Prop Protector or Ambassador Stripper

[CaptainBob]

I've seen the movies (You Tube shows at least one of each product) and read the reviews and test reports in the magazines.

Conclusion I drew was that the Ambassador was a LOT more money (~four times the price), but substantially more effective.

I was a little worried about the P-bracket screw on part as I figured it would see a lot of load in use - but figured I was wrong, but in another thread I posted earlier, seems two people had exactly that problem.

So now I'm confused which way to go, hence this poll.

 

[Babylon]

As usual, buy the best that you can afford

Didn't have anything until two years' ago, when I stupidly fouled the prop with own mooring pickup line - the shackle at the end of which then tore the fibreglass surrounding the deadwood and damaged the stern-tube. One insurance claim later, I had a new stern-tube glassed in along with a new shaft etc. I took the opportunity at that time to have an Ambassador cutter fitted at my own expense. I considered other cheaper options, but the yard strongly recommended the Ambassador, which they had frequent experience of fitting, so I went for it.

That doesn't mean that the other options, almost all of which are cheaper, aren't effective. But it does depend on what you get around your prop and how you get it around your prop, so I defer to the 'tests' carried out by the more methodically-minded.

 

[PetiteFleur]

I also fitted an Ambassador when I re-engined 4 years ago. It definitely works, last year with SWMBO on the helm, engine in gear idling - manouvrering to pick up a mooring - CLUNK - engine stops - big panic but engine restarted instantly and then I noticed my Genoa sheet trailing overboard.......................
When hauled out the stripper was fine but the 'tounge' had jumped out of the 'Vee' bolted to the P bracket. Easily fixed by slackening the clamp bolts and moving back into position.
Recommended rope stripper - from memory one of the best when tested by one of the mags some years ago.
The P bracket screws were fine - not even loosened.

 

[JerryHawkins]

Quickutter

I have a Quickutter.

See http://www.h4marine.com/QuicKutter01.htm

Figured if lifeboats have them fitted then its good enough for me. Don't know if its ever had to do any work!

 

[CaptainBob]

I also fitted an Ambassador when I re-engined 4 years ago. It definitely works, last year with SWMBO on the helm, engine in gear idling - manouvrering to pick up a mooring - CLUNK - engine stops - big panic but engine restarted instantly and then I noticed my Genoa sheet trailing overboard.......................
When hauled out the stripper was fine but the 'tounge' had jumped out of the 'Vee' bolted to the P bracket. Easily fixed by slackening the clamp bolts and moving back into position.
Recommended rope stripper - from memory one of the best when tested by one of the mags some years ago.
The P bracket screws were fine - not even loosened.

Lots of positive votes for the Ambassador I see. But this is another example of a problem with the 'V' component which makes me hesitant to go for it.

If you're in a place with a LOT of rope about, and the Stripper takes out the first bit it encounters, but that encounter renders it ineffective, that's a problem.

 

[john_morris_uk]

Lots of positive votes for the Ambassador I see. But this is another example of a problem with the 'V' component which makes me hesitant to go for it.

If you're in a place with a LOT of rope about, and the Stripper takes out the first bit it encounters, but that encounter renders it ineffective, that's a problem.

We have an Ambassador and are very happy with it.

The only reason that I can see that the 'v' component would be able to jump out is if you had a very flexible coupling on the shaft which would allow the shaft to move backwards under extreme load on the cutter. We have a Halyard Marine Aquadrive so there is no chance of the shaft moving and I don't see how the v component could ever jump out of its slot.

 

[Neil_Y]

In response to captian Bob, have a close look at the video.
One end of the debris (quite a short piece of debris) was attached to the P bracket bearing carrier. As the debris wrapped around the shaft it is pulled tight into the cutter region, the debris is not caught and held tight by the prop and winding onto the shaft. It happens very quickly but essentially there is only some friction and the water moving that makes the debris follow the shaft.

The test set up used was designed for testing the Gator cutter and hence had a very large gap between prop and bearing carrier to allow eeasy fitting of a scissor cutter. That shaver cutter required the shaft to be shortened or bearing carrier extended for a fare test or a correct installation and this was not possible, we provided drawings and details of a local engineer who could do the work for the testers.

What was not tested was rope caught by the prop blade and wrapping as if from the bottom as pot ropes do, as the boat drives forewards the angle of the debris caught will in many cases be straight up from the bottom to the prop hub.

The test showed what happens if you fix a piece of debris to the bearing carrier/P bracket/stern tube and let it be dragged around by the prop.

The quicKutter cuts debris caught by a prop blade wrapping on the shaft and this was never going to part of the cutter comparison. It would have been interesting as I believe it may have shown up weaknesses in other designs.

I'm off sailing now!! its sunny, windy and almost warm

 

[eddie2000]

Have had stripper on previous and current yachts. No problems even though several cut ropes later. If like some say the cutter jumps out of the V, then it's been set up incorrectly except perhaps for very flexible engine mounts etc. Remember, the clearance decreases when in forward and increases when in reverse, when it's more likely to come out.

 

[philip_stevens]

Ambassador and Spurs

I voted "Have/had Ambassador, had problems with it (please explain)" by mistake (should have clicked on the one above, so if you have access, delete my vote) , as I had an Ambassador on our previous boat that "worked" twice.

Once when I went over our own mooring pickup, and second when we picked up discarded trawl gear off Start Point. The first was a clean cut, and the second allowed us to get into Dartmouth to be able to remove a small fragment of warp that had got around the P bracket.

We now have a Spurs cutter on our present boat, and I know this has worked when it cut through a great lump of Japanese seaweed off the Channel Islands.

So my vote goes for both Ambassador and Spurs.

 

[vyv_cox]

As said elsewhere on the forum, I have caught two ropes that I know of, one 14 mm the other 16 mm. In both cases the screws attaching the fixed block to the P-bracket ripped out. In the second one the P-bracket was brand new, installed to replace the one that suffered the first failure. I have also seen an example posted here where the screws holding the fixed block sheared.

 

[saltwater_gypsy]

I have a stripper AND a wire between the fin and the skeg. You can't be too careful!
No problem in five years and I have run over lots of lobster floats etc.

 

[PetiteFleur]

Lots of positive votes for the Ambassador I see. But this is another example of a problem with the 'V' component which makes me hesitant to go for it.

If you're in a place with a LOT of rope about, and the Stripper takes out the first bit it encounters, but that encounter renders it ineffective, that's a problem.

In fact although the tongue had jumped out, it then revolved so it then hit the outside of the vee and stopped so would still have worked if I'd caught another rope. Not sure if the flexible coupling had moved sufficiently to jump out or perhaps I hadn't tightented the hub enough and it slipped on the shaft. Perhaps because the engine was only idling when my rope was caught and the sudden jolt made the tongue jump out.
Apart from the above very pleased with it and would recommend it but I can see your reticence when you see that vyv_cox had problems.

 

[Neil_Y]

shaver cutter

As said elsewhere on the forum, I have caught two ropes that I know of, one 14 mm the other 16 mm. In both cases the screws attaching the fixed block to the P-bracket ripped out. In the second one the P-bracket was brand new, installed to replace the one that suffered the first failure. I have also seen an example posted here where the screws holding the fixed block sheared.

This is something we have geard of from a number of commercial vessels, what are your opinions of the shaver cutter Viv ?

 

[fisherman]

Spur cutters. Many ropes cut without trouble, up to 25mm diameter, some I probably don't even know about. One problem was when ticking over I slowly wound about 10 fm of 12mm into it and that took the holding block off, but as someone pointed out, better that than destroy something more expensive. The bolts were too small, however, and are now the correct size. When I had a boat with 1:1 gearbox (hence fast prop revs) in a sandy port the plastic bearing wore out in a season. Now I have 3:1 in cleaner water and the bearing has done at least 10,000 hours. I believe the Ambassador to be as good or better. Some of my colleagues use the C&O disc type and are well pleased.

 

[vyv_cox]

This is something we have geard of from a number of commercial vessels, what are your opinions of the shaver cutter Viv ?

Sorry, don't know it well enough to comment. How is the fixed blade attached?

 

[PeterGibbs]

I've seen the movies (You Tube shows at least one of each product) and read the reviews and test reports in the magazines.

Conclusion I drew was that the Ambassador was a LOT more money (~four times the price), but substantially more effective.

I was a little worried about the P-bracket screw on part as I figured it would see a lot of load in use - but figured I was wrong, but in another thread I posted earlier, seems two people had exactly that problem.

So now I'm confused which way to go, hence this poll.

Get on the blower to Robin Shaw who designed it, and makes it. He's a fount of useful experience and advice. But he still refuses to tell me who the mermaid in his ads was modelled on.....

Regarding cost, when you amortise the gear over x years, its a small price to pay for the
best chance of emerging from an encounter with pots and rubbish still "under command"

Mine is still going strong after 11 seasons. Earlier experience with other cutters was less satisfactory and the bearings wore down a lot faster than for the Ambassador. And those shearing teeth....don't have your fingers anywhere near the cutter when you rotate the prop by hand....they work!

PWG
(No other connection with Ambassador)

 

[Neil_Y]

The fixed blade is attached with one allen bolt M6x16 SHCS to the rear of the holder, the holder is attached to the bearing carrier with 3 off M8x20 SHCS.

We haven't seen any broken in use here is an interview conducted by a commercial fishing magazine with a user.
http://www.worldfishing.net/feature...g/trawling/quickuttertm-approved-by-fishermen

 

[PCUK]

Ran over 18 feet of net at cruising revs (250hp) which ripped the bolts out of the bronze deadwood (Ambassador stripper). Subsequently fitted Propro which has no fixed part but still appears to do the job.
Obviously nothing will cut a full length of net but the Propro will do less damage to the boat in an extreme situation.