crowhater
Well-known member
Before I went to a super wide I ran a 82" 3b Falcon on a 1.7 reduction. The Falcon was a great prop and I did not have any complaints. My motor had to work to hard with a 1.7 when I had the Falcon blades. I was going to move to a 2.1 reduction and stay with the Falcon blades but you guys turned me on to the 2.68 and the super wide blades.
I now have a 2.68 with a 4b 82" pitched at the second setteing
At first I was not 100% sold on this set up but it has proven to be the better perfomer. I can run my 18x7 Panther with 5 guys, 10dz decoys, 50 gals of fuel, dog, guns, tools, extra parts, hunting gear and my 30 mph cruise speed is 36-3800rpm. The boat also has a 3' alum grass rake. Even when I buck a 25mph head wind and 1-3' chop on open bay it will hold 30mph between 3800-4000rpm. I tried the 3B SW set up and I did not like it for my boat at all because when I went from shallow to deep water you could feel the back of the boat drop down. The 4b holds the boat so well that you really can't feel a diffrence between shallow water and deep. The 4b is much quiter then the 3b and it feels smoother.
When you nailed the gas with the falcon you get the snap feel and without a doubt more top end. The SW set up is like compairing a Honda pulling a trailer up hill vs a Powerstoke pulling the same load. The SW fools you because it does not make all that noise but it pushes like a John deer. Guys I have run some weather this season that has broke welds all over my boat and almost sunk it once and if I did not have the thrust I have now I would lost the boat. Also when I use to run my other prop and a big gust of wind would catch me it would push the boat around on the water.
This is not a knock on anyones Product at all because I am compairing apples to oranges. I said when I started this trip I would give a fair evaluation of what I learned. If I had a smaller boat I am sure the Falcon would have been the ticket but if you are a coastal hunter and you drive a barge I would really take a look at this set up.
One more thing! running an airboat on cold days always sucks but one of the biggest complaints is gettering your headphones to work with a face mask and coat hood over them, with the SW you can run without headphones and the sound is not that bad.
oops, I got another one. Pulling your boat with a big 4B SW will effect how much gas your tow rig burns. Hey I said I would tell it like it is.
I now have a 2.68 with a 4b 82" pitched at the second setteing
At first I was not 100% sold on this set up but it has proven to be the better perfomer. I can run my 18x7 Panther with 5 guys, 10dz decoys, 50 gals of fuel, dog, guns, tools, extra parts, hunting gear and my 30 mph cruise speed is 36-3800rpm. The boat also has a 3' alum grass rake. Even when I buck a 25mph head wind and 1-3' chop on open bay it will hold 30mph between 3800-4000rpm. I tried the 3B SW set up and I did not like it for my boat at all because when I went from shallow to deep water you could feel the back of the boat drop down. The 4b holds the boat so well that you really can't feel a diffrence between shallow water and deep. The 4b is much quiter then the 3b and it feels smoother.
When you nailed the gas with the falcon you get the snap feel and without a doubt more top end. The SW set up is like compairing a Honda pulling a trailer up hill vs a Powerstoke pulling the same load. The SW fools you because it does not make all that noise but it pushes like a John deer. Guys I have run some weather this season that has broke welds all over my boat and almost sunk it once and if I did not have the thrust I have now I would lost the boat. Also when I use to run my other prop and a big gust of wind would catch me it would push the boat around on the water.
This is not a knock on anyones Product at all because I am compairing apples to oranges. I said when I started this trip I would give a fair evaluation of what I learned. If I had a smaller boat I am sure the Falcon would have been the ticket but if you are a coastal hunter and you drive a barge I would really take a look at this set up.
One more thing! running an airboat on cold days always sucks but one of the biggest complaints is gettering your headphones to work with a face mask and coat hood over them, with the SW you can run without headphones and the sound is not that bad.
oops, I got another one. Pulling your boat with a big 4B SW will effect how much gas your tow rig burns. Hey I said I would tell it like it is.