prop increase vs. gear change help

[nodigg]

No luck in the gear head section so I will try here.......
So help me out. What are the advantages, if any, of a gear change vs. a prop size increase. If running say a 30 bravo 4 blade and bumping the rev limiter hard with stock Bravo one gearing, would I benefit best from a gear change or a prop increase?? Or is it irrelevant? What is the difference between going to a 1:36 vs. increasing to a 32 prop for instance?

[Trash]

In general, changing a prop is obviously simpler and cheaper. Stick with props until you start to run out of pitch (i.e. 36 inches or more) OR you simply can't bring the boat onto plane with high pitch prop.
After about 36 inches of pitch (and again this is a ballpark) there are few , if any, higher pitch choices, so you're forced to do a gear change.
It is generally more efficient to swing a large pitch prop slower (1.5 gear set) than it is to swing a lower pitch prop faster (1.36 gear set).
In your case I'd try a 32 and see if it brings down the RPMs. My guess is you pick up some top end as well. If it becomes a bitch to plane with a 32 you may end up having to do a gear swap.

[nodigg]

Thanks for the input. Put a lab 32 on and she comes out of the hole fine. I had to work it a little to reach top rpm but did gain a few miles per hour. Now I gotta figure out where to loose some slip??

[Trash]

Slip reduction will be harder to do. Lowering your x-dimension will help reduce slip, but will scrub off all the speed you just obtained. Changing prop blade styles can help, but now you are venturing in the land of endless experimentation.
The best bet would be to try a few 5 blade props. In some cases they scrub off speed, and in others they don't. Try some of the Hydromotive or new Merc 5 blade props.

[nodigg]

Thanks for the input. Know anything about whether or not a nose cone can change can help?