I agree with the statements. WOT (wide open throttle) is 3500 rpm. Never use this except in an emergency. Originally, we could only get 2300, but accidently found the cable misrigged.
We cruise at 1800 to 2500 rpm depending on the distance, sea state, etc. But typically, we set a boat speed to match others in our group, and then find a throttle setting that doesn't have everything rattling.
Never have a black smoke issue except when gunning the engine.
We have used a Martec geared, folding prop for 6 years without incident. This prop wore beyond repair limits (1200 hours of motoring) and now we have a Seahawk geared, folding prop. The dealer (Martec) claimed he was customizing the pitch for our boat to cruise optimally at 2200 rpm and with max thrust at about 2800 rpm. Just launched last week, but so far it appears we will be cruising at 200-500 less rpms. So just maybe this prop is worth the extra $$$.
I would certainly look for some other cause of black smoke than being over-propped with this engine.
Jammin' #226
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