for a Yammy 3 blade 10" pitch and up on step no problem, good RPMs. Getting the 9" pitch 3 blade Yammy to try. Not sure why Solas doesn't offer the 4 blade Aluminum in a 10" pitch? You can get it in the Stainless version down to 9", but spendy.

suggestion sir: check lower unit depth.... many times this is not set properly for given application and it effects all aspects of operation..... ive had several C.S. boats and they all outperformes all expectations once i added power lol yer gonna end up repowering this ride lol

Rayn it also depends on the pitch of the prop

Hydrofoil and tabs aren’t helping you at all there.

If you wan't to accelerate fast you need a lower pitch prop. You need four blades when your prop doesn't seem to get a grip on the water if you trim the engine high or in bad weather. Four blades is slower because it has more resistance and drag.

Merci beaucoup

Sorry i didnt read all 300 comments, but did you use the same pitch between the two? Also you can drop down one more in pitch and get the speed and rpms back.

I have a 90's 15 hp Honda outboard and a 15-foot aluminum boat that is at its weight max or close to it. I am a heavier guy, and though it is close, it will not get on plane. Do you think a 4 blade would make the difference for me?

What was the pitch on both propellers? I wonder if you put a higher pitch on the 4 blade would it have increased mph?

what pitch is the stock prop? the Solis 4 blades come in 7p 8 p 9p or 10pitch i think ..i would drop the 4 blade by 1 pitch and try again. thumbs up

Hello! Awesome channel !! I need some help please. I see you fitted your boat with a foil and tabs along with upgrading your prop. I own a 160 dauntless with a 115 optimax. I had problems with holeshots and planing my boat and it was fixed when i added the foil. I recently added a t-top and fixed 2 heavy coolers, that brought back the holeshot problem. The prop on the engine now is a P17 (stock i think) its a bit warn out. Ive been searching for solutions and planning to get bennett self leveling tabs and what to upgrade the prop with one that would solve my problem Your insight will be highly appreciated 😎

There's to many variables your not including in this video like the pitch of the 3 blade and pitch of 4 blade also need tilt and trim set in exactly same position for both. Because i could put a 3 blade on it that would snatch your head off with no top end

I just watched and enjoyed your video. I will be doing the same experiment on my 20hp Suzuki. I am going to drop down one pitch size however. I did try dropping down one pitch size with a 3 blade prop compared to stock and I did hit the rev limiter at wide open throttle. Perhaps the 4 blade will be a better match.

Hello! Do you think a 4 propellor blade will pull a wakeboarder faster/stronger out of the water? Example: pulling a person of 65kg out of water is no issue. When trying with a person of 80kg it has not enough power.

I watched the same exact video but on plane propellers

Trim tabs and hydrofoil are not working?

You could have done the same a different pitch blade

I have a Skiff with a Yamaha 90hp. I have a 4 blade and when I go to get on plane it seems to churn so much air that I need to feather the throttle slowly to make it plane out. My jack plate is all the way down and motor has no tilt. Anyone have any thoughts?