Merc Power2 Prop, anyone ever used one?

[kert0307]

I just picked up one of these to experiment with a little bit. It is a variable pitch prop that can change from one pitch to another at a set rpm range. It's suppose to act something like a 15 pitch prop out of the hole and then at a set RPM it will shift to something more like a 21 pitch. From what i have found, these props are no longer made, but were some big money when new. Also most info I found online says that they do work as they are suppose to if you get them setup right. Lucky the prop I got appears to be complete, only has a couple minor dings in it,and best of all it comes with the instruction packet. Anyone have any experience with these?

[David CVX-16]

Props that change pitchs at a certain speed were more popular many years ago. Believe that several manufactors built them - Land and Sea?  They look good on paper, like shifting gears on a car. The probable drawbacks are the cost of repairs if the blades get damaged (or the availablity of parts), and less smooth flow of water over the prop caused by the separate pieces of the hub and the blades. The prop makes great sense for waterskiing with the low gear for pulling people out of the water.    

[kert0307]

We'll be up camping at Clear Lake in a couple weeks doing some tubing and skiing. I'll see if I can get it dialed in and see how it does. Either way if it doesn't work well for me I know I can sell it on ebay and make some money for how cheap I got it ($100)

[Retro Performance]

I have run both the Mercury and Land & sea (torque shift) versions way back when, both performed as advertised......

[kert0307]

I got my lower unit all sealed up and tested it out with the 21 pitch prop I got last night. I did notice the 21 gave me more bow rise before I got in plane and one in plane the boat did seem to have less slip as the boat would throw you into the seat a little more if you got on it while in plane. My top speed and RPM stayed about the same though which might be because the 23 pitch was a 13.5" diameter and this 21 is a 15.25" diameter. It was also a little rough out, so finding some open smooth water was a little bit of a challenge. This afternoon I installed the Power 2 prop, so we will see how it compares to the others.

[kert0307]

I did some testing with the Power 2 on Red Rock after work yesterday. I will have to say that it is awesome when it works right. That low pitch setting (around 15ish) is really fun to tool around with the V8 power, I can maneuver the boat like a jet ski in circles and figure 8's. I did loose a little top end (topped out just under 50) probably due to the small gap between the hub and the fins. I also found out the pitch it switched to is a 23 so my top end RPM is still around 4000. When I was adjusting it I did go to the extreme where it wouldn't shift out of the low setting I could get about 35mph at 4500 RPM with more throttle, I didn't want to rev the engine up anymore, but at least it proved the motor would go past 4000 rpm since the other props I tried would max out around 4000. I think this may be the prop I keep on there after I get the shifting where I want it. I'm planning on going out again Thursday after work for some more testing.