TE 35 props

[Smokey]

I have a 2001 TE 35 with 370b Cummins. I am down to 22x19 with a #4 cup prop and am still only at 2800 rpm's. Could anybody with this same boat tell me what they have for props. Apparently I have something wrong.

[RicM]

What makes you think the props are the problem? Have you checked the fuel pressure? Excess weight? Is the bottom clean?

[Smokey]

Engines have been gone over completely to the best of my ability, complete fuel system, aftercoolers, turbos, etc. Bottom was cleaned 3 days prior and checked by me the day of trial. I,m even down about 150 gals of fuel which has not helped. Thanks

[RicM]

How do you know there is no fuel restriction? Have you put a pressure meter in the fuel system? Have you had the injectors pop tested? There could be gunk in the filters, a valve not opened all the way, a collapsed fuel line etc etc. I have read about old fuel line hose that looked fine from the outside but the inner lining had separated from the metal reinforcement and collapsed inward only when the engine tried to suck larger quantities of fuel than that the hose could transport. I have heard about whole lengths of fuel hose that got sucked flat at speed then returned to normal looking at idle. What I am suggesting is that speculation is not useful in this situation. You need to KNOW that your engine can reach WOT unloaded, and that there is plenty of fuel flow before even STARTING to mess with the prop. Unless you hit something hard, the prop is the same and the least likely thing to change. Always start with the cheapest, easiest thing to repair and work towards the most expensive exotic solution. Diesel fuel restriction in a 9 year old boat is by far the likeliest answer, be it hoses, takeup tubes, pumps, injectors etc. The previous owner may have started changing the prop to try to compensate for a drop in engine performance. Don't follow the road to madness!

[RicM]

On top of that how OLD is the fuel? and what makes you think you should be getting more than 2800 RPM, what's that engine rated for at WOT? A quick Google search says WOT is 3000 RPM. How are you determining your RPM? If you are using the dash tach be aware that that can be off 200 RPM EASY. You should check using a mechanics photo tach (strobe).

[Smokey]

My tachs are new Aetna digitals. As accurate as a strobe. Engines have been strobed also. My fuel is 18 months old. This is my problem with holding to much fuel and due to the current economy not being able to use it and replace it. Also not being able to afford fuel for trips, AND also parts to work on engines trying to get them up to spec. My fuel filter system is ALL new. Racors have been replaced with Seaboard multi stage filtration and pressure ratings are within spec. Aftercoolers have been cleaned to spotless by ME. My engines reach over 3300 rpm's WOT no load. I am out of possibilities that I know of to blame this problem on the engines. The engines are rated @ 3000 but I was trying to reach about 3150. The engines were turning about 2800 when I bought the boat. After taking out 2" of pitch I was @ 3000. After a flybridge enclosure I was back @ 2800. Now I have been told that if I take another 2-3" of pitch out I probably won't go anywhere. I was trying to compare my props to other like boats and see how close they were. Thanks for the help.

[RicM]

Impressive amount of technical detail in your quest. If you got 3000 then lost some when you added a flybridge enclosure it sounds to me like the boat is just heavy with a lot of windage slowing it down. 200 RPM is not a huge amount to be off in any case. Props on other boats with different setups will yield different results, and not necessarily help your situation. You might get more helpful input at http://www.boatdiesel.com where there are more detailed technical discussions and articles on propping as well as prop calculators.

[RicM]

I see from a quick trip to Boatdiesel.com that you have been posting there as well. You will probably get some good info there. BTW what kind of SOG are you getting at 2800 RPM? The age of the fuel could be a factor, untreated fuel lasts 3-6 months without measurable degradation.

[Smokey]

I have never checked speed. I have just been looking to get my rpm's up to spec. Yes the advice of boatdiesel is what I have been following for the last 18 months trying to resolve this problem and also to tweak my engines. I'm old and out of money so this has been going very slowly. Now I get no response as to what to do from them. Accutech propellers on that site says I cannot take that much pitch out and that I must have a problem. I am now going to fill out a prop calculator when I get all of the pertinent info, but I don't see how starting over can get me closer to the prop I need. Now I cannot even run the boat at cruise in order to get rid of another 250 gals of fuel because it is so overloaded. Thanks

[RicM]

You sound depressed, cheer up, go for a boat ride. The loss of 200 RPM is not going to destroy your engines anytime soon unless you run them flat out all the time. Diesel engines, espacially the Cummins, are pretty forgiving animals from 80% of capacity down. I asked all those questions because, in my brief experience with diesels, people often want to run to the prop shop to fix any "issue", and they spend a lot of time and money for very little gain. It's often as simple as the travel of the throttle cable is not adjusted right. The added windage of the bridge enclosure slowed you down a bit, so what? More fuel is required to push this new config, did you advance the throttle stop to allow more fuel in? If you are getting the appropriate SOG at about 2800 rpm don't sweat it, enjoy the water.

[Smokey]

I guess at this point all I can do is open all the curtains and slowly get rid of all my old fuel, then hope for the best. Thanks for the feedback.

[RobS]

Yes the advice of boatdiesel is what I have been following for the last 18 months trying to resolve this problem..... Now I get no response as to what to do from them.

When I read your post and seen Aetna digitals, Seaboard multistage filtration, WOT no-load, etc. I knew you were spending some time over at boatdiesel. Very "clicky" site IMO.

[Smokey]

Yes you are correct, and I am not in the click. I've noticed that my post don't get read completely or correctly usually, and then I get some flippant answer or told to search for the answer. I usaully search for hours, if not days, before I ask a question. It's a little frustrating after spending many thousands of dollars with THEIR dealers. Investing a lot of time doing what they say. Then when the engine doesn't run properly, getting dumped off. I keep telling myself that it's worth the money to just read.

[RobS]

Although I am an advocate of proper setup & prev. maintenance, the majority of the guys on boatdiesel either work on diesels daily or put thousands of hours on their engines. If you have 18 month old fuel in your boat, I would not be so concerned about tweeking it to perfection. Go burn some of that diesel.

But to answer your original question, AOG member "Legacy" has a 35TE with twin 370's. Try sending him a PM. But remember, every boat, even fresh out of the factory, needs to be propped based on it's own specs.