Which action should be taken when experiencing engine overheating due to wrong prop size?

Experiencing engine overheating can be indicative of various mechanical or operational issues, and adjusting the prop size directly impacts engine performance. Reducing speed allows the operator to lower the stress on the engine while also providing time to evaluate the current propeller's suitability for the vessel and its operating conditions.

By assessing the propeller at a reduced speed, the operator can determine if it is indeed the root cause of the overheating issue, such as being too small for the engine's horsepower or misconfigured for optimal performance. This careful analysis can help in deciding whether a change in prop size is necessary and what specific adjustments would best benefit the boat's performance.

Switching to a larger propeller or increasing throttle could exacerbate the overheating issue rather than resolve it, as they place more strain on the engine. Changing the fuel type does not impact physical interactions between the engine and propeller and thus would not solve overheating connected to propeller selection or size.