# Chittum 18 prop advice



## obrientimm (Jan 28, 2013)

Need to come down 2-3 pitches.


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## sjrobin (Jul 13, 2015)

Did Chittum and company prop the Suk? He should know the best prop pitch for your skiff.


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## No Bait / Lures Only (Apr 10, 2011)

obrientimm said:


> Need to come down 2-3 pitches.


Need to be light at the top rpm range...


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## jtrev3 (Sep 26, 2014)

Thanks for the replies! I'm planning on trying a 16 pitch 3-blade. That should get the rpm's up and, hopefully, the top end.


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## DuckNut (Apr 3, 2009)

sjrobin said:


> Did Chittum and company prop the Suk? He should know the best prop pitch for your skiff.


I would bet he tested the 60. But this motor is not a standard 60. This one has the lower of a 90 with low ratio gears. 

I am going to upset the owner...this is not the right motor for this boat. This motor is for a pontoon or a barge, it is not and was not designed for a skiff.


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## sjrobin (Jul 13, 2015)

That's ok. It is ok to learn the hard way. Some people do not heed the recommendations of the builder or ask for recommendations from experienced skiff owners on this forum before the skiff is built/bought.


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## jtrev3 (Sep 26, 2014)

DuckNut said:


> I would bet he tested the 60. But this motor is not a standard 60. This one has the lower of a 90 with low ratio gears.
> 
> I am going to upset the owner...this is not the right motor for this boat. This motor is for a pontoon or a barge, it is not and was not designed for a skiff.


It is the wrong gearcase. I took advice from the wrong people. Hal Chittum was "surprised" when he first saw the big foot. So, it's been an adventure to get a prop that works. What I have settled on - at least for now- is a 15 pitch four blade. This prop raised the WOT to about 6100 RPM and 37 MPH. The hole shot is fantastic and the boat grips very tight on turns. Many thanks to Shields Marina on helping me get the right prop. The motor doesn't seem to work as hard now and turns up the RPM a lot quicker. From what I have seen on this and other forums, this is about as good performance as most any 60HP. 
My advise to Chittum buyers is to put on a Yamaha 70. They are getting 45MPH! with the 70. Other than top end speed, this boat performs better than any flats skiff I have been on.


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## DuckNut (Apr 3, 2009)

jtrev3 said:


> My advise to Chittum buyers is to put on a Yamaha 70. They are getting 45MPH! with the 70. Other than top end speed, this boat performs better than any flats skiff I have been on.


That is not "FAIR" advice. You have the wrong motor and do not know the performance of the proper motor. You are tainting a premier builder because YOU listened to a guy on the internet over listening to the builder. 

You also have other options for your prop choice. Not only can you change pitch you can change diameter. But whatever you choose you will not get the prop to turn as fast as a non-bigfoot motor because of the gearing difference.


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## jtrev3 (Sep 26, 2014)

DuckNut said:


> That is not "FAIR" advice. You have the wrong motor and do not know the performance of the proper motor. You are tainting a premier builder because YOU listened to a guy on the internet over listening to the builder.
> 
> You also have other options for your prop choice. Not only can you change pitch you can change diameter. But whatever you choose you will not get the prop to turn as fast as a non-bigfoot motor because of the gearing difference.


Wow. Chill!!
I thought I was clear. The boat is the best performing boat I have ever had the pleasure to be on. It sure isn't Chittum's fault that I bought the wrong foot! The motor advice I received was not from the interent, but rather from someone who should know.


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## DuckNut (Apr 3, 2009)

The inherent tone of your comment "my advice to Chittum buyers is to put on a Yamaha 70".

This is what I was referring to. You can't fairly make that comment because you have no idea how the 60 works. That's all, nothing more.

Now, had you put the correct motor on then the comment could be a fair statement.

I have no affiliation with Chittum in any way, shape or form, never been there, never met them, nothing. But I feel Chittum builds a great product and I would expect someone to do the same to me if I had said to put a 90 on it. Without the right motor you will never know how it performs with a 60. Without personal experience the opinion has no merit and does more harm because people surfing the web won't read the entire thread.

That is all I want to convey.


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## No Bait / Lures Only (Apr 10, 2011)

jtrev3 said:


> Wow. Chill!!
> I thought I was clear. The boat is the best performing boat I have ever had the pleasure to be on. It sure isn't Chittum's fault that I bought the wrong foot! The motor advice I received was not from the interent, but rather from someone who should know.


Woa!!


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## commtrd (Aug 1, 2015)

Could just swap out lower units and sell the bigfoot to recoup some cost? No need for a mistake to be a fatal error...


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## jtrev3 (Sep 26, 2014)

commtrd said:


> Could just swap out lower units and sell the bigfoot to recoup some cost? No need for a mistake to be a fatal error...


I agree. I'm working on it!


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

You skiff guys are a touchy bunch!


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