Power Boats and Pot Lines

[Jools_of_Top_Cat]

As I was motorsailing back home on Sunday evening dodging the pots I got on to thinking as you do on watch.

If I pick up a pot in the weather like Sunday it is an inconvenience as I have to launch dinghy and chop off offending line and head back in under single engine.
(am talking about when wind dies and I am motoring, chances of picking up pot line much reduced under sail, although can get my rudders etc.)

In the same, fairly calm conditions what happens if you guys pick up a line at 30kts. Lets say your rope cutter is ineffective or the line wraps around your shaft before the cutter has chance to work.

Being pulled to a halt at that speed there is surely a chance your vessel might founder or even just pull the arse under if the other engine is still running. Before anyone says pots don't weigh enough, I got one off Padstow last year that must have been a group, because the line was bar tight off my shaft to the bottom and was pulling the stern down rather than the stern lifting it.

Anyone here had a serious scare or an experience of catching a pot(s) at high speed?

<hr width=100% size=1>Julian

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[Talbot]

worst case on one of these big uns is to actually pull the shaft out, then its a real question of damage control

Now where did I put those bungs /forums/images/icons/smile.gif

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[PaulF]

Not pots but. . . .

A third hand story of somebody who hit a big piece of fishing net, got both props, pulled P brackets askew, major leaks, but saved all concerned.

Worse one I know of personally was not a pot or net but maybe a container or similar, an aquaintance on a Fairey approaching Portmouth Harbour some 15 years ago, at 20knots he hit 'something solid in the fairway' took out a propshaft resulting in Mayday and complete loss of boat. All peeps were ok but badly shaken. QHM got involved but I never did hear if offending 'object ever found, or if the boat was ever seen again. The skipper was experienced and down from Norfolk for his regular, yearly, summer 'Solent Fix'.

Bummer way to end your holiday huh?

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[Aardee]

Probably less chance of it happening as a planing Mobo must draw next to nowt.

Nasty if it does though!!

<hr width=100% size=1>"I am a bear of very little brain and long words bother me" - A A Milne.

 

[PaulF]

Yes dead right, that particular boat would draw only a metre if that, but a hell of a shock if it happens. That was why the thoughts were it was either a container just under the surface or something similar.

I hit a very big log, like 10ft x 1foot dia, at 22knts that shook the hell out of me, bent a prop and a rudder, but that was all, I consider myself lucky, but Alans' 'object' was apparently 'like a rock', very solid. with resultant major damage.

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[tcm]

I hit a big wooden pallet. It was the third in a line of them, the first and second i swerved for, looked behind to see they had gone through and ..damn. The props mashed it to bits.

Agree at speed, hitting something solidish could punch a big hole and its fairly instantly time to call the vhf and get the liferaft ready, i wd think.



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[PaulF]

The stupid thing Matt, was that I was watching a ruddy seagull flying along beside me, I had been watching for about 20 seconds from taking my eyes off the water, no other boats within 2 miles, and Bang under the front of the hull followed by bang at the stern. Bet the seagull fell about laughing, little git!

Your situation, I guess, was that you had swerved twice, thinking 'that was lucky', and wallop! That Murphy guy again!

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[kimhollamby]

bungs -- big enough?

It gets interesting though when half the gearbox comes out with the shaft -- and yes I have seen the pics. That said it was a rock that did this one, although I think I would worry more with regard to ropes about how the P-bracket would fare -- if that came out and took the hull bottom with it it would need more than a bung.

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[Sunnyseeker]

Not at high speed but I thought I'd got away with it as I arrive in the marina, a quick blast astern...big vibration, engine jumps off mounts, no reverse... Oh Bugger...fenders...crash....then you find the fishing net had got into the folding gears of a folding prop and let one blade out but not the other!
Power boats seem to just pull gear boxes off, which must make a mess of the bilges.


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[AJW]

We hit a pot line at 30kts in a 9.5m RIB off North Cornwall a couple of years ago. Fortunately we saw it just too late to stop but in time to cut power at the same time that we got dragged to a halt! No damage to engine or leg (Bravo 3) but we had to put someone in the water in a drysuit to cut free which was wasn't the easiest thing to do do in the conditions.

A few weeks ago a friend in an big twin diesel RIB hit a net mid channel en route to Alderney. In that instance he blew one of his outdrive legs.

Certainly hitting any kind of object be it pot, container, rock at speed runs helluva risk of damage & in a smallish open boat signficant risk of ejecting the crew at high speed. Hence we keep our eyes very well peeled!

AJ

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[davedpc]

I once fouled a pot line off St. Michaels Mount in a bit of a blow. The trouble was I was in a small Dory with an outbourd. Every time I went back to cut off the line with my junior hacksaw {better than a knife} the stern which was now held into the waves started swamping the boat. Although unsinkable it was soon up to the gunnels in cold green water. I think it was the Fisherman that laid the bloody pot who came to my rescue, lifted the pot and towed me into the harbour. Dave.

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[Dave_Snelson]

Hi Jools - I know just the pots you mean. Just off Pen-y-Chain point and around the fairway at Pwllheli. As it so happens the owners are responsible people and their pots are easily seen. Not so over toward Barmouth where you come passed Shell Island. They are black floats with no flags and very dangerous.

They can cause terrible damage to the drive gear of any MoBo and can quickly disable a MoBo and place it in danger - especially single engine.

Pots and discarded ropes / nets are my biggest fear and I always carry a hacksaw and a dry-suit. The dry-suit to keep me dry whilst in the water and a junior hacksaw is the best rope cutting devise known to man!!

<hr width=100% size=1>Madoc Yacht Club
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[Andrew_Fanner]

Not doing 30 knots, more like 13, in a nasty Solent chop heading back into Chichester harbour from Port Solent. Wind F6-7 and a bit lumpy. Took the main passage rather than going out to the forts and went over something. Sterngear shuddered and gearbox complained vigorously if we did >3knots so getting away from the submarine barrier was a bit fraught against the tide. The rope cutter chewed through whatever it was and I never found any trace, but I'm sure the stern gland has never been the same since. Nothing I can establish, just worry probably.

<hr width=100% size=1>Two beers please, my friend is paying.