Bare footin prop

[dru1974]

I just ordered a new mobius ls. The dealer said when it gets here (Calgary A.B.) we would take it out and decide at that point what prop I would like on it. It's my first ski boat but my father had 2 nautique's and a supra. I really enjoy long line footin and slalom skiing. I need to hit atleast 40mph and would like to hit 45 if possible..anyone know what prop i should get?
I dont want to much rooster back there either.
I never see anyone talk much about barefooting on this site.

[DOCDRS]

I just ordered a new mobius ls. The dealer said when it gets here (Calgary A.B.) we would take it out and decide at that point what prop I would like on it. It's my first ski boat but my father had 2 nautique's and a supra. I really enjoy long line footin and slalom skiing. I need to hit atleast 40mph and would like to hit 45 if possible..anyone know what prop i should get?
I dont want to much rooster back there either.
I never see anyone talk much about barefooting on this site.

not to rain on your parade, i had an 99 outback ls that would do 44 with the standard 3 blade prop . now they all have cnc props but they changed the hull design since then. I was debating getting a new barefooting specific boat like a sanger maybe even the v drive as it is the same hull and the prices are very reasonable on these right now. the wakes behind these boats are the best for footing. did you get the 340 or 409 motor? i'm getting older and will prob do most of my footing off the boom so i decided on a supra 21v more for the surfing now and comforts. I had no problems with my moomba and it was a great boat but if your really into footing a sanger dd or 210v or an 05 or earlier malibu lxi with a hammerhead is the way to go.
You should look at barefootcentral for info and reviews, ya might want to try and get out of the current model .
happy boating and good luck

[maxpower220]

If you are into footing, you really must get the 409 engine. You will not be happy with any prop that you use as everything is a compramise. My 08 Outback is running WOT just to maintain 40-42 while footing. A prop will only lower my initial pull for slalom, which is already weak enough.

[dru1974]

Not to be a jerk or anything but everyone and there more power comments....is there a e
realist out there that has been skiing for over ten years. I mean come on I started skiing behind a 76 nautique. It had a merc with 233hp and we foot behind it went through the course and everything you could emagine. if you cant do well with 325 hp there is an issue i just want more top end speed I am willing to sacrafice the hole shot........please someone with somthing more to say than "You should have gotten a v drive " or "you should have gotten more power" A v drive is the last thing you want for barefooting. I have barefoot behindbarefoot nautiques and to be honest the hole shot was nice but Our 92 supra had easily as nice and soft of a wake..



Please someone with some experience in an ls and prop sizing HELP!!!!!!:o:o:o

[Mikey]

Curious to know what your top end is or expected to be with the stock 3 blade prop.I'm in an Outback DD with the stock upgraded cnc 3 blade prop,not sure of the numbers right now but as mentioned above 42,44mph WOT,thats it. Have you talked to OJ or Acme directly as i think they are the ones you really need to talk to. In and around Calgary with the higher altitude 3500ft that may be all your going to get.I ski my boat mostly and the holeshot is decent,so maybe there is a prop that will give you more mph and not hurt the holeshot too much.
I have the 325 motor but my boat is a little lighter than the LS also.Post results if you get some good advice ect.

[maxpower220]

Your 1976 Nautique was a 19' boat with little to no interior; it was also an 80" beam. This all translates to much less running surface in the water. Less drag means you can use less power to get to a certain speed. An Outback is 20.5' with an 88" beam, and it has a lot more running surface. An LS is another foot longer!
I started skiing (learned to barefoot there) with USF in '93 and bought my first boat in '95.

Most of my comments are based on you ordering a new boat. If you are spending that much money, you really should get exactly what you want. Can you barefoot in a stock new boat? Absolutely! Will you be pushing that boat to it's limit all of the time that you are footing? Absolutely! Given a choice, you should equip your boat to the activity that is important to you. Because I don't foot much, I just use a boom and short line, so I can use a little less speed.



Not to be a jerk or anything but everyone and there more power comments....is there a e
realist out there that has been skiing for over ten years. I mean come on I started skiing behind a 76 nautique. It had a merc with 233hp and we foot behind it went through the course and everything you could emagine. if you cant do well with 325 hp there is an issue i just want more top end speed I am willing to sacrafice the hole shot........please someone with somthing more to say than "You should have gotten a v drive " or "you should have gotten more power" A v drive is the last thing you want for barefooting. I have barefoot behindbarefoot nautiques and to be honest the hole shot was nice but Our 92 supra had easily as nice and soft of a wake..



Please someone with some experience in an ls and prop sizing HELP!!!!!!:o:o:o

[dru1974]

I understand that the boat will be larger and have more surface tension. do you really think that It would eat a bunch of hp up?
That I dont know but I bought the ls because I slalom and wakeboard during the days and usualy finish a good day on the lake as the sun is falling and moon rising when the water is like a sheet of glass barefooting for an hour or two.
So this is why i got the ls......you think the extra hp is huge? Really?

I appreciate you reading this and taking the time to post back.

[Laz]

The top speed my 2007 Outback increased to 48mph with a prop change. I now use a 13x12 ACME 3 blade. That should be plenty fast enough for barefooting.

[cab13367]

13x12?? You sure it's a 12 pitch? That's quite a bit lower than the stock 17.5 which should have reduced top speed significantly.

[maxpower220]

Just so you understand props:
13x13 of 14x17 are a few ways that props are measured and described. The first number is the diameter of the prop. A standard for ski boat is 13", but ski, wake, and trick boats will vary from that. The second number is the pitch of the prop. The number is the number of inches that prop should push the boat per revolution. The higher the prop number, the faster the top speed; the lower the number, the better the low end pull. Everything is a compromise when making changes. Props can have different cups and blade configurations to compensate for things. It is best to talk to the professionals at OJ/ACME or SC about the best prop.
Props can't create HP or TQ, that is all engine. If you look at Sanger, MC, or CC, they do (did) higher HP motors, geared transmissions, or a combo to make their boats barefoot friendly. MC made outboards in order to get the speed and wake combo best for footing.

One last thing on HP, no one has every driven a ski/wake boat and said, "Gee, I wish that I had less power" or "I should have ordered the smaller motor".

Do an internet search on the coefficient of drag and hydrodynamic and you will see that a few MPH at high speed will cost you an exponential amount of HP.

[Laz]

13x12?? You sure it's a 12 pitch? That's quite a bit lower than the stock 17.5 which should have reduced top speed significantly.


We got the 3-blade prop for direct drive. This is the prop recommended for slalom on a direct drive. I would imagine that the 4 blade would be quite different.

It was part #541 at ACME.

[MrShoe]

Dru... I'm assuming by your user name that you are 34-35. I'm 38 and have been barefooting since I was 15. Similar to you, my dad had a Supra La Brisa that I loved barefooting behind. I learned how to barefoot from a inboard/outboard mercruser!! I currently have a 2008 Mobius LS for the same reason... I love to barefoot and slalom! People tried to talk me into a LSV becuase of the "super" wake for wakeboarding. Although I like wakeboarding, I didn't want to sacrafice the smooth wake of a direct drive. Back to the point of your thread, I replaced the 3 blade with a stainless 4 blade (only because I had it from the old supra). I may have lost a little on the top end, but gained from the holeshot. I still get about 45 MPH which is plenty fast for footin' unless you are over 300 lbs. I'm about 170 lbs and I barefoot comfortable with the stock speed of the boat with more throttle left if I needed it. Unless you want to spend an extra couple hundred dollars on a prop, I think the stock prop will suit you well. Spend the money on other upgrades on the boat like speakers for the tower so you can jam to the tunes while footin' down the waterways!!

[DOCDRS]

If Laz is getting 48 then listen to him and get the prop number to make sure. I just know that on my 99 outback ls doing wakes, 1 foot wakes , and toe holds behind it were very difficult , when compared to doing then behind a sanger dd, malibu flightcraft or lxi and i only weigh 170lbs. Sure I can barefoot at 22 mph but not for long and its pretty hard to breath but i know when i'm on 1 foot doing 44 is a lot easier than 40. I've called cs before on props and even indmar, neither were much help as far as barefooting props. Get in touch with laz and call him. 48 is awesome

[DOCDRS]

oops forgot to say i had a 13x13 3 blade prop but it wasn't cnc back then . it was a 310 with a zf hurth trans at 1:1, still same trans they us now i believe. most v drive have the same trans but the vdrive kicks it down 1.46:1 so a larger diam , pitch and 4 blades are used. If taz is using a 12 pitch prop he may be above his recommended rpm level. I called indmar on this and they said rev limiters don't kick in till 2 or 300 above the top rpm recommended and exceeding the top limit by 100 rpm or so should not be a problem.
another 2 cents

[zabooda]

The 13x12 makes sense. I have a 13x13 4 blade SS Cutter prop and I do 44mph at 400 feet ASL and my Mobius (Outback) is void of any weight that could slow it down (i.e. ballast bags, anchors).

The boats keep getting bigger and heavier so there isn't much out there for footers and skiers. If I didn't need the room to haul people around, I would be in a Prostar 190 as it has a higher top speed and a flater wake.

[KurtL]

Speedometer readings are subjective. Unless everyone has calibrated with a GPS their numbers may not be accurate. We have a 2008 Mobuis LS 325hp and calibrated top speed using the stock 3 blade prop is 43mph with half a tank of gas and 2 or 3 people on board(gps confirmed). Elevation is 3900 ft. I can dial in speeds ranging from 37-48 wide open with the calibration knob.

[Ian Brantford]

One last thing on HP, no one has every driven a ski/wake boat and said, "Gee, I wish that I had less power" or "I should have ordered the smaller motor".

Do an internet search on the coefficient of drag and hydrodynamic and you will see that a few MPH at high speed will cost you an exponential amount of HP.

Darned right. I have an XLV with the 340 MPI. It does everything very well in the speed range needed for wakeboarding without breaking a sweat. However, it really, really drinks gas at the top end of the RPM range. You want an engine that will be in its comfort zone when you are doing your primary towing activity.