Prop Tunnels - 2 simple questions

[Gludy]

Prop Tunnels
Two simple questions:-
How ell protected from fishing nets, lobster buoys are your props when in a prop tunnel?
How well can boats with such prop tunnels cope with drying out?


Paul

 

[Chris771]

In three boating seasons with Polar Fox (Skibsplast 700) with semi tunnelled shaft and a skeg under the prop running aft to the rudder pintle, never once got anything round the prop. That includes about 15 miles of river each way to the sea. So I felt that it did a lot of good.

Whilst my previous Freeman 24 had a keel and skeg, she often collected plastic bags and bits of rope on the river, so I assume that the tunnel had something to do with it, also helps to reduce the draft, so I could get out of the lock a few minutes earlier.

Never dried her out though (no beaching legs and did not fancy the idea of falling over).

Chris

 

[Guest]

It does nothing to protect the props etc, only gives more thrust to the props on my 388, as the shaft angle is more inline with the bottom of the hull, it also allows the engines to sit lower in the boat giving more headroom in the boat and more lower stylish looks, it is all about progress and stylish lines that we have come to see in todays motor cruisers

Paul js.

 

[jfm]

Most tunnels are shallow. The props still stick out loads. They do what Pauljs says in his post below, they dont allow a boat to dry out

 

[oldgit]

Am sure that somewhere I read on a site of the various disadvantages? of tunnels.Same old story I suppose you win some you lose some.

 

[ccscott49]

Depends what type of prop tunnel we are talking about, the new modern version to allow shallow shaft angles etc, or the old type as fitted/built in to watson etc, type lilfeboats to protect the props and sterngear, when boat was slip launched and would mount the decks of ships top allow casualties to be got off, the lifeboat type, allowed prop boxes (to allow props to be cleared of rope etc.) and also allowed the boats to dry out without damage and helped to get the boats off sandbanks astern, as the thrust from the props was forced downwards at the forward end of the tunnels, to wash away the sand/mud, from under the boat, very effective it was aswell, as I know from experience, on the river Rhone, but thats another wine trip!! They would help with net and rope etc, in this guise, but maybe not in the modern guise, I'm rambling again! Shutup scott!