Pontoon Boat & Deck Boat Forum

Hi guys,

First of all I'm glad to be a new member of the forum. I've been lurking for the past few weeks and have already gained a ton of knowledge. Thanks for approving my membership request.

My first question has to do with prop selection.
I have a 1986 Tracker Bass Buggy which weighs 1100 lbs.
It is powered by a 1999 Mercury Bigfoot 50 HP outboard which has a prop that is chewed up pretty badly.
Additional weight on the boat, (family, gear, batteries, etc.), is in the 1,125 lb. range, bringing the boat plus gear weight to 2,225 lbs. Supposedly the motor weighs about 265 lbs.

I've given this information in hope that you guys can recommend a good all around prop for this setup.
My tach doesn't work so I have no idea what r.p.m. I'm spinning with the current prop.
Since the motor is much newer than the boat I'm pretty sure that the current prop was not properly sized for the boat.

I'm not looking for unrealistic top speed or power. I'd just like to have a prop that will get the pontoon on plane and at a decent cruising speed. We don't pull a tube or anything, just cruise around and enjoy the scenery.

I've ran the Mercury prop selector but I have no idea how accurate it is. It seems to mainly recommend 14" x 11, 3-blade aluminum props. There was also one 14" x 10 3-blade recommended as well.

So, if anyone can give me some guidance I would really appreciate the help and again....thanks for letting me be a part of the forum. You'll probably get sick of my questions after a while.

Dave

As I read your post I'm assuming your Bass Buggy is an 18 or perhaps a 20 footer? Your 99 BF50 is a 4-Stroke motor correct?

I was already thinking those numbers so I tend to agree with Mercury while I lean toward the 10 pitch with extra cup if you can find it (pontoon prop) due to your smaller 50 HP motor. My boat came with a 2014 60CT and swung the 14 x 11P quite well as it did the 10PXC

As I read your post I'm assuming your Bass Buggy is an 18 or perhaps a 20 footer? Your 99 BF50 is a 4-Stroke motor correct?

I was already thinking those numbers so I tend to agree with Mercury while I lean toward the 10 pitch with extra cup if you can find it (pontoon prop) due to your smaller 50 HP motor. My boat came with a 2014 60CT and swung the 14 x 11P quite well as it did the 10PXC

First off, thanks for the reply and information.

Yes, the motor is a four stroke and the boat is a 20 foot model.
I'll do some looking online and see if I can find the extra cupped prop you mentioned. I remember seeing one of those in an 11 pitch so I can surely find one in a 10.

Again, thanks a lot for your help. I'm glad to hear that you had good experience with a somewhat similar setup.

Have a good day.

Dave

Teecro,

I forgot to follow this up. I did find a 14x10 with extra cup and placed my order. I'm hoping it will be here tomorrow and will give an update as to how it performs.
I'm thinking that I will probably have to watch over-revving when it's just me and my wife but I'm hoping it will perform well when the whole family,(and all of the gear), is on the boat.

At $170.00 for the prop and flo-torq III hub kit I'm hoping I don't need to try too many other props to find that sweet spot. I did pay a little more by going to a local business but it's really good to have them here and offering a good supply of good new and used parts with warranty.

Again I'll follow up once we are able to give the boat a test drive. I'm extremely excited about seeing how it goes.

Dave

Propping is no exact science but I think you will be fine.... Let us know...

Likesspace wrote:Teecro,
I did pay a little more by going to a local business but it's really good to have them here and offering a good supply of good new and used parts with warranty

Some prop shops will let you try a prop and return it for exchange as long as you don't mark it up. Probably won't give you your money back, though. With such a challenging selection as a prop, I'd want that option.

Sunedog....
I really wish that I had that option but there's not many dealerships or boat repair places around here. I had to take a chance and hopefully my choice will pay off. I should know by tomorrow or Friday at the latest. My prop should be in tomorrow but I'm not sure that life is going to let me install it and give it a try.
I'll be sure to update everyone after giving it a test run.