Is 82” Mac still the go to prop?

Buddy has a new 82/41 for sale for a good price, I have a 74/50 sensenich on now, I assume any other prop would be an improvement on wheels.

Still definitely the go-to in the certified 320 powered cub world- it’ll change your life from your prop!

Depending on plane, engine, and mission the Borer is the gold standard in Alaska!! So what plane/engine/mission do you have in mind. A 160 HP is good for an all around 82/43. If you want to go fast keep what you have. Every thing depends on a lot of factors so tell us more about the plane/engine. DENNY

Mainly just gravel bars but I do like exploring in the mountains. Braking effect would be what I’m after. More pull would be nice too for a margin don’t care about speed in this plane, it’s already slow and cruises about 80kt as it is with this 74/50 sensy. I wanted a W80 composite prop but the dealer said they don’t hold up to the Mac.

For what it's worth. I flew the Borers for 40 yrs and loved them. Won't go back now. I have flown both the Whirlwind and Sensenich ground adjustable for a few yrs. now and they have many advantages for me at least. Less vibration-spool up faster- half the weight- pull harder and cruise faster. If you are looking for a downside you can't idle them back as far as a heavier prop because there is no flywheel effect at low rpm. I always liked the way a borer would cause drag and actually hold you back a little at idle into a small puddle on floats. I fly into the same spots as always and have just made minor airspeed or AOA adjustments to compensate for those issues. The plus side well outweighs the down side. My two cents. They both work very well though the Sensenich is two inches longer and easier to change pitch on. Either will out perform the borer. If I were flying a standard certification aircraft it would still be the borer for me. Reid

My super cub has a Sensenich 74/56 on a O-320 with the LyCon 160hp STC. I wonder how much cruise speed I will lose with a borer prop - maybe a 82/43 as Denny suggested. I currently see about 95mph at 2350 and lean of peak.
Thanks,
Robert

Depending on the 160 hp cub a 82/43 Borer should get you around 90 MPH at 2400 RPM. You will loose/gain about 2 1/2 MPH per inch of pitch change. Bang for the buck Borer is a great prop and holds or increases value over the years, as long as you don't start cutting them down even then the sell for a good price. DENNY

Still cruises at 100mph at 2500. Gets off about 125-150ft shorter and 250 feet by myself off the sandbars with 3/4 fuel is easy. Low speed handling is much better must be from more air moving across the tail feathers. Doesn’t feel like it wants to fall out.

I would love to justify an MT prop for the Decathlon. One of my buddies reports that he is getting poor results from a 4-bladed prop on his Malibu. First overhaul at 350 hrs for $7 grand, then yesterday he showed me chips in the finish on one blade. A JB Weld repair?

On the other hand, a SuperCub has a lot more prop clearance - but he says it was rain damage (4” out from hub).

h2oavi8r said:

My super cub has a Sensenich 74/56 on a O-320 with the LyCon 160hp STC. I wonder how much cruise speed I will lose with a borer prop - maybe a 82/43 as Denny suggested. I currently see about 95mph at 2350 and lean of peak.
Thanks,
Robert

Click to expand...

Robert, you most likely know this but with a fixed pitch prop your mixture setting has no bearing on speed unless your losing RPM which is the only speed factor related to the engine.
constant speed on the other hand speed will be related to rpm and mixture.

ag-pilot said:

Robert, you most likely know this but with a fixed pitch prop your mixture setting has no bearing on speed unless your losing RPM which is the only speed factor related to the engine.
constant speed on the other hand speed will be related to rpm and mixture.

Click to expand...

I wasn’t aware of that but it makes sense when I think about it. Thanks for the info!
Robert

ag-pilot said:

Robert, you most likely know this but with a fixed pitch prop your mixture setting has no bearing on speed unless your losing RPM which is the only speed factor related to the engine.
constant speed on the other hand speed will be related to rpm and mixture.

Click to expand...

Mixture? Do you mean manifold pressure?


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h2oavi8r said:

My super cub has a Sensenich 74/56 on a O-320 with the LyCon 160hp STC. I wonder how much cruise speed I will lose with a borer prop - maybe a 82/43 as Denny suggested. I currently see about 95mph at 2350 and lean of peak.
Thanks,
Robert

Click to expand...

It's been a minute but as I recall with my 160 which is quite strong, I lost 4-5 mph when going from the Sens to a 82x44 in cruise (92 mph down low on 31's with a BBY and a belly pod) at the same 7.5-7.8 gph fuel flow but with higher RPM and running ROP. As close as my cylinders flow and the temps run I'm guessing I could run LOP up high but its not injected and no doubt would loose considerable speed.

My cub has a 160 on 29” tires, with the thrust line kit. Prop is 82-43 and my cruise speed is 85 mph. Most of my flying is between 6,000 and 12,000. Fuel burn is around 6 gallons per hour. I’m sure the full burn would be higher if I were flying at a lower altitude.


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