Pontoon Boat & Deck Boat Forum

Hi, I recently purchased a new 2016 premier pontoon boat with a 150 hp Etec. One of the special offers with the engine was to get a free SS prop. I need advice on what to get and I am pretty ignorant on how to make the best decision. I am sure the dealer will have input but I would like some feedback from the collective knowledge here to compare.

The pontoon is a triple tube 24 ft premier castaway. Weighs approx 2450 according to website. Typically head out with 2 people and gear rarely more than 4. I really am looking for the best top speed possible for heading to the fishing spots. I hear the choice is really between the rebel and the viper. Which prop and what diameter and pitch should I be going for? Thank in advance for your advice.

Leave it up to your dealer to prop your boat. Your hull/engine combination is a big seller and the chances are your dealer's sold other such boats like it.

I saw on my dealer prep checklist where Bennington spec'd my boat to have a 15 pitch prop. Different brands of engines use slightly different sizes and pitches of props, and your 2 stroke may not be propped like my 4 stroke engine.

Your ETEC doesn't require a relatively long break in period like the 4 strokes. Take it out with 1/2 tank of fuel and 2 people, trim the motor up to where the prop's not ventilating and see what your maximum rpm's are. Compare that with your engine's posted redline.

If you're not up against the engine's redline, have the dealer put another prop on where you'll hit no more and not much less than the redline.

When I was propping my Manitou's 250 Etec, I found the best prop for speed for a stock set up, was a Viper. The best overall prop for economy, skiiing and cruising, was a Rebel. My fastest was a Raker, but you won't be able to run that without a jackplate. They like to run with the tip of the prop just barely under the waters surface, with alot of trim.

Thanks guys. The thing I am worried about is only getting one chance for the prop. I don't the feeling they are going to support taking the boat out with one prop and not seeing the RPM's at the peak point etc. I think it is going to be here is what we recommend and that's it regardless of result

I would not see it so much as how many props they have tried on your specific boat, but how many props have they tried on boats just like yours over the years. I know first hand that Steve has tried multiple props on multiple Castaways over the years. He's played with with jack plates and engine height and all that fun stuff. Personally, having tried a couple of different props myself, we went with the Rebel 15/17. It's probably not the fastest we could do, but its smoother and more economical.

From my experience you can definitely spend too much time thinking about your prop (Bryden24shp! ). If you read posts on here you would think if you don't dial it in just right you may accidentally trigger the hidden self-destruct button or that that last 2-3 mph that you get by spending an extra $2K trying stainless steel props is the difference between getting home safely at night or not getting home at all. The reality is that most of us do just fine and enjoy the boat on whatever prop the dealer sets us up with. Anything extra if for those die hards with the passion, time, money and more than a bit of OCD.

I agree with jediger. Go with the prop the dealer recommends. You are NOT going to magically gain 10MPH by changing the prop. The dealers do this for a living. I think they probably know what they are doing.

You should make it plain to your dealer that you want your boat propped for your specific use. And if your boat runs much under or over the redline with the engine properly trimmed out, you want another prop installed.

My dealer started out with a Yamaha 14M prop, and I was running 36 mph. It would also hit 6300 rpms--where the rev limiter kicked in. I asked my dealer to reprop mine with a Yamaha Reliance 15 pitch prop, and it ended up perfect--6000 rpms and 40-41 mph. On Bennington's prep checklist, the company had already spec'd a 15 pitch prop.

Your dealer should be more than willing to comply with your wishes, as he also wants you to be a happy customer. Happy customers refer their friends and relatives to boat dealers.

And remember that some dealers are better at setting up boats than other dealers. My dealer happened to just sell one brand of pontoons/tritoons, and they knew exactly what notch to put my engine into for max performance. Had they raised me 1 notch, I would have bad ventilation. Had they dropped my engine down one notch, I would have lost 3-4 mph with the engine running too deep in the water.

Thx guys...consensus seems to be chill and trust my dealer. I appreciate the feedback...reaffirms the best decision is to trust the pro