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Doug,A few of the Texas Cat Family prefer the 25 Tempest. We still recomend the 25 or 26 Trophy for your rig, though there have been limited others which ran well with a Tempest.BCB
I am running a 25P tempest plus 3 blade on my pantera III,, I dont think my hole shot is very good,like with 3 people in boat it takes for ever, I mean for ever to get on plane, is this normal
Cliff, What motor? Year model & Etc. ???BCB
Ok, I had been “considering” changing props, now I must change props. On Sunday I busted a blade off of my 4 blade Trophy Plus ( 26 pitch ) I had been running on my 02 Jag. I had been considering switching to a 3 blade Tempest Plus. I am curious as to why the 4 blade Trophy is recommended? I assume it is needed to get the hole shot and lift needed because the Jag is heavy? If I were to go to a 3 blade Tempest to try to get a little more top end speed, would I need to go up to a 27 pitch, or stay at the 26 pitch. Has anyone out there switched from the 4 blade Trophy Plus to a 3 blade and what were the results? I run a 225 Opti on my 02 Jag and my boat is normally pretty heavy as I have the flipping deck, a ton of tackle and gear, and I have switched trolling motors out from the Motorguide to a Minn kota which is a little heavier on the bow.
running 200 opti. 25 tempest
The best all around prop is usually a 3 blade. It has more top end, torque for acceleration, but the blow-out when it planes off might require getting a little cup added. As far as the one you have or if it should be changed, it depends on your boat, motor, and use of the boat.
Bill, welcome. . First, is your boat “new” to you, or are you the original owner? If it is new to you, the previous owner may have set up the boat like he wanted, which may not be good for your preferences.What kind of prop do you have on the engine now? I am assuming this is the standard Opti 225, and not the 225 Pro XS, correct?Three blade generally gets better speed, but a four blade is considered better for heavier loads….then you have to figure what you would consider a “tournament load”. Some people get by with 100lbs of gear, some 300lbs or more. I have seen some 4 blades out perform some 3 blade setups.If you can, you may want to post this in the general “BassCat Boats” section as well….Gary Hollander and Phil Addison have a wealth of knowledge with the 225 setups, as well as BCB themselves! Hope this helps get you started in the right direction. Good luck.96 Eyra/12 Mercury 175 Pro XS with 2015 single axle trailer2017 Victory Gunner
I would start with a 25 trophy. Most of the test runs that I have been doing I have seen very little loss in speed going from a three blade to a 4 blade. (Seat time for every one brings better knowledge on a decision on props) Nothing over 1.5 mph. 4 blade is better whole shot, better handling especially on choppy water and you can turn sharper with out cavitation. I would try to find someone who has a 25 trophy and a 26 and take them for a cruise.Myself I prefer getting on top of the water faster than going 2 mph faster. Less stress on motor etc.Gabe Lawson101 PROP SERVICE3586 HWY 101 GAMALIEL AR 72537LAKE NORFORK870 467 5299
i purchased the boat used 2.5 years ago…im just running a Optimax and not a Pro XS…i would say that i normally carry about 100 lbs of gear…there was a 27 Solas on the boat when i bought it and im been unhappy with its performance and am ready for a change…i have a chance of getting a brand new 26 Trophy for $300 and am considering it…before i spend the money, i just want to make sure that i get the best prop for my rig
Each rig will run differently even though they may all be Cougar/225s. The 25 or 26 Trophy really gives the boat good lift. The fact that the tanks are under the back deck enhances the bow lift. I think Gary Hollander ran a 26 trophy on his Cougars for a while. You should probably give him a call, he would be more than happy to help you out. He has a prop for sale on this board too, but he can give you info regarding performance characteristics on a Cougar.96 Eyra/12 Mercury 175 Pro XS with 2015 single axle trailer2017 Victory Gunner
I would grab the 26 trophy for 300 if I was you. If it does not work for you it is a easy prop to get your money back out of.Solas props in the 200 hp and up range just does not do the trick. They have a different hub systems inside so you have to have a prop man order the hub from a Solas dealer. They have came out with the Rubex similiar to the flo torq. I ordered a few of them and sent them back. When something is working just fine I dont see any reason in changing it.There aluminum props are made out of better material than any other when I weld solas aluminum it is much cleaner the michigan wheel and they are alot cheaper.
I got an email on this, and am slow responding. I also recommend the 25″ Trophy. I ran a 2004 FTD/225 Optimax, and the 25″ Trophy performed best overall. It had a great holeshot and mid-range performance; I run a “heavy” load, and never had a problem with hitting the rev-limitor.I tried a 26″ Trophy, but couldnt spin it like the 25″ Trophy.I plugged all 4 PVS holes, and did not run a blow-out ring on mine. Helped the hole-shot when the livewells were full with out blowing out…Good Luck,Gary Hollander
Gary, What are the pros and cons of running a blow out ring?James
Bill, You will be very close with either a 26 or 25 Trophy. We would not be sure ourselves which one until we ran them. Fact is that many have one or the other, and could swap and gain a wee tad. jewelaston,The blow out ring you may not need unless you are ventilating the propeller. It only controls exhaust blow by or pass over gases. If the propeller is not slipping coming out of the hole, you do not need to consider it. And it is only able to be used on Trophy propellers. BCB
Jewel,BCB pretty well covered the blow-out gig. With the four PVS holes fully plugged, the prop will jump out of the hole and the bow will come over quickly get going… I have experimented a lot with Tempest and Trophy props on my rigs, and my PERSONAL experience is that PVS plugs work for me better than blow-out rings.Good luck,Gary Hollander
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