ACME 644 on SV211's

[Mikeski]

You will definately get better low end for the higher end RPM sacrafice with the 644. It's like taking off in 1st versus 2nd, the only drawback is that you only have that one gear so you have to decide weather you want holeshot or top end.

I don't want to give up top end speed because I barefoot from time to time and I need a solid 42mph to do 1 footers. This is the primary reason I have been playing musical props.

[TylerO]

Musical props... :grin:

I have a feeling I will be doing the same. Getting a little off topic do you use a prop puller when you switch out your props or do some gentle taps on the center of the prop break it loose? I've also heard that one should keep grease on the shaft to make this process easier. Any advice for a prop nob? (My previous boat was a jet, can you tell???)

[Mikeski]

I should grease the taper but I always forget to bring it so it's not greased. I use a C-Clamp style puller. Apply a little tension then give the end of the bolt a little tap and it pops, make sure you leave the nut on the end of the shaft to "catch" the prop or things go flying.

[Mikeski]

Update...

I was at the same lake over the weekend as hsmunoz and he was kind enough to lend me his 644 to try (which I ended up hijacking for the rest of the weekend!).

So first off, congrats to Nautique, the 644 is definately the right prop for the 211 330EX, it performed beautifully. Now shame on them for not changing the sport boat prop to the team boat prop when you select the ballast tank options.

Unfortunately I had a full tank of fuel and 5 or 6 people on the boat the whole weekend so I cannot give a direct comparison to the other props yet, but here are my preliminary results.

Performance numbers:
wide open throttle 5000rpm @43mph, 3950rpm @34mph, about 2600rpm @ 24mph. Deep water slalom starts with a boat full of people and gear are much more acceptable. Wakeboard starts with full ballasts require about 3/4 throttle if the wakeplate is put into slalom mode then wakeboard after plane. No noticable change in fuel consumption, possibly even better fuel economy (4-5gph) but hard to tell since we did a fair amount of wakesurfing when the lake was blown out. This prop is smooth and quiet.

So, I will be returning my 536 for a 644 from Karl DeLoff who has great customer service and a great return policy. If I could have Acme machine me a variable pitched prop and if it ran as smooth as the 644 I would run it but I am tired of playing musical props and the 644 is close enough.

Tyler, running a 644 on your ZR6 should work extremely well. I am sure the ZR6/644 combination would be so quiet that even if it is running 200-300 rpm's higher it shouldn't be bothersome.

[TylerO]

Mikeski,

644 with the ZR6... :shock:

Talk about hole shot. I had stock ballast full, 6 full size adults and three kids plus a TON of crap in the boat this weekend and she jumped out of the hole! I will have to get exact numbers when I get a chance but time to plane and hit riding speed was several seconds faster than with the stock ZR6 prop. I never went faster than 35mph so I didn't notice any reduction in top end or high RPM's. Details to follow....

[hsmunoz]

you just can't trust anyone these days........

great meeting you guys out there. beautiful boats and nice folks.

[bkhallpass]

you just can't trust anyone these days........

great meeting you guys out there. beautiful boats and nice folks.

Hey Henry,

Great to meet you out at the lake. Very impressive boat you've got
there.

I told you at the lake, No Worries, Mike's good for the prop,
but, just in case, I know where he keeps his boat :mrgreen:

Best Regards,

BKH

[hsmunoz]

BKH

great meeting you too and your lovely wife. beautiful boat too. I was just giving Mike a hard time because we was riding me about my lousy piloting skills, hey I am still an inboard newbie.

but I do love his sub setup, so where does he keep that boat again?

hope to hook up with you guys on Disco Bay sometime this season, this is a great site, and it's alot of fun meeting the folks behind the posts.

regards
henry

[CradGen2]

I have a TE with 644. I run 2000 LBS and have no problems. I run about 1000 LBS to foot backwords (harder wake) and love it. I use to have a 2000 Sport N and can tell little difference.

[Mikeski]

Update...

Well this thread is almost one year old since the last post but I feel it makes sense rather than trying to reproduce all the good information earlier in the thread.

Acme came out with a new prop this year, the 1160, it is 13.5x16 with a .135 cup (more cup than the old props). Since I could not imagine having to run my old reworked 380 I decided to try this prop and use it as my new spare if I didn't like it. After all it just makes sense to have a spare prop that is slightly different offerring a good option. The 644 works well for boarding but I just felt like the motor was spinning too much during cruising and slalom skiing. The new 1160 is a very good prop for a guy like me. Out of the hole is was a tad slower but not much. After a year, I no longer have the expectation of a GT-40 power 19' ski nautique for acceleration in my much heavier 211.

The 1160 is a good all-around prop. The peak RPM I saw last weekend with this prop was 4900 (note: it was 5200 RPM with the 644 not 5000 as posted earlier in this thread). I think the top speed is back up around 45mph. Unfortunately I have not yet re-calibrated my Perfect Pass since upgrading the chip and display, and my analog Faria is slightly more accurate than me sticking my finger in the air, so speed readings are yet to come. My main goal was getting the RPM's down from the peak so I could add the high performance aluminum exhaust manifolds without over-revving. I only expect to pick up 150 rpm or so with the "headers" so I think I am good to go.

At this point if I know that I am going to be doing less cruising/skiing over a weekend I will run the 644, but most of the time it more of a blend so the 1160 will probably get run more often.

[ag4ever]

Sounds like they made a prop like I had mine reworked. I have the stock Team 13.5 x 16 that came with my boat, and after the last ding, I had the shop add some additional cup. It was the best decision I ever made.

Glad you like the new prop. Let me know how the "headers" work out.

[JoeCos]

Hey Mike,

Thanks Much for this report & update. I'm also looking for a prop that is in between the 380 and 644, kinda best of both worlds if you will. I have both props 380 and the 644. The 644 is just a bit too high on the RPM's when cruising, but I can still use it when boarding and boat weighted. Then the 380 just doesnt cut it when the boat is weighted.

Sounds like the 1160 is "THE" prop for my ZR6. Plus I ding'd the 380 two weeks ago, so now I have an excuse to get the 1160 - :-) ! Sending the 380 for repair and will likely be selling it soon.

Thanks Again and hope to see you again in a nearby lake soon !

[ag4ever]

Why sell it, just have them re pitch it to what ever specs you want.

I had mine fixed and re-cupped to my specs for around $100.

[bobchris]

if you like the 644 and would like to turn a few less rpm then add a little more CUP to the prop and that should bring down the rpm with out loosing the hole shot or top end.

[Mikeski]

My reworked 380 was so noisy after the rework I decided that I would never spend the money on reworking a prop again. Having been around these boats all my life I am a little more particular than the average boater. When I bought my 95SN I told them it needed a new prop, they test drove it 3 times until I finally went out with them and showed them how to tell... On that boat the center tow bar would vibrate like a tuning fork. Changed the prop and it went away.

The way I figure is at $350 to my door it's really not that expensive to replace instead of repitch (equal to two tankfills). Spending money on repitches/repairs doesn't make as much sense as it used to.