Proper prop pitch.
Inill, Our prop setups are vastly different, I have a 3-blade fixed prop that had to be removed, re-pitched and replaced throughout the testing phase. Now, what I'm about to share applies to my installation and may not be what you should ultimately end up with, so with that said, the way it is currently pitched, I can sometimes get some steam with the correct weather conditions but on a warm summer day, there is no steam whatsoever. Early on at the #2 stage of redoing pitch, my concern over excessive steam was that I was overtaxing the engine, thereby causing it to run too hot. The question you have to ask yourself is to what degree do you have steam and is it an indicator of an overheating problem. My first impulse is to say that it probably is not an issue but you are the one who could answer that better. FYI, here are the numbers for my installation. Yanmar 3GMF, a Kanzaki KM3P transmission, 2.61:1 ratio driving a 3-blade fixed prop, 13 X 12 1/2 RH All that results in my being able to achieve 3,700 RPM on flat water with a maximum sustained engine speed of 3,400 RPM. To run at full throttle (3,700 RPM) would result in overheating after one hour operation, guaranteed because it's happened to my wife several times when single handing without the knowledge that the engine could only safely run at 3,400 RPM. Can you say two blown head gaskets before I figured out what she was doing???? Mind you, ultimately it was my fault and not hers, I should have told her not to run the engine at that higher speed. Confused more now? Glyn Judson, E31 hull #55 Marina del Rey CA