PROP SIZES AND GEAR RATIOS

I see a large number of discussions on bulletin boards and web sites on the relationship between prop
sizes and gear ratios. Since everyone seems to have an opinion, I thought I would throw my thoughts in
as well.

The weight and length of the boat, the horsepower and torque of the engine, the ratio of the drive (or
transmission) and the size of the prop all work together to affect the boats performance. In the discussion
below I am ignoring slip (amount of prop inefficiency around 10%), the power losses by the gears
themselves (around 3-5%), and the hull shape.

A props two dimensions each affect performance in different ways. For every inch of change in prop
diameter the RPM varies by about 500 RPMs (up or down) and every inch of pitch changes the RPM by
approximately 150 to 200 RPM. So if you have a prop that measures 14x19 and then go to one that is
15x17 instead, your RPMs will go down by approximately 100 RPMs (moving from 14 to 15 will
decrease the RPMS by 500 and changing pitch from 19 to 17 will increase the RPMS by about 400
RPMs). The effective top speed wont change much as these two props are about the same, but the
increase of diameter will help the engine get up on plane quicker (hole shot). With dual props however,
pitch changes are measured as a function of both props. Therefore, the change is approximately 70% of
single props: 280-350 RPMs or 105-140 RPMs respectively per prop.

The diameter of a prop decides how much water you will disturb while the pitch determines how quickly
you push the water displaced out of the way. A props pitch is similar to an airplane wing as well, with high
and low pressure sides. So a prop with a large diameter prop with no pitch would not displace any water
until pitch is introduced. The boat moves because of a combination of the differing pressures and
Newtons Law that every motion has an equal and opposite reaction.

So if you have a barge or a sailboat (neither are going to get on plane), then you want the biggest
diameter you can swing with the flattest pitch. This allows the prop to take advantage of the torque the
engine develops. For these types of boats the important thing is to have as much power (thrust) available
for use, rather than trying to develop speed.

If you have too big of a prop you wont reach maximum RPMS. This relationship is the same at whatever
RPM you are operating at, but is easiest to see at full RPM where the torque, horsepower and fuel
consumption efficiency curves cross and your engine is working harder than it should to reach any RPM.
It is inefficient and in the long run (very long run) can damage your engine. Youll have a terrific hole shot,
but wont be able to run at full RPM like driving a car uphill in fourth gear when you should shift down to
third.

If you have too small of a prop it means that you can go over your maximum RPMS and that your engine
over-revs to get to a specific speed. It also means that you may have trouble getting out of the hole or it
may take forever to get up to plane and you wont be able to go very quickly as you will have the prop
turning so quickly that cavatation develops. Cavatation destroys the wing lifting component. (You can
actually get the water boiling on the low pressure side.) It is like driving down a hill in third gear when you
should be shifting up to fourth gear.

It is all a question of torque. For the math lovers among you, the formula is usually stated as follows
T(torque) = (5252 x Engine HP)/RPM. The lower the RPM and the higher the horsepower, the greater the
 torque that is developed. In other words, slower turning props deliver more thrust as they receive more
thrust for the same horsepower.

A Volvo engine with 210 HP creates 368 foot/pound at 2400 RPM. If you had a 1:1 gear the torque at the
prop shaft would be 368 foot/pounds at 2400 RPM. If instead there was a 2:1 gear (or drive), the prop
shaft would turn at 1200 RPM and the torque on the shaft would be 919 foot/pounds.

If you have a high ratio gear like a 2.0 it means the engine has to turn two times to every one turn of the
prop shaft. So you would need a more aggressive prop (larger diameter and bigger pitch) to take
advantage of the reduction and corresponding increase in torque. But having an aggressive large prop
assumes you have a drive (or gear) that can handle this amount of torque and enough horsepower to turn
a big prop. All of the variables need to be balanced (HP, ratio, RPM, prop size etc.) This is why tug boats
have relatively large horsepower engines, big ratios like 5:1, and huge props. My father served on Liberty
Ships during WWII. They had 2,500 HP triple expansion steam engines that used 18-foot low-pitched
props that turned at a maximum of 76 RPMs.

Conversely, if you have a really low ratio like a 1:1 then the engine would not have any reduction, so the
shaft would turn really quickly but with only the torque developed by the engine. It is similar to how you
can stop a little 1/2HP electric motor going 5000 RPM with your fingers, but you cant stop your 1/2 HP
table saw electric motor turning only 3500 RPM with a piece of oak. With electric motors it is a function of
the windings and current and RPM, with diesel engines it is Cubic Inches(HP), gear reduction and RPMs.

As a rule of thumb, the larger HP engines have either a lower gear ratio (1.68:1) for lighter, speedier
pleasure boats and higher gear ratios (3:1 or higher) for heavier work boats (tugboats).

Smaller HP engines have either no ratio (1:1) for higher speed small light little boats (where torque is not
as important) or higher ratios (2.15:1) for heavier pleasure boats where the lower horsepower can be
somewhat overcome with the increase in torque.

And finally, prop-sizing can partially mitigate incorrect gear ratios, but only partially. Weve had customers
who had drives with too high a ratio (2.08 vs. 1.78) but compensate by using more aggressive props.
Their performance was fine but the high torque put tremendous pressure in the drives until they
prematurely failed. On the other hand we have had customers who have had drives at too low a ratio
(1.68:1 vs 1.95) which meant that they couldnt get a prop big enough to optimize performance, even if
they had enough horsepower to swing it.

I would love to hear from you if you have any comments on this issue or just need a part. We are here to
help.

Sincerely,

BY THE NUMBERS: GEAR RATIO DETERMINATION AND SPEED

CALCULATIONS FOR YOUR BOAT
OWNER ZONE


Bill Grannis
August 24, 2012

Bass boaters and other high performance enthusiasts are always looking to obtain the
maximum performance out of their rigs. Whether trying new props, changing the boat and
motor set-up, or by re-distributing the load, a go-fast boater is forever reaching for that last
mile-per-hour of speed.
Outboard motor gearcases come in all styles, sizes, and ratios depending on the motors
attainable speed, horsepower, and type of usage. It is important for the savvy boat owner to
know the gear ratio of his motors lower unit for propeller speed and efficiency calculations.
The following article illustrates a simple procedure to determine the gear ratio of popular
Johnson and Evinrude gearcases.
For safety purposes, it is recommended that you first disconnect the battery and remove the
ignition key to avoid accidental starting which could result in damage or injury. Remove the
sparkplugs, noting their condition and checking the gap on them if they have been in use for
a while. On E-TEC and DI ( FICHT ) outboards, record the cylinder number location of each
sparkplug to be certain that every one is reinstalled in the exact same hole from which it
was removed. The positioning of the electrode gap is important to the proper operation of
these high-tech low-emission outboards.
Have someone rotate the propeller while you shift the motor carefully into forward gear.
Place a piece of masking tape on one of the blades and make a line on it with a Magic
Marker. Turn the prop slightly counterclockwise until it stops to remove any normal free play
inside the gearcase. Now slowly rotate the flywheel clockwise (while looking down at it) until
the mark on the blade reaches the 12:00 position and is centered underneath the anti-
ventilation plate and trim tab as illustrated in this first image.
NOTE: Do not turn the flywheel counter-clockwise as that could damage the water pump
impeller.
Mark the flywheel for reference and rotate it EXACTLY three turns clockwise and observe
the propeller-blade mark position. Compare the location with the subsequent images to
determine the engines gear ratio and the number of teeth on the lower-units pinion and
driven gears.
If the mark ends up at about the 3:30 position, the gear ratio is 2.25:1 or .44 with 12-27
gears.
If the line indicates a 6:00 position, the gearcase has a .5 ratio or 2:1 with 13-26 gears.
A 1.85 or 1.86 ratio will place the mark close to the 7:00 position signifying 13-24 or 14-26
gears respectively . The O, L, and L2 style gearcases have a 1.85 ratio (13-24) while
the M or M2 (magnum) lower-units contain 14-26 gears resulting in a 1.86 ratio.
The high-ratio L2gearcase ( 2008-2010 ) displays the line at the 9:00 position signifying
that it is a 1.71 ratio or .58 with a 14 tooth pinion and a 24 tooth driven gear.
SPEED CALCULATIONS
If the gear ratio is known it is easy to calculate a theoretical top speed along with propeller
efficiency if the actual boat speed has been measured accurately.
The formula for top speed takes into account the rpm of the propeller itself which is the
engine rpm divided by the gear ratio, and then multiplying the answer with the pitch of the
propeller in inches divided by 1056. Converting miles per hour into inches per minute results
in the number 1056 used in the formula.
SPEED = [ENGINE RPM GEAR RATIO] X [PROP PITCH 1056]

EXAMPLE:
On an a boat and motor with a 1.85 gearcase ratio, a 17 pitch propeller, and the engine
turning 5600 rpm, calculating the theoretical speed is easy.
5600 rpm 1.85 = 3027.027 [ENGINE RPM GEAR RATIO]
17 1056 = .016 [PROP PITCH 1056]
Theoretical top speed 3072.027 X .016 = 48.432 or 48.4 mph rounded of
If we have the actual speed of this boat, we can calculate propeller efficiency which is
expressed in percentage of slippage. The less slip, the more efficient the propeller is for
obtaining the highest speed and best fuel economy.
If the GPS measured top speed is 44.2 mph, divide that by the 48.4 mph theoretical speed
and subtract that answer from 1.0 then multiply it by 100 to determine the percentage of
slip.

EXAMPLE:
44.5 mph 48.4 mph= .92 subtracted from 1.0 = .08 X 100% = 8% slip
 An 8% slip designates an efficient prop. Many recreational propellers generate around 10%
slip at full speed while high-performance propellers on very fast boats are closer to 6 or 7%.
For the mathematically challenged there are a number of programs to make these
calculations easy. Just type boat propeller calculator into an online search engine and
download your program of choice. One popular calculator may be found
at http://www.rbbi.com/folders/prop/propcalc.htm .
By knowing your engines gear ratio and performing a few calculations it is simple to figure
out the efficiency of your propeller. Compare several props this way to determine which is
best for your application. To help choose a good all-around efficient prop, run the numbers at
both full speed and at your cruising speed as some propellers are great for top end but are
not very efficient at normal speeds.
We hope this information helps you become a more informed boater and assists you in
obtaining the best overall performance from your boat and motor. Safe Boating!

Tips Help You How to Calculate Marine Gearbox Ratios

When most people talk about a marine gearbox ratio, they mean the reduction ratio of the motor that expresses
the number of times the motor turns--the number of revolutions--to turn the propeller once. Marine
gearbox ratios vary between manufacturers, between the engine models of each manufacturer and between High
Thrust and regular gear ratios. All you need to know to start the calculation is the pitch of your boat's propeller.
Then all you need to do is go boating with a few extra supplies.

Look at the side of the hub of your boat's propeller and find two numbers separated by an "X." The first is
your propeller's diameter. The second is the propeller's pitch. Record the pitch with pen and paper.

Launch your boat and motor away from the dock area. Accelerate slowly until your motor's tachometer
(RPM gauge) is reading 2,000 RPM. Look at the GPS and note your exact speed.

Stop your vessel in a safe area and, using your calculator, multiply the speed by 1,056 (the Constant for
Unit Conversion). Divide this result by the pitch of your propeller. Record this First Result. If your speed at 2,000
RPM was 10 knots, then: 10 x 1,056 = 10,560.

Divide this result by the propeller's pitch again. Record this Second Result: if your propeller's pitch equals
12, then: 10,560 / 12 = 880

Divide 2,000 by the Second Result; the answer is your gear ratio: 2000 / 880 = 2.272727, or 2.27 to 1
(2.27:1)