Prop Protector

[Pat]

Hi everyone, everytime I take my boat out at the moment, I seem to spend half the time with my arm down the weed hatch. I'm sick of it. Just found this on the internet. prop protector

Anyone used it or heard anything about it?

Thanks,

Pat

Edited May 26, 2006 by Pat

[Liam]

Some guy on our moorings has one, he seemed to be really chuffed with it, so chuffed in fact, that he went out and bought a bigger one!

 

And, I suppose with this kind, when you get your boat out for blacking, you can just quickly give it a little sharpen up.

[Pirate]

Hi everyone, everytime I take my boat out at the moment, I seem to spend half the time with my arm down the weed hatch. I'm sick of it. Just found this on the internet. prop protector

Anyone used it or heard anything about it?

Thanks,

Pat

 

Well I want one, just incase. I dont know anyone with one though.

 

It worries me that stuff can Jam and stop the engine, thats why I`m getting one, £100 is better than £5000 if it`s unecessary £100 wont hurt much

[Denis R]

I've got one fitted on 'Whirlwind' - it was Peter Nicholls' recommendation and he swears by them, especially on his motor sailers and barges where a weed hatch is much more of an engineering proposition....

For goodness sake don't just stick your hand down the hole if you've got one of these fitted. It looks like something out of a dodgy martial arts film and can have precisely the same effect. Makes me shudder just thinking about it so I'm extra blimmin' careful!

[Gary Peacock]

We fit them and they are definitely a very good investment and beautifully simple!

 

 

They are a tad pricey but they are very well made out of marine grade stainless steel, you can find a bit about them HERE

 

 

To quote a customer

 

Dear Sirs

 

Whilst having our 55ft. narrowboat built by Ledgard Bridge Boat Company Ltd. of Mirfield we decided to have one of your Prop Protectors fitted prior to launch, it was one of the best decisions that we could have made!

 

We recently decided to cruise the Chesterfield Canal. This canal is notorious for its weed problem, This year it is even worse due to the problems of foot and Mouth leading to the lack of weed cutting. Many people warned us of the difficulties we would have, but during the whole of the 58 miles round trip we did not hove to stop once while all around us people were turning back because they were forever having to clear their props.

 

We have recommended your product to many people quoting our experiences an the Chesterfield Canal .

 

Yours faithfully

 

“A satisfied Customer”

[Pat]

Thanks. That all sounds very promising. I might have to get myself one. My Weedhatch is behind a pannel in the cabin, and everytime I open it, I get canal water on the bed....

Edited May 26, 2006 by Pat

[Noah]

May be OK for removing weeds but what about rope, old anoraks, etc.

 

Noah

[DHutch]

Yeah, if you search the site this has been posted before.

- We have a spurs "weedcutter" which we have found to work well.

- I dont recall a single time where we've had to go down the weed hatch.

 

Other then when we got out own sternwarp in the prop when it was tunning over very slowly in reverse.

- Not quite why it didnt work that time, maybe becuase it turning over so slow (about 40rpm ish), maybe becuase it was in reverse.

- It cut the rope 2/3 times, but it didnt fall clear very well.

 

 

Daniel

[charles123]

I dont have a weed cutter but will probably fit one when I next take the boat out of the water, what I do have because I cant reach down deep enough through the weed hatch due to the deep draft is something I made to clear obstruction, its a broom handle with a woodsmans saw (about 8 inch blade) that folds out, its very sharp but as I say it folds out for safety cost about £10 on ebay, its handle is fastened to the broom handle with 2 jubile clips, very simple and it works and you dont get wet

 

Charles

[DHutch]

Sounds interesting.

- We use thoughs saws for what there designed for, and there very good. As you say, crasy-sharp!

 

You cant really reach our prop much eather, often its easyer to get in, thats what we did the one time with the sternline.

- Addmitly that was just above sawley lock, where its fairly clean, clear anyway, with a nice shale bottom.

 

 

Daniel

[Denis R]

Noah, mine is yet to be used in real anger, but Peter Nicholls assures me that they do cut through rope and miscellaneous rubbish pretty well. He's a pretty pragmatic no-nonsense guy who's not into fads and doesn't recommend stuff without provenence, so I'm inclined to believe him.

My view is, they're not a king's ransom so probably better with than without....

[David Schweizer]

I don't have a weed cutter or anything else on my prop. I have had to go down the weed hatch only three times in the last nine years, and none of these situations would have been resolved by any form of cutter - Fisherman's Keep net with aluminium frame, a complete Reed planting Quior (courtesy of BW !!), and a Long length of very thick Nylon rope.

 

I used to work a Northwich Star in the 1960's without a weed hatch, and the only times we had to get into the water to remove rubbish from the prop was when we picked up things like an old matress, or a dead dog in a sack!!! I am convinced that the problem has increased in recent years because modern shallow draughted boats only have a couple of inches clearance between the tip of the prop blades and the underside of the counter, which enables things to get jammed into the small gap. My boat has a prop clearance of eight inches and I am convinced that most things do not get drawn in or jammed because of this much larger gap

Edited May 26, 2006 by David Schweizer

[blackrose]

I wonder if installing 2 prop protectors - 1 on each side of the prop - would be even better?

[Mick and Pauline]

I wonder if installing 2 prop protectors - 1 on each side of the prop - would be even better?

 

Hi Blackrose,

 

I guess the answer there is, how much time do you spend going backwords.

May be Gary (LB's) would have a view from the boat builder point of view.

 

M & P.

[Cafnod]

Agree with David, we have cruised a lot and never had to open the weed hatch, however weed is not what I would worry about.

Where we moor, one of the Viking Afloat yards, they dont fit weed cutters on the hire boats.

I assume the reason for this is if a customer cuts themselves on one. However one of the engineers went out last year to a jammed prop and found the old matress had partially dragged a moped into the prop/rudder/skeg area.

I carry a set of folding wilkinson sword heavy duty wire cutters and a pair of 18 inch record high tensile bolt croppers.

These are for shopping trolleys, a common problem on the canals.

I dont think weed would jam an engine to be honest, and even if it were so bad that it came close to doing so there would be many other symptoms before it happened, noise change, power loss, overheating.......

A log could definitely stop a prop, as could a car wheel but unless you sleeve the outside of the prop, and I dont know if this possible, you cannot guard against them and no weedcutter would help either.

[Pat]

Agree with David, we have cruised a lot and never had to open the weed hatch, however weed is not what I would worry about.

Where we moor, one of the Viking Afloat yards, they dont fit weed cutters on the hire boats.

I assume the reason for this is if a customer cuts themselves on one. However one of the engineers went out last year to a jammed prop and found the old matress had partially dragged a moped into the prop/rudder/skeg area.

I carry a set of folding wilkinson sword heavy duty wire cutters and a pair of 18 inch record high tensile bolt croppers.

These are for shopping trolleys, a common problem on the canals.

I dont think weed would jam an engine to be honest, and even if it were so bad that it came close to doing so there would be many other symptoms before it happened, noise change, power loss, overheating.......

A log could definitely stop a prop, as could a car wheel but unless you sleeve the outside of the prop, and I dont know if this possible, you cannot guard against them and no weedcutter would help either.

 

I find the biggest problem are ropes, old clothes and plastic bags. One bag round your prop won't stop you, but they accumulate, and before you know it, you have loads of bags tightly wrapped round the prop and your engine is overheating.

[Liam]

Like this....

 

 

[Pat]

Like this....

 

That is a very familiar sight!

[blackrose]

Hi Blackrose,

 

I guess the answer there is, how much time do you spend going backwords.

May be Gary (LB's) would have a view from the boat builder point of view.

 

M & P.

 

Yes, I suppose you can always see what kind of debris you're reversing into whereas you can't see what's coming under your hull towards your prop.

[Pat]

Yes, I suppose you can always see what kind of debris you're reversing into whereas you can't see what's coming under your hull towards your prop.

 

I can't see bugger all when I reverse.....

 

[blackrose]

I can't see bugger all when I reverse.....

 

You need some wing mirrors (seriously, why not!)

Edited June 28, 2006 by blackrose

[Mick and Pauline]

Hi,

 

I don't know about needing wing mirrors, I think CCTV on the stern may be better.

 

M & P.

[Gary Peacock]

I can't see bugger all when I reverse.....

 

 

Well just fit a mirror dave did!

 

 

[minerva]

going back to a cutter on the prop, I think we'll be fitting one soon.... we picked up some industrial strength plastic, about as thick as the plastic from a damp proof course, for brick walls! but it was as wide as it was long.... about 12 foot was round the prop, it just stopped the engine dead, took us about an hour to get off with a kitchen carving knife....

 

p.s. we've been down in the weed hatch a few times over the years....

[Pat]

Well just fit a mirror dave did!

 

 

Not a bad idea! I reckon it might even look quite stylish.