One thing about props is that almost everything any of us suggest is a "best guesstimate" until you try it on your specific setup. I've seen it referred to as a bit of a "black art" because almost no two setups are the same and sometimes even the same model props out of the box are a hair different. But with similar hull designs and motor combinations, an awful lot of the advice you'll receive here will be very close, if not exact (and probably a lot better than mine) from people who've been in your "same shoes" so to speak.
I've always thought that wouldn't it be a dream to own a prop shop and have the means to be able to stock almost all kinds of props just to try out and then still sell the ones that don't work on your own setup?
I didn't want to "muddy the waters" before, and I assume you probably know a lot of this already, but yes, there is not only diameter and pitch of a prop to consider, but leading and trailing edges, rake, over hub exhaust, through hub exhaust, over AND through exhaust, ventilation holes, variable pitch or shift on a few specialized props, etc, etc...and in a dizzying array of combinations, and then you have to consider lower unit height and angle, distance behind transom, exhaust route (through hub, through transom, or in my case above anti-cavitation unless I put plugs in). And I only know some of these things because I read and experiment a lot - some of you probably know "gobs" more about other details then I ever will.
Anyway, the point is not to get lost in the details, but part of the best "guesstimate" part is to assume certain design features such as on one hand Cleavers are transom lifters and generally made to run partially out of the water but do have a history of running fairly well on some of our Carlson type hulls, the other end of the spectrum is the Chopper which is a bow lifter for speed, the Laser II has a fair amount of rake for bow lifting but is a smaller diameter to allow a little slip (don't confuse this with it's ventilation holes, those are used to get the RPMs up on takeoff). Two blades you have to be careful of almost any blade damage causing damaging vibration on the lower unit's parts than what similar damage would to a three or more blade unit, all the way up to the five or more blades which have almost no vibration but start to "get in their own way" from top end and even reversing. I'm sure I've left out a lot of things trying to make this point, and even some of the "accepted rules" of the designs are broken when put on a different combination of hull and motor(s) (I've heard of a high five that not only had more pulling power like you'd expect, but actually was faster on the top end - which is definitely not the normal result).
So in the end, everything is a suggestion based on how the cupping-raking-diameter-leading/trailing edge-pitch-& number of blades combination (Laser, Trophy, Tempest, and numerous other models & brands) have worked on similar boats...but still expect it might work a little different than expected when tried on your specific setup.
Doesn't get much more fun than that - does it?? (aren't you glad I didn't muddy it even further by mentioning labbing where the prop is blueprinted and thinned for a little more speed and/or efficiency but sometimes leads to early failure just like some welded blades that reportedly crack and fly off eventually?) LOL
So...just my suggestion for you for what it's worth - the ideal would be to get to know a local prop dealer if you can and/or friends like those on this forum who might even let you borrow some props...and then experiment A LOT with as many styles and sizes of props as you can get your hands on - if you want to that is. But I suspect that "CVX Fever" gave some of the best advice, which is that in the end (which I'm sure is why you asked the question in the first place - I know, I'm being "Captain Obvious") a 3 blade dialed in for speed will be your best bet when you want to go fast and get a smaller pitch 3 blade for your average watersports load. That's probably the best of both worlds and you'll be able to carry the other one as your backup prop.
PS, I've heard good things about the Turbo's like what "still_fishin" just suggested. Didn't work as well in my case when I tried one, but I have seen many good reports...
