Been thinking I should get a spare prop for the boat. The prop I have right now is a Tempest 25p. Motor is 2006 Optimax 225 ProXS. Boat is Champ 198 Elite. Hole shot is good. It turns around 5500 to 5600rpm on the top end (need to observe more closely for exact reading). Manual 10" jack plate. Speed with 2 guys, tournament load is 69 at best. It'll chine walk a little when trimmed all the way up on flat water.

Spent a lot of time researching this online. Seems like prop selection is an inexact science. Seems like trial and error is what most people do. Merc has this prop selector tool but it doesn't recommend their Fury prop which is supposed to be the best one. I'm thinking of getting a Fury and using my current prop as a spare based on the fact that most people report better hole shot and a few mph on the top end. Only a few people with older boats seem to say that it didn't do anything for them. The outstanding question in my mind is what pitch to get:

24, 25, or 26?

Merc has a 'look deeper' boat test thing on their site for a 198 with a 225 ProXS with a Fury 25p on it. Sort of an implicit recommendation there since I'd imagine they pick the best running prop for their boat tests

http://www.mercurymarine.com/look_deeper/boat_house_bulletin.php?ID=402&Filter=7,8

They're showing that it's turning 5700 rpm and hitting 71.6 with a half-tank of gas and probably not much gear/weight with a Fury 25p. Seems pretty good. Some people have suggested that you should go down a pitch in the Fury prop though, so like maybe I should get a 24. Theory is that you get more RPMs with the 24 and faster top end.

Anyone have any definitive answers here, or should I just go get some loaner props and see how it goes? I'm looking for all around performance, not just speed.