Prop Selecton for 60's 16 w/volvo 250

[Magicallbill]

Hey Everybody,
Enjoy reading all the stuff. Glad to hear there are others who dig these old Donzi's too.
My son and I bought 2 Ski Sporters a 66 and a 68. They are restoration projects, and will be fitted with 342 engines.(Bored-out 302's they tell me. I'm new at this.) They will have approximately 310 to 320 HP when finished, and my mechanic says the old Volvos will eat about 50 or 60 horse. So I am figuring roughly 250-260 HP at the prop.
So, what kind of prop would be good for this combination? Can you even put a stainless on an old Volvo? I would think speeds in the upper 50's would be realistic, and would like to have good mid-range power with decent planing ability.
My son and I are real excited about getting these rigs together, and we'll show some pics when done. We know what these boats are and what they mean. If you all have some advice on this prop situation, I'd appreciate it. Thanks to Richard Weaver for the decals, Scott Pearson for the shifter knobs, and Tom St. Laurent for all the advice,

Bill

[MR.MAGIC]

I Have A 1968 -16 With A 270 Drive & A 351 Ford, I Use A 15 1/2 X 20 Ni-bral Works Great.

[BillG]

Volvo Ultra, if you can find one.

Bill G

[Forrest]

Wow! Two Donzis at once. Yep, the Ultra Prop is the way to go on the Volvo setup. There may be one or two for sale in the in the Parts of Sale section. Also, what gear ratios are in those drives?

[boldts]

I used to have a 1969 18' 2 + 3 H/M Classic. I had a 302 Ford (Not the H/M engine) with a 250 Volvo 1.61:1 ratio. Boat came with a bronze 14" dia. by 23" pitch turning left rotation that ran a little over 45 MPH.

Later, due to the quest for more speed, I changed the rotation of the 250 to a righty and put a Michigan Wheel 14" by 22" pitch stainless prop on the same combination. Couldn't at the time find an Ultra. We also filled the third trim hole and added some material to the ears to move this hole further out away from the transom. I believe we were able to get the hole out an additional 3/8" from the old centerline. Made a great difference in the bow lift and while I had no tabs on the boat, the list due to now turning a right hand rotation with a left driver position was not very bad or noticeable when I drove her by myself. (Yes, I miss that Donzi!)

[Magicallbill]

Thank you all for the replies. I will turn this info over to my mechanic. I tried to E-Mail Boating and Trailer Boating with no results. I should've found out the gear ratios, but I'll get 'em and let you all know. Thanks again


Bill