Rope cutters... a useless waste of money?

[TigaWave]

Re: Volvo and cutters

Thanks but its already been thoroughly tested however...

You can have one at a hugely discounted rate if you promise to report back, our problem has been Suzuki, who don't like the idea of bolting stuff to their engines!

Every person with a nice new Suzuki has been told they will invalidate the warranty if it gets a cutter bolted to it, so frankly we've pretty much given up in the outboard cutter.

It does need some machining of the prop hub, as a sacrificial ring is fitted to the prop.

 

[Bloater]

I've run the poll for the last three days and the results are in...

Statistics, being lies in disguise, allow us to make some ridiculous claims about their meaning.

<ul type="square"> [*]29% of the replies did not have a rope cutter and haven't had a problem [*]13% of the replies did not have a rope cutter and have had a problem
[*]48% of the replies have got a rope cutter and haven't had a problem [*]11% of the replies have got a rope cutter and still had a problem
[/list]

If this poll is representative of the whole then most people have got rope cutters fitted.

And secondly, you are hardly any more likely to suffer with a tangled prop if you don't bother with a rope cutter.

There you go - the results speak for themselves! /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[hlb]

Bit like a life raft then, loads of folk have one. Few have ever used it.

I used to have rope cutters and they got me out of a few scrapes. This year the boat yard thought it wise to take them off, then advise onced launched. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

 

[Tranona]

Interesting results. What was the size of your sample?

Your second "conclusion" is meaningless, as picking up a rope or other fouling is independent of whether you have a cutter fitted or not. The only question to ask is whether the cutter clears it. 81% said yes. This rather supports the posts on the thread, where 83% (5 out of 6) said they were effective.

Your questions about those who do not haver a cutter show that over 30% had a problem, but do not tell us whether or how they cleared it. The other 70% may be operating in areas that do not have a big fouling problem - reports show that fouling propellers is quite geographically specific. Suggest you do a tour of the yards in Lymington in the winter and count the number of boats with a cutter fitted!

Statistics are not "lies in disguise". If the questions are properly constructed, directed at sufficient numbers of qualified respondents and properly analysed, they provide a useful picture of what is going on.

 

[PilotWolf]

Plus the results add up to 101%...

W.

 

[hlb]

Rope cutters are fairly useless, unless you catch a rope. Bit like, life jackets are totally useless, unless you are drowning. A life jacket may of course not save you, also with the rope cutter. Wew could also discuss the life boat, that might not reach you in time. All look a bit pointless really.

 

[tcm]

rounding error innit

 

[Bilgediver]

How do you know when the cutter has worked? - you only know when it doesn't. Are the manufacturers trying to sell us something that can't be proved? Where are the statistics?

*************************************************

I have sailed on yachts between Edinburgh and Inverness on many occasions and been thankful for a ropecutter.

You know when it has done its job I can assure you....The noise is quite distinct as it chews up bits of fishing net. Sometimes two or three times a day.

 

[Tranona]

What statistics are you after? Quo had 56 replies to his poll. 33 had cutters fitted and 27 said they had no problems with fouled propellers - which could be taken to mean that the cutter worked. 6 said they had problems, but do not say whether the cutter solved them! There was no means of differentiating type of cutter. On the other hand 7 who did not have cutters had experienced fouling problems.

As there is no requirement to report getting ropes etc round your prop, you have to rely on secondary data such as the Annual RNLI statistics and those reported to CHIRP (in respect of pot lines). These show overwhelmingly that fouled props are a problem, more severe in some areas than others, and that vessels get into trouble to the extent that the RNLI are called out (from memory it was the second or third most common cause of call outs to Yachts).

Every time this subject comes up in the fora (3 or 4 times a year at least) owners who have cutters express satisfaction with their performance, particularly scissor types. The 5 on this thread are examples - plus one which did not work, but was a disc.

As for manufacturers selling something that "cannot be proved", the main players have been selling them successfully for more than 20 years. Products that don't meet customers' requirements don't stay in the market that long!

 

[Piers]

I fitted Ambassador Strippers after being 'roped'in the middle of the Alderney Race and brought to a sudden stop - thankfully without damage. It was slack and calm at the time.

Since then, I take comfort from knowing that when in 'emotional' seas I have at least something that might prevent me from being stopped and theferore at the mercy of seas and wind. To me, that comfort is worth every penny. It's called insurance.