22zx Prop

[jeepfan99]

Went to pick up my boat today and some scumbag has stolen my prop. I need some advice on selecting the proper propeller for my setup, obviously you are the group to ask. I have tech knowledge with Jeeps but not marine applications so forgive my ignorance. ANY and ALL advice is greatly appreciated.

Specs:
2000 22zx
350 MAG/MPI
Alpha 1 Outdrive


Old prop (from what I remember)
Bravo1
4 Blade
24 pitch

I am unsure of the diameter or the proper direct replacement. I am not sure if there is a easy to look up the information based on the hull ID like a cars VIN number. Since I have to buy a new prop upgrading is an option. The boat is used in primarily calm water, occasional 2-3ft chop. Looking for top speed/all around performance, the boat ran 65.5 on gps

[Last Tango]

That is exactly the same prop and pitch I use on my 22ZX now. I have the same motor, but a Bravo One drive with a 1.65:1 reduction ratio.
Bravo I from Mercury Marine
24P (4 bladed) stainless steel)

[brwn234]

Same prop on my 2000, 7.4 MPI, Bravo I. Bravo I 4 blade 24p.

[fasttrucker]

Thats my prop also.

[jeepfan99]

Would you guys happen to have the model/part number of the prop. I want to make sure I order the correct one, I know the old one had the numbers embossed. Thanks for the responses.

[mrfixxall]

Would you guys happen to have the model/part number of the prop. I want to make sure I order the correct one, I know the old one had the numbers embossed. Thanks for the responses.


try a revolution 4, from what i hear its a little faster prop..

[VetteLT193]

You can find them used on ebay. Sometimes here in the FS section, Offshoreonly usually has some for sale too along with a few other sites.

[Dr. David Fleming]

I have that propellor for sale if - you want a good price - it is in the original box and in perfect condition. 586-747-9272

Dr. D

[jeepfan99]

Great news, I will give you a call tomorrow. Is there a particular time that works best for you, I am on PST

[Dr. David Fleming]

Call me tomorrow evening and I will express it to you ASAP you should have it in a day if you want to pay the freight. Glad to see it go to good home - it ran 64mph with the stock 7.4mpi my 22zx came with. I put in the 502MAG MPI engine with headers and am using the 26p bravo I and going to a 28p because the engine is running at 5500 which is high for the big mercruiser. The 24p was great prop for me.

Dr. d

[22zxla]

wow, am i the only one running a 23p 3 blade? Thats what my 99, 454mpi brovo 1 came with. Im hitting 4600rpm, thats wot.

[Dr. David Fleming]

Props are a real art form. Merc makes so many of them because they can have such a big effect on performance. The right prop and you and have a different boat from a wrong prop. Merc has done some literature for the average person to read about this. Basically the fewer blades the more efficient the prop - this means the more speed. Two blades are the oldschool racing propellor. More blades are more drag but they grip better. Technically a three blade is a higher speed prop than a four blade. But some boats need the four to get the power into the water. Blades can be raked backwards, have a meat cleaver type edge to run half way out of the water and still hold, they can cup the back edge of the blades = this means the trailing edge is bent slightly to help hold down the engine rpm and act like a lower pitch prop.

This is all so complicated that only a certified guru like B-Blades or Merc Racing really knows all that goes on. Bret at B- was telling me that he cannot make two identical props perform the same, you have to be kind of lucky to get the sweet prop.

The 22zx in 1999 had a step hull which is a big vent added under the back of the boat - it runs from side to side. This gets air under the stern and the boat really flys - problem is with air under the ass, the thing can go out of control and spin easily - which is a real caution on the 22. The four blade prop lifts the back of the boat higher because the blades have a lifting effect produced as a result of the side thrust of water off of the prop - this also happens with a higher pitch prop because more of the blade is sideways to the direction of its travel.

According to Chris C the chief engineer who designed the 22zx they built the boat for the four blade Bravo I prop. 24 pitch is the one for 350 and 454 mpi engines 26 pitch for the 454 MAG MPI and 502 MAG MPI. But the more power your engine makes the higher pitch it will need to keep the engine speed down and boat speed up. 28 pitch on my 502 added about 2-4 mph and the 30 pitch 4-6 mph. The engine speed with the 26p was 5400 rpm and with the 28 was 5000 rpm and with the 30 should be about 4600 rpm. My 502 peak power is at about 4500 with a stock camshaft but it is a big fat power peak producing about 445 hp over a range of 1000 rpm with headers.

I would say your three blade prop was an attempt to hide an engine problem or control problem letting the boat drop a little in the water at high speed - it also could be an attempt to go faster. You didn't say what three blade it was - possibly a Merc Mirage which I have seen Donzi use on twin engine boats? Did you say what GPS speed you were running?

Dr. d

[Last Tango]

Dr. d,
Nice post! I am going to do a cut and paste of your post and add it to my thread on my '06 22ZX, with credit to you, of course.

My boat came with a Bravo 1 22p 4-bladed prop, which I quickly discovered was too small.* I jumped to a 24P which was MUCH better, but still allowed the engine to hit the redline at 5250rpm. So I had the prop redone to a 24 3/8's pitch. That kept the revs to a max of about 5050 rpm and gave a better hole shot and more mid-range power and slightly higher speed per rpm in my cruising speed range.
However, shortly thereafter, "they" started to add Ethanol to gas (I was trailering and buying at the gas stations) and my speed fell off and the max rpm's fell off as well over time, down into the 4750 rpm range. I was planning on going back to a straight 24P, however I now rack my boat and the marina sells gas that is Certified Ethanol Free. When the last of my pump gas is gone, I will refuel with the ethanol free gas and see if that returns my rpm's, mph's and gph's before going back to a straight 24P.

* It is my belief that despite whatever prop was on your boat from the dealer or previous buyer, there is NO assurance it is the prop the factory installed or intended to install for your combination. I believe dealers freely remove props to sell to a customer today rather than lose the business. Then they throw on something close. New boats in the yard can be a quick parts resource. They may reorder a prop for your boat but it may or may not actually get onto your boat before it is sold to you.
In the case of my boat, I believe the factory may have thrown on whatever was close at the time since the boat was headed to the Miami Boat Show as a display boat, they may have been in a hurry at that moment to get the boat done, and figured they would correct it later. That never happened.
The only proper way to make sure you have the correct prop is to do diligent prop testing.

[The Hedgehog]

The other thing that needs to consider it either X dimension or drive height. As hull technology has changed, boats run flatter and require less bow lift. This allows for the lower to run higher in the water reducing parasitic drag. This also reduces the amount of prop in the water which often requires more blade area.

Older 3 bladed props (Like the Mirage Plus) were designed to run deeper in the water. Since the M+ had some additional cup added to increase bow lift (important with a traditional v), they were used in a bunch of boats like classic Donzi's, non-step 27ZX's, Baja's etc. Then can work on newer/ flatter running boats and may be the fastest option, but that often comes at the expense of handling or ability to come out of the hole.

[fasttrucker]

wow, am i the only one running a 23p 3 blade? Thats what my 99, 454mpi brovo 1 came with. Im hitting 4600rpm, thats wot.
You need to buy a 4-blade and see!

[22zxla]

Yea, nice post! My prop is the mirage plus 23p. On gps im hitting a blazing 62mph! haha! Im hitting wot at the recommended 4600rpm, so i figured , i was right where i need to be.

[rtgogo]

Big block or small block?

I hit 71 GPS with 454Mag spinnin Bravo I 4 blade.

[22zxla]

454 mpi , wish i had the mag or 502!

[brwn234]

I've seen 65.9 with my Bravo I 4B and a 7.4 MPI. But is 4 mph worth the price?

[fasttrucker]

I've seen 65.9 with my Bravo I 4B and a 7.4 MPI. But is 4 mph worth the price?
Yes,worth it for sure......we are performance boaters here remember?:bonk:

[22zxla]

absolutely worth the price if i could pick up 4mph!! Only time i ever been over 65mph is on the trailer!

[Dr. David Fleming]

Jeepfan99,

The UPS weighed the Merc Bravo I 24p in the original box - 19lbs ground freight four days no signiture on delivery is $46.19. I can ship it as soon as you send the check. Call if you have any questions 586-747-9272

Dr. d

[VetteLT193]

Kind of off topic but... does anyone know if a prop will fit in any of those new USPS flat rate boxes?

[fasttrucker]

Kind of off topic but... does anyone know if a prop will fit in any of those new USPS flat rate boxes?
That would be something.I thought in the post office ads that those boxes look small.Lots of money in shipping heavy stuff so I really dont think they would do it.

[VetteLT193]

That would be something.I thought in the post office ads that those boxes look small.Lots of money in shipping heavy stuff so I really dont think they would do it.

just looked it up. biggest is 12 x 12 x 5.5. 12 x 12 might actually work for a 4 blade positioned just right... but 5.5, no way. they have to be more like 8 or 9 inches deep.

All well. worth looking at least.

[Last Tango]

just looked it up. biggest is 12 x 12 x 5.5. 12 x 12 might actually work for a 4 blade positioned just right... but 5.5, no way. they have to be more like 8 or 9 inches deep.
All well. worth looking at least.


Ship half the prop in two different boxes...:bonk:

So if the box is 12"x12" then the props outside diameter cannot exceed 16.97 inches in order to fit in the box (each of the four blades pointing to a corner). All Bravo I props are 15.25 inches in diameter, so that part would work. But, of course. the prop hub height cannot exceed 5 inches, and I bet a shiny new dime that Bravo I props are much more than that.

[chappy]

I shipped a prop to a friend in CA from PA. The weight was 18 pounds, and the charge was less than $20.00 residential delivery, no signature. That was UPS ground. The $46 and change number is severely inflated, sounds like that UPS store is doing some serious marking up. Either way, good luck.:shades:

[JamieP]

I would like to buy a 4 blade 24p for my 22zx, any ideas of a shop that may ship to the uk? cheers jamie.

[Dr. David Fleming]

I think b-blades charged me $20 to ship from Wisconson to Detroit. You guys don't know it but our friend Jeepfan99 lives in Las Vegas, NV. Thats about twice as far and $46 is the UPS rate. If you ship a prop which has blades in a ****ty box and it goes through the box and the blades get bent banged and worked over, whats the point of shipping? Just put her on the old donzi and run over some rocks! That will fix things real quick, Ha!

Dr. d

[fasttrucker]

I would like to buy a 4 blade 24p for my 22zx, any ideas of a shop that may ship to the uk? cheers jamie.
Shipping should not be a issue use www.cpperformance.com or check www.powerboatmag.com teaque sells them and www.mercurymarine.com direct.

[JamieP]

Thanks.

[chappy]

I think b-blades charged me $20 to ship from Wisconson to Detroit. You guys don't know it but our friend Jeepfan99 lives in Las Vegas, NV. Thats about twice as far and $46 is the UPS rate. If you ship a prop which has blades in a ****ty box and it goes through the box and the blades get bent banged and worked over, whats the point of shipping? Just put her on the old donzi and run over some rocks! That will fix things real quick, Ha!

Dr. d

https://wwwapps.ups.com/ctc/request

I did a quick rate check from Michigan to Nevada, and came up with around $20.00, little more than $25 if I chose insurance up to $500.00.

Just trying to save you some money. Good luck.:)

[jeepfan99]

Dr. Fleming,

Could you send me a tracking number for the prop, I sent you a PM yesterday but not sure you saw it. Thanks.

[Dr. David Fleming]

Well my Las Vegas friend, here is the shipping info:

Sent from Pac Mail, 23210 Greater Mack Ave, SCS 48084 - 586-773-3377
Date of shipment is 9/26/09 - insured at $45.76

Shipped to : Jeff R......, 8... S..... C......... Lane, Las Vegas NV 89166
Reference info: 69765
Tracking #: 1Z6AV7100341869556
Scale Weight: 18.5lbs
Rated Weight: 19.0lbs
Estimated Delivery: 10/05/09
Dimentions: 20.0x20.0x11.0 (original merc box)
Freight: $29.14
Declared Value 600.00 Fee: $11.60
Processed on: 09/26/2009 10:42:32 AM
Reciept # 86786
Total Charges $41.64

Hope this helps and this great running prop gets to you ASAP. let me know. She is sweetheart! My 7.4MPI loved it.

Dr. d

[oledawg]

OK, I just love all of these prop discussions and honestly know very little about them, but I can count blades and read numbers! My '88 22C has a Mirage 27p that WOT is no more than 4200 rpm. Board says need 25p 3 blade. Engine is a modified 454 ( doesn't say Mag on the outdirve in any case ) with cam, accel ignition, edelbrock aluminum intake, etc. I have NO idea what the HP is, but it should be somewhere between 330 and 400. Top GPS that I have gotten is under 65. I just bought a reconditioned used 3 blade 23p that supposedly came off a Pachanga(sp?) with TRS outdrive. I have absolutely no idea what will happen when I put this prop on my boat but will be glad to share my findings. Should be interesting for sure. :odie:

[jeepfan99]

Thanks so much for the info and the help getting my 22zx up and running again. Great time a year for boating in Vegas.