Propeller shaft cutter

We are boating in the St-Laurence River, Thousand Island, Lake Ontario. Problems of rope entangle around shaft and propeller is rare. In 2020 we plan for a trip to the Bahamas via the ICW where the potential of rope entanglement on the propeller may be more present. Is a rope cutter on the propeller shaft is effective?
Jacques

I have had Spurs and now have Shaft Sharks. I can't speak to their effectiveness since I've had no known use of them. Or, maybe they've cut lines that I didn't know about....can't say. The Sharks are more simple, Spurs having an anode that needs changing.

You'll have no more trouble in the ICW and Bahamas than you do in the Thousand Islands with crab and lobster pots. Unless you plan to go through Maine - that is a whole different universe.

Jacques Raoul said:

We are boating in the St-Laurence River, Thousand Island, Lake Ontario. Problems of rope entangle around shaft and propeller is rare. In 2020 we plan for a trip to the Bahamas via the ICW where the potential of rope entanglement on the propeller may be more present. Is a rope cutter on the propeller shaft is effective?
Jacques

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I have Shaft Shark style cutters. As far as effectiveness goes, they *usually* will cut a line that wraps the shaft but there is no guarantee that they always will.


Ken

+1 on the Shaft Shark style of cutter (on my boat that is). Like others have stated, I don't know if it has ever cut a line thus preventing an entanglement. I also doubt that it would be 100% effective in all situations (depending on line type, fishing net, etc.), but it will save your bacon at least in some situations compared to no line cutter at all.
Tom

I have a Prop Protector cutter installed. Over the years, I've run over submerged lobster pot floats and on 3 occasions, the Prop Protector cut the lines. However, there's been a couple of occasions were the line was not cut and I had to go over the side to remove wrapped line, and once a jammed float between the prop and rudder. On my Nordic Tug, I only have a couple of inches of exposed shaft. Traveling in New England waters, particularly at night, can be a challenge regarding running over lobster pots.

Doubt you will run into pot warps in the ICW. I have spurs. Can't judge overall effectiveness but I can say they won't cut through 5/8' dock line. Snapped the stop bracket on the strut, snapped the screws on the stationary cutter which promptly fell off, turned my drivesaver into a pretzel, and stopped the engine.

Keep a mask, snorkle, and sharp knife on board.
(and don't back over your dock lines)

Jacques Raoul said:

We are boating in the St-Laurence River, Thousand Island, Lake Ontario. Problems of rope entangle around shaft and propeller is rare. In 2020 we plan for a trip to the Bahamas via the ICW where the potential of rope entanglement on the propeller may be more present. Is a rope cutter on the propeller shaft is effective?
Jacques

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I have the Shaft Shark style cutters.
After several wraps over the last 30 yrs I decided to get cutters (gettin to old to dive down anymore comfortably especially when it happens at the worst possible time) .
A few years ago in Bahamas we were motoring along and felt shudder and bang!
Then everything OK, or so I thought. Noticed some vibration so knew all was not quite right. Stopped at the next anchorage and found 25’ of line still wrapped up on shaft and dragging behind.
My theory is the cutter cut off most of the line and the bang was a crab pot hauled up and thud on the bottom.
Bottom line, Im happy I had them, the result could have been much worse, (have locked a shaft in the past, and motor quit). They are not fool proof or an answer to all situations, but I believe it saved me from a much larger proble that day.

Bottom line, install them for peace of mind but don’t rely on the to solve all your situations.
Hope this helps,
Happy & safe travels.
PS: when you get to the Bahamas and explore the beaches you will see thousands of feet of line washed up, lots of it poly (which floats) sooner or later one will find your prop!

I had Spurs on my ex, an old 34 Mainship. They definitely work, I know I cut lobster lines 3 times over the years I had that boat.
All lines were below the surface, pulled down by strong currents and seaweed.
All 3 times I heard the "thud" of the buoy hitting the hull, then I'd look aft and see the floating buoy.

25 years boating in Maine without any type of line cutter and I have never had to go over the side. I have snagged two lines. Both floats were pulled under by current. A little work with the boat hook freed me up. The trick is not to run over lobster gear.

No kidding! Who would have thunk it.

TDunn said:

25 years boating in Maine without any type of line cutter and I have never had to go over the side. I have snagged two lines. Both floats were pulled under by current. A little work with the boat hook freed me up. The trick is not to run over lobster gear.

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With so many ghost traps out there with floats just under the surface, if you cruise enough....snagging one is inevitable.


Between my own boats, commercial boats and delivery boats...I have it probably dozens, maybe hundreds over many years from Rhode Island to the Keys.


I have never had a line stop me, but I have had two pots wrap up on the prop.


One I pulled apart with the boat hook...but starting a few years back, some pot makers used rebar to frame the bottom and act as weight.


Had one rebar completely encircle the assistance towboat shaft and had tobe lifted where it took 3 men to unbend it from the prop.


I have though about cutters, but haven't gotten around to it as pot lines never seem to do much when I sag them till the next haul out.



Now I am talking near shore or ICW type pots...not large offshore strings.

I have 2 new sets of spurs if anyone needs them for a 2 inch shaft.

catalinajack said:

No kidding! Who would have thunk it.

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Perhaps I should have put it this way. Pay attention to the water. If in Maine don't run on autopilot or at night and you won't have many problems. Lobster and crab traps are few and far between south of Cape Cod, particularly compared to Maine.

TDunn said:

Perhaps I should have put it this way. Pay attention to the water. If in Maine don't run on autopilot or at night and you won't have many problems. Lobster and crab traps are few and far between south of Cape Cod, particularly compared to Maine.

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I would agree to the point of overall waters and pot density.



However, the mouth's of some rivers in the Chesapeake are/have been so thick with pot buoys you can hardly get a 40 foot boat through them without running one over.


Fortunately there is usually one or more marked opening though the barrier...if you find it before trying your approach.


And like I posted before...it' not always the ones you can see that get you.

The Lobster pots in our area can be a pain. The grounds have been picked over hard, so the guys are going in to deeper water, and right at the edge of the marked channels which will sometimes drift into the channel. I know 2 people who have snagged them. One wheeled the cage all the way up into the prop while in shallow water. I don’t know anyone who has a line cutter, but I have definitely thought about one. I don’t mind going into the water to clear it, but the bad place/wrong time scenario is what scares me.

Edit, agree, some of the bouys are laying just below the water line so no matter how hard you look, they can be missed or with any type of weather or chop they disappear.

Second Edit, somewhat related. When I was in high school I guy I knew drowned while surfing when his leash tangled with a lobster pot that drifted into the surf line.In the 70s these things came ashore more frequently than now. Shortly after that, if I remember correctly, surf leashes with a rip cord type device came on the market to allow you to detach. I would often mock drill it, reaching back to the safety release rip cord pin on my ankle and pretend to pull it.

What about a prop cage instead of a cutter? Lobster boat roaming in the middle of pots lines have the prop enclose in a cage that protect them.

L

Fletcher500 said:

The Lobster pots in our area can be a pain. I know 2 people who have snagged them. One wheeled the cage all the way up into the prop while in shallow water. I don’t know anyone who has a line cutter, but I have definitely thought about one. I don’t mind going into the water to clear it, but the bad place/wrong time scenario is what scares me.

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Thanks to all, if it can save me once from rope entanglement on the shaft propeller, it is a GO to install one. Just need to figure out the space between the propeller and the bearing which is occupy by the zinc anode.
Jacques

Fletcher500 said:

The Lobster pots in our area can be a pain. The grounds have been picked over hard, so the guys are going in to deeper water, and right at the edge of the marked channels which will sometimes drift into the channel.

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SoCal has no lobster pots - in comparison to Maine. The lobstermen of Maine have no restraint at all: pots all over the middle of marked channels, all around fuel docks, throughout anchorages, middle of harbor fairways. Several times I've had them dropped well within my anchor circle while I watched. They just don't care. Yeah, that's a broad brush and I'm sure some are more responsible than others. Add toggles, some current, a few white caps and avoiding them in some places is impossible.

TDunn said:

Perhaps I should have put it this way. Pay attention to the water. If in Maine don't run on autopilot or at night and you won't have many problems. Lobster and crab traps are few and far between south of Cape Cod, particularly compared to Maine.

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Paying attention, yes, that works, most of the time. It absolutely does not work with stuff submerged just under the service.

DDW said:

SoCal has no lobster pots - in comparison to Maine. The lobstermen of Maine have no restraint at all: pots all over the middle of marked channels, all around fuel docks, throughout anchorages, middle of harbor fairways. Several times I've had them dropped well within my anchor circle while I watched. They just don't care. Yeah, that's a broad brush and I'm sure some are more responsible than others. Add toggles, some current, a few white caps and avoiding them in some places is impossible.

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There are Dungeness crab traps permitted north of Pt Arfuello, just north of Santa Barbara. Dungeness are fished in very deep water well offshore. Transits along the coast routinely involve overnight passages so a bit of luck is in order. It's a problem.

Jacques Raoul said:

Thanks to all, if it can save me once from rope entanglement on the shaft propeller, it is a GO to install one. Just need to figure out the space between the propeller and the bearing which is occupy by the zinc anode.
Jacques

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Jacques, ou gardes tu ton bateau?

(Excuse the French )

L

mvweebles said:

There are Dungeness crab traps permitted north of Pt Arfuello, just north of Santa Barbara. Dungeness are fished in very deep water well offshore. Transits along the coast routinely involve overnight passages so a bit of luck is in order. It's a problem.

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Headed up that way in March/April.

• Are all of the Dungeness crab pots north of Arguello?
• How deep of water are they setting them?

Looks like they have delayed the season opening several times, and its now set to open Dec 31, 2019.

Fletcher500 said:

Headed up that way in March/April.

• Are all of the Dungeness crab pots north of Arguello?
• How deep of water are they setting them?

Looks like they have delayed the season opening several times, and its now set to open Dec 31, 2019.

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Most are north of Monterey. Arguello is the southern limit of Dungeness fishing. I can't help on depth as I constantly see traps in much deeper water than expected, but I don't know squat about crabbing. They seem to set in really deep water. 400-feet is not unusual. They are more concentrated outside larger ports - Monterey, San Francisco, Noyo/Ft Bragg. Crescent City, etc. There used to be a lane 5-miles offshore that was supposed to be for tow barges and the crabbers knew not to set there or risk losing their gear, but it didn't seem to work out that way. Traps aren't nearly as dense as Maine I suppose, but they are out there. You'll see some still in March. Can be pretty breezy headed north in April.

move Lobster Pots - Cruisers & Sailing Forums

Thanks MVW. I am sure you experienced your share of weather when driving Nordhavns up the coast.

In my younger days I did a run on an old oil tanker: LA - SF, SF - LA; repeat, for 4 months. IE, numerous runs and up and down the coast. It was during the Winter and I still remember how quickly the wind and swell kicked up when North of Conception.

I am a free man come March 13th and throwing my alarm clock away, so off I go. I have no desire to fight Mother Nature and will be monitoring the weather closely and likely only get to the Central Coast. The following year, hopefully further north.

Round Pt Conception around midnight. Anchor at Coho if needed. It's a decent anchorage as the kelp keeps the swell down. Pt San Luis is a good anchorage. For some reason, I had more issues getting through the central coast than other spots on the coast (San Martin). Once you're past that central area, not too bad and the ports are closer. I've never stopped at San Simeon so don't know.

Its a beautiful ride. You'll likely see a few whales. You won't find whole days of goof weather, but mostly slop in the afternoons so workable. Chuck Hawley, of West marine fame, once said April is the most consistently windy month along the coast. Not the highest sends, but more consistent. That said, junk usually only lasts for a few hours.

How far are you going? All the way to puget sound? Hopefully, I'm headed north in May or so.

A little tip that seemed to hold true along the California coast. Small white caps first form at around 17-kts. If you see them before 11am, will be a long day. After 1pm, will be a good day. During the afternoon when winds pickup, stay 1 to 1-1/2 miles off the surf line and you'll knock down about half the junk. At night, you have to move further offshore regardless, but usually winds die down.

I miss the sunsets. And the first cup of hot coffee in the morning.

OP, keep us posted if you install one. I think it’s a smart thing to do. The two people I noted were both in Mission Bay, CA. The person who wheeled it up and damaged his prop was a dock neighbor and definitely not a novice boater. And, sorry about the thread drift...

MVW, thanks for the Intel. All of my previous boating has been south of Conception. I have also been reading Fagans book recently. We spend a lot of time in the Southern Channel Islands in the Summer, so I want to be down here for that window. I am starting to rethink the March/April departure to head up to Central CA and the Northern Channel Islands and wait until early Sep. when the winds are at their calmest. The Sep to Nov timeframe have always been my favorite months on the water. Keep me posted regarding your May departure though. When I retire, I want to have general plans, but also not, if you know what I mean.

That's my video, shot from my sailboat. This is no where near the thickest that you will find there, when they are really thick there is no time at all to be holding a video camera. Believe me, the pots in California a very few and far between in comparison. I've cruised the length of both coasts - nothing compares to Maine. In Maine there are more than 3 million lobster pots, more pots than people.

deblen said:

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