F233 LS ON OUTSIDE RACK

Comment by Eric Uschold on June 23, 2013 at 12:39am

Jim, I have a stock 81 LS with the 260hp.  What propeller are you running, what is your top speed, and what rpm range are you at?  Presently my boat has a 19p and I'm thinking of going to a 17p.  I don't plain until 30mph and wot yields 40mph which is about 4-6mph less than I expected.  Yours is  a beautiful example of the LS. 

Comment by Jim LaHaie on June 23, 2013 at 10:27am

Eric, I installed a Michigan Wheel SSM-249-C Stainless Prop when I first bought the boat.   It is a 14" dia x 19" pitch 3 blade.  I had it cupped slighly.  Depending on load i can plane at 2600rpm with tabs down.  I normally run at 3000 rpm and the speedo can be 29mph to 32mph depending on water and trim.  Engine is original - never rebuilt.  Hour meter is an analog - still works but with so may hours i can't read it.  Must have at least 1500 hours plus.  when i got the boat in 1984 speedo could hit 51 mph at 4800rpm with the stainless ( probably to high - but i never ran for more than a minute at that range).  Now it's max is about 47mph at 4500 - 4600rpm.  Never confirmed speed with gps-just stock speedo.  If i think of it i will check my spare prop which is the original and let you know size.  Good luck with choosing a prop.  Thanks for the comment.

Comment by Eric Uschold on June 23, 2013 at 4:09pm

Thanks for your time Jim.  Most of my friends have twins so I'm the little kid on the block.  I love my boat and love the design and wouldn't trade it for the world.  If I could afford a 1 ton truck I possibly would consider the F255 or F302 but instead I am planning on converting mine to a Bravo XR and IMCO lower unit with a Dart 540 BB some time in the next 5 years.  The way I figure it its better to over power it and only use 3/4 of the power than not have enough and work it to death.  Like most boats in the Midwest mine has very little use I have less than 400 hours on my motor.

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