buying a stripper?

[roger]

I'm on the brink of buying a "Stripper" (brand name) for my boat. Do any of you know a good reason why I should choose something else?
I've sailed aomething like 10000 miles and had the prop fouled five times. This seems quite a lot. What are your statistics. I'd like to think that a fouling every 2000 miles is exceptional but is it?

 

[Guest]

I don\'t think I would bother

I don't know how many miles I have sailed for but in the last 40 years of sailing but in that time, I have caught a rope around my prop twice
In both cases it was totally my fault.
Famous for the last words !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

-{)>

 

[VMALLOWS]

I think both you and 'Symbol' have been extremely lucky. I suppose it depends largely on where you sail. Before fitting a 'STRIPPER' I averaged one 'rope' per cross channel trip.....fortunately in reasonable conditions when I don't mind going over the side. Fitted one before a French canals trip ( I DONT go over the side in the canals!) ..... it was in constant use against weed, plastic etc. The only rope that I am aware of it cutting since fitting is my own pick-up bouy. A great thick mooring rope defeated it in Portland Hbr and needed a hacksaw. So either it's working or the seas are getting cleaner.

 

[Guest]

Re: I don\'t think I would bother

I had a stripper on my boat when I bought it, unfortuantely the nylon spacer wore out and the moving part ended up knackered ...... the cost of replacement of all was too much for my pocket at the time .... BUT I shall be replacing it as soon as I can ... I've been through nets, lines, plastic etc. and Its always kept me going ..... I don't like NOT having it now !

 

[Guest]

So called bombproof Long keelers

I have a longkeeler with a tiny aperture. Some will say that yachts with P brackets and A brackets are asking for it when it comes to getting caught.

In the last four years I have had a rope round my prop twice - fortunately, I could still sail away and get home. Last year I was in a friend's long keeler and we got caught. This time with no escape as we re tied to a very long flagged line of netting. We got clear in the end more through luck than what we managed to do. With a biggish sea running and a high freeboard there was no way anyone could have got down there.

I do not have a prop cutter but would like one. For my kind of sailing ( shallow coastal stuff, with an increasing amount of night sailing ) I would put it well above radar and electronic charting.

Getting mooring lines round props still appears to be hugely popular.

 

[PeterGibbs]

I have used both the Hayles cutter and the Ambassador (toothed) type. Both have their strengths. Although neither is cheap, I think the Ambassador scores well not only as an effective cutter for almost all materials (except wire, of course) but becasue the bearings last a good deal longer. I have been released from ropes and large plastic sheets in very compromising places - ie tidal areas and no wind etc by careful use of the cutter - ie working back and forward with light revs to chop the obstruction clear. My installations have been on straight A strut prop shafts and, now, an S leg drive.

I have no experience of circular saw type cutters - but the two mentioned above both have means of securing the rope to be cut before severing it, rather than relying on a straight razor action.

There are many other investments on a boat I would forgo before doing without a cutter - especially in European waters, but sadly more so in UK waters than most other places!

PWG

 

[BrianJ]

Ever been to Bangkok... go up to Pat Pong road..plenty of strippers there ...
BrianJ

 

[billmacfarlane]

I've used the Ambassador Marine stripper both on my last boat for 11 years , the prop shaft type , and on my latest boat , the sail drive type. The amount of times you foul your prop is surely dependent on a number of factors , namely what area you sail in , your keel configuration and last but not least how often you motor as opposed to sail. If you sail in that dustbin called the English Channel as I do then the chances of fouling your prop are fairly high and I wouldn't like to motor without the protection that a stripper provides.

 

[Guest]

Strange Stripper Ad.

I fitted a Spurs rope cutter to my boat 2 years ago and no problems since then. It is similar to the Stripper, but made of a harder grade of stainless steel. You can have a look at both at the Boatshow.

Incidentally, if you look at the advert for the Stripper, in PBO, YM etc., it shows a buxom mermaid removing a rope from a propellor. The other end of the rope appears to emanate from her left breast. Maybe I should get out more....

 

[Guest]

Sailing Today Test

I list below a test by the above mag in October 2000. Five makes were tested using a 12 inch prop by 1 inch shaft. Various sizes of polyester, plus monofilament, polyester netting and polythene sheet was used for the test making 7 items to try and get cut in all (test tank).

Plastimo cut 3 items at a cost of £133

Proprotector cut 5 items £74 slide on and £96
clamp-on

Shaft Knife (T. Norris) cut nothing at all. £76

Spurs cut all 7 items £254

Stripper cut all 7 items £291

Only Spurs and Stripper were of the scissors type the others being of the disc type. If anybody would like more info please send an E Mail.

 

[ccscott49]

I've fouled my prop 4 times in four years, I'm thankfully twin screw, because I couldnt get the rope off and it took me 2 hours diving to saw the burnt on rope off! This year I'm fitting strippers! I dont give a stuff how much they cost, I've dived under my boat with a hacksaw too many time, I would hate to have to do it in rough weather in the med even! All the reports I have read, give glowing reports, from people who should know! They also LOOK like they would tear anything to shreds, which is always good! If you think the English Channel is bad for rubbish, you should try the med! And fishing nets!!

 

[roger]

Thanks for comments

Thanks to all of you for your comments. I get the flavour that the Spurs type is preferred slightly to the "stripper" because the steel is harder and the bearings last longer.
Is that your feeling?
If so, what is the cost of bearing replacement and how often is it needed? - I know the answer is indefinite. It depends how much you motor.

 

[Aja]

Dont know how many mile (NM) hat I've sailed, but only had the mainsheet round the prop once, and a friendly diver only charged £30 to remove it. Be fore you ask, do you know the water temp on the W Coast of Scotland???

Waste of time.........

 

[tonyleigh]

Re: Thanks for comments

Annual replacement is recommended (subject of course to all the usual +/- allowances for particular waters). I tend to leave the bearings longer but the anode is an annual expense. Last record I have has bearing £11, anode £4.50 giving £18.21 inc VAT. Supplier was Harold Hayes (Yarmouth) and purchase was at London Boat Show.

 

[sailfreak]

I have read all the answers to roger's enquiry. With all these positive points where is the catch (apart from the money side)? Has anyone experienced any disadvantages from fitting a stripper or similar device? Any influence on prop efficiency? Vibrations? Other? Thanks for helping me in my decision!

sailfreak

 

[Guest]

Re: stripper disadvantages

The cost of course, but this a disadvantage of buying anything.

They are reckoned to decrease top speed by between 3 and 15% - but only for planing boats. For sailboats, a small but insignificant increase in fuel consumption. I am most humbly sorry that on a powerboat, I had a set and kept them for a while, then eventually chucked them away. Probly the wrong size. By the way, they are made of most impressively durable and utterly rust-resistant steel, three years later still so sharp that it was unwise to pick them up without gloves.

 

[pvb]

So what you\'re saying is...

... no real disadvantages!

After looking carefully at all the options, I chose the Stripper for my boat. It was easy to install, and appears to be astonishingly well made. Of course, you only find out if it doesn't work - not if it works! Since fitting it, I haven't had any problems. Of the various rope-cutting products, I think the Stripper is the most likely to succeed. The disc-type cutters are probably ineffective. The Spurs cutter seems a bit abrupt; whereas the Stripper seems more likely by design to be able to chew its way through a rope.

 

[Guest]

Re:no disadvantages

indeedy. Great care needed around that area at antifoul time I would say, as they'll still be super sharp even though perhaps covered in light layer of innocuous slime. When taken off, they simply cut through a plastic bag and fell out!

 

[Miker]

Any problems with cutlass bearing?

I was advised that extending the prop shaft with a spacer and so moving the prop further back from the P bracket could possibly place a greater strain on the cutlass bearing. Anybody experienced this?