Plastic bags in the sea

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oz-1

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Hello every one, i went out for a sail this morning. Really lovely breeze and a bit of swell running ( in Torbay with N Easterly ). Returning back home, just as i was about 50 yards from my slip , the propellor on my outboard picked up a clear plastic bag. Luckily i managed to get to my slip and tie up the boat. The bag had completely wrapped itself around the prop. I got the bag off, and looking at the prop, i couldn't see any damage. Can any one advise what i need to do to make sure there was no damage caused, please. Iv'e flushed the engine with fresh water when i got back and let the engine run for a while, and it sounds normal. Also what would have happened if the bag was entangled around an inboard engine prop, where the propellor is fixed down in the water. Best regards to all, Oz.
 
If it still runs smoothly probably no damage but check that you don't lose drive ( due to a spun prop hub ) when you pile on the power.

Checkgear oil for water ingress after a little more use

With an inboard you can sometimes throw off stuff with bursts of forward and astern power . Otherwise dive with the carving knife or employ a diver

We once got a pair of trousers wrapped round the prop down that way somewhere ( luckily nobody still wearing them ) Got them off with the boat hook
 
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I once got what could only be described as a large sheet of horse blanket round a prop. Zero propulsion and actually slowing the engine revs of the mighty 7 hp Volvo MD1. This was on a heavy long keeler with inboard engine with prop in a cutout. The prop fouling actually also restricted rudder movement.

Unfortunately it was in the middle of Hong Kong harbour, very busy and highly polluted. Ferries, sampans, junks, freighters, tugs and towed barge. Not enough wind to sail properly, also towing a large blanket made handling truly horrible. Breadknife and goggles job, as quick as I could.....

One of the few advantages of an outboard is ease of clearing fouling off props.
 
Thanks for your advice, VicS, i will try the engine in gear and open the throttle up. Your experience sounds really harrowing jwilson. Hopefully these kind of incidents only rarely happen. Best regards, Oz.
 
My only experience with outboards is with small ones, which always had shear pins to prevent damage in this situation. Is there a size above which these are no longer fitted?
 
Hi johnalison, i honestly don't know if my outboard has a shear pin, ( i know this isn't good seamanship, but iv'e never been good with engines ), but i went down to the boat this morning and tried the engine. As with VicS's help, i put the engine in gear and throttled it right up, the prop turned o.k. and it was good in reverse too. The outboard is an 8hp Tohatsu long shaft sail drive which i bought brand new in 2005. It has been a good, reliable engine. Best regards, Oz.
 
johnalison said:
My only experience with outboards is with small ones, which always had shear pins to prevent damage in this situation. Is there a size above which these are no longer fitted?
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Increasingly, outboard engines rely on the the prop hub bonding to fail rather than a shear pin. Usually needs new prop unlike larger engine's props which can be re-bushed. IIRC the Suzuki DF4/5/6 range don't have shear pins, neither does our Tohatsu 9.8 so OP's most likely the same.
 
oz-1 said:
Hi johnalison, i honestly don't know if my outboard has a shear pin, ( i know this isn't good seamanship, but iv'e never been good with engines ), but i went down to the boat this morning and tried the engine. As with VicS's help, i put the engine in gear and throttled it right up, the prop turned o.k. and it was good in reverse too. The outboard is an 8hp Tohatsu long shaft sail drive which i bought brand new in 2005. It has been a good, reliable engine. Best regards, Oz.
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There does not appear to be a shear pin. The prop is splined on to the shaft
 
oz-1 said:
Hi johnalison, i honestly don't know if my outboard has a shear pin, ( i know this isn't good seamanship, but iv'e never been good with engines ), but i went down to the boat this morning and tried the engine. As with VicS's help, i put the engine in gear and throttled it right up, the prop turned o.k. and it was good in reverse too. The outboard is an 8hp Tohatsu long shaft sail drive which i bought brand new in 2005. It has been a good, reliable engine. Best regards, Oz.
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There is a rubber busing between the spline and prop. it is replaceable.
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thinwater said:
There is a rubber busing between the spline and prop. it is replaceable.
View attachment 121672
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I take it that this would be similar to the ’rubber’ in my saildrive hub. I did have one fail on me, possibly after fouling, which necessitated a new hub. It doesn’t sound like the sort of thing that the average o/b owner would be able to do on a beach. Maybe that’s why all the small boats I saw in St Peter Port all had two motors.
 
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