1991 bayliner 2655, prop Planing issue(39)s-gctid390722

[Guest]

Hello all, i had posted some questions about my bayliner not being able to top 27 knts as reported by g.p.s. and being very slow coming up on plane. you all were wonderful and gave several tips. so here's the deal......my engine is a.o.k. runs between 110 and 150 degrees. timing is good and carb is clean enough. plugs are good and she runs strong. outdrive is good with no issue's. just pulled the boat and my prop size is 14.5 by 19. hull is clean.

i will be adding a planing fin to outdrive. any thoughts as to proper prop size. boat weighs about 5500 pounds dry, so figure gas and 4 people at 200 pnds and another 100 for odd's and ends.

one final clue. yesterday going up the navasink i had 5 on board and we were all seated on the l shaped seat and one person stood behind it on deck. i also had a cooler in back full of ice and soda. boat would not do more than 9 knts at 3500 rpm showing and throttle firewalled, and bow wouldn't come down. i know stern heavy. i moved cooler to front of cabin and had 2 guests sit up on cabin by hatch and bingo she came right up on plane. took about 50 seconds to reach 25 knts. i have called a couple of bayliner dealers and they can't be bothered to give me any advice. any thoughts....?

[Guest]

Not to state the obvious, but weight distribution is going to be very important for you. Keep it in mind as you load up and you wont have to deal with the frustration (as much) when trying to get underway- storage, ice chests, people. Its amazing how much crap you can accumulate on a boat and it all adds up.

I think beer is lighter than soda too btw....

Others will chime in on the fin and prop...

[Guest]

I am guessing it is a 5.0 with an Alpha? You should be able to swing a 16 inch diameter prop. Sometimes called an elephant ear. I run a stock Mercruiser 16x14pitch and it made a world of difference when I put it on. The surface area seems to be the key.

I called Bayliner to find out the prop my boat came with from the factory, went with it and have been very happy with the performance.

[Guest]

mines a 16x17 pitch. Now I'm pretty sure that's not stock, but I've left it alone and it's been doing pretty well. I cruised at 31 yeaterday at 3500 rpms...with 8 adults and gear. And with the trim tabs it didn't take terribly long to get up either. I'm pretty sure it isn't stock because I only reach 3900-4000 rpms at WOT. But it works well for all else.

[itsabowtime2]

That prop size sounds stock. Most Bayliner Crusiers with the alpha of that era were 14 1/2 x 19 or 17. As others have said, a switch in props may help. I went with 4 blade props (different hull mind you) and really like the results.

Get as much weight towards the bow as possible. These boats are stern heavy and a lot of extra weight can really slow things down. Have your tabs full down, as well as the drive while getting up onto plane and once there adjust the tabs to reduce the wetted surface. Unless you are running with almost nothing extra on the boat, 100lbs for gear is a very conservative estimate.

[Guest]

thanks so much guys, will to to my marina guy and we will deceide on a prop and i will let ya know. and i am running a 350 not a 305. have a great day guys

[Guest]

Special K wrote:
I am guessing it is a 5.0 with an Alpha? You should be able to swing a 16 inch diameter prop. Sometimes called an elephant ear. I run a stock Mercruiser 16x14pitch and it made a world of difference when I put it on. The surface area seems to be the key.

I called Bayliner to find out the prop my boat came with from the factory, went with it and have been very happy with the performance.

We have a 2651 with a Jasper 5.7(350)reman., Alpha 1 with the 16x16 wide blade (elephant ear) prop. I've tried several different props including 4blades but nothing comes close to the 16x16 on this boat. Plains quick, nice cruise speed (+/- 30mph @ 3500) and awesome fuel burn rate.

[Guest]

Captnbob wrote:
We have a 2651 with a Jasper 5.7(350)reman., Alpha 1 with the 16x16 wide blade (elephant ear) prop. I've tried several different props including 4blades but nothing comes close to the 16x16 on this boat. Plains quick, nice cruise speed (+/- 30mph @ 3500) and awesome fuel burn rate.

Thanks that is good to know, I was going to go 4 blade but I was working with a prop that was re-build a few times and it was not giving me very good cruise (19 mph @ 3800) so I wanted a good reference so I went with what Bayliner recommended.

Now with a new 16x14 I get 24mph @ 3800, get up with 5 adults 1 child full fuel/water everyone up top. WOT 4500.

Its like a new boat, and it seems the four blade will not be better (maybe worse). So this makes my next prop purchase easy. Hopefully its not for awhile......

[Guest]

Captnbob wrote:
We have a 2651 with a Jasper 5.7(350)reman., Alpha 1 with the 16x16 wide blade (elephant ear) prop. I've tried several different props including 4blades but nothing comes close to the 16x16 on this boat. Plains quick, nice cruise speed (+/- 30mph @ 3500) and awesome fuel burn rate.

yep, running a 16x16 on mine too, hops right out of the water even with a full compliment, but I'm running a 5.8l too. I believe the 15x17 is stock though..

A stainless steel prop will help with the hole shot and top end too, tough to find with the 17spline Volvo drives though....

[Guest]

well we have deceided to install a new 15-1/4/ by 15 prop and i will be putting on a hydrofoil to help get up on plane. will let ya know how it turns out monday