Help with choosing a prop

I have a 60 HP Mercury 4-stroke EFI outboard with a damaged prop. I want to replace it but I don't have a clue which prop to choose. I know I want aluminum and I want a little more muscle out of the hole as this is on a big 17/60 center console duck boat that hauls very heavy loads. I am not worried about giving up a little top end speed. The boat/motor weight is around 1500 pounds.

I called Bass Pro and they could not help with a choice. Here is a picture of the boat/motor if it helps. I need to stay with affordable props as I will end up replacing it every 1-2 years given the abusive conditions we put the boat through. I have been looking at the Mercury Black Max. I just don't know when one to get.
Can anyone help with some professional advice?

Thanks

i would go with the style and size mercury recomends for your motor. just go a little lower in pitch than what you are currently running. this will get you up on top of the water quicker while sacrificing some top speed

Give these guys a call, they may be able to recommend or make you one. They are located in Monroe, GA
http://www.propcopropellers.com/

Are you asking for the type or the pitch or both? Someone once told me that if I were gonna be hitting stuff to forget a stainless prop. Not because of the expense. If I recall correctly, it was because it would be to hard on the engine. In other words, the aluminum would bend, break, whatever but acted like a shear to absorb what the hard prop transfered to the motor. I bought a boat once where the dealer let me borrow 3 props to see which one put the RPM's in the correct range while wide open. My current prop when I install it, which ain't often since I prefer the jet and hate the trouble of lowering my motor, is not the correct pitch.

you need a 12 or 13 pitch. name brand is not that important with aluminum. yamaha makes a good prop. a hustler is supposed to be an aluminum prop with stainless performance,not stainless price. at least that's their claim. mercury has a prop selector tab on their website that would help you.

What the other guys said plus a four blade will help you more out of the hole and carry a load better than a 3 blade will without sacrificing alot of top end. If you can find a prop shop in your area it would greatly benefit you as you can try out different props and see what works best on your boat.

No one prop works "best" on every boat as equipment and passenger weights vary from owner to owner. The neat thing with a prop shop is you can select a prop that performs well on your boat and customize it. You can tell them it's almost as good as I want it out of the hole but just not right and they can adjust the "rake" on it to perform better. If the boat is not riding high enough in the water they can put more "cup" in the prop to give you more lift.

Although these items work best on stainless props they will also work on aluminum. You will get better performance out of stainless though and are worth the extra money. You will spin a hub out on a stainless before you break a shaft.

SGaither said:

Give these guys a call, they may be able to recommend or make you one. They are located in Monroe, GA
http://www.propcopropellers.com/

Click to expand...

Thanks for that info. Finally a company that had solid information.

I run with extreme loads (see example picture) and they set me up with a 12X11.

Thanks

Holy heck!! You don't need a boat...you need a BARGE!! I think I see a kid buried in there somewhere! LOL!