Rope cutters

[PabloPicasso]

How effective are rope cutters?

Lots of pots around,especially in inshore waters around our way.

I'm also aware that the lines from these, usually unmarked and invisible at night, pots can also catch around keels,saildrives,and rudders.

 

[Tranona]

Very effective but not infallible. Would not be without a Stripper

 

[Dockhead]

I agree with Tranona -- not infallible, but I would never dream of being without one. My Stripper has saved my a** on several occasions over the years.

My previous boat didn't have room to fit a rope cutter. Hitting a pot -- and you will, sooner or later, especially if you sail at night much -- was an utter misery, and sometimes actually dangerous. Sometimes actually REALLY dangerous, as a bad wrap around the prop shaft can actually rip the shaft out of the boat, sinking you, if you don't get her out of gear instantly.

The Stripper deals with it instantly and painlessly in 9 out of 10 cases.

I have a different problem in that my Moody has a partial skeg rudder with the gap below the skeg seemingly specially designed to catch pot ropes. So it has happened to me a few times that the Stripper saved my prop shaft but not my rudder, requiring a dive or complex machinations with boathooks to get free.

 

[vyv_cox]

My Stripper has worked well twice, cutting the offending ropes, one of which was our own warp, very effectively but also ripping the fixed part out of the P-bracket. The fixing bolts supplied have quite coarse threads and the P-bracket bearing housing is thin. It is best to drill and tap through the P-bracket into the brass sleeve of the cutless bearing, probably better done after removing the shaft. I believe it is now possible to buy a collar to attach outside the P-bracket for additional strength but this was not available at the time.

The only time we picked up a rope in deep water, about 100 metres, the buoy was not present. We caught the end of an 8 mm polypropylene line while motoring. It caught in the prop and wound itself around the shaft and prop boss, aft of the cutter. Fortunately conditions were not too bad and I was able to cut the line, allowing us to motor to a nearby anchorage. I recovered 10 metres of line!

 

[vyv_cox]

A couple of pics of the incident. At this time, having bought two fixed blades for a Stripper we had given up and fitted a Proprotector.

 

[Refueler]

My Stripper has worked well twice, cutting the offending ropes, one of which was our own warp, very effectively but also ripping the fixed part out of the P-bracket. The fixing bolts supplied have quite coarse threads and the P-bracket bearing housing is thin. It is best to drill and tap through the P-bracket into the brass sleeve of the cutless bearing, probably better done after removing the shaft. I believe it is now possible to buy a collar to attach outside the P-bracket for additional strength but this was not available at the time.

The only time we picked up a rope in deep water, about 100 metres, the buoy was not present. We caught the end of an 8 mm polypropylene line while motoring. It caught in the prop and wound itself around the shaft and prop boss, aft of the cutter. Fortunately conditions were not too bad and I was able to cut the line, allowing us to motor to a nearby anchorage. I recovered 10 metres of line!

I had Ambassador and it worked fine until - mine also ripped the bolts holding the bracket out of the shaft housing ...

I decided to remove the standing part secured by shaft housing and just left the cutter at the prop .. I know from later incidents that this is not very good as I had a guy dive and clear weed / rope etc from prop ..

 

[wizard]

The stripper has been very successful for me on two boats.
On each boat got a rope caught and dealt with, was in the waters around Jersey both times.
Sail-drives each time.

 

[Tranona]

I had Ambassador and it worked fine until - mine also ripped the bolts holding the bracket out of the shaft housing ...

I decided to remove the standing part secured by shaft housing and just left the cutter at the prop .. I know from later incidents that this is not very good as I had a guy dive and clear weed / rope etc from prop ..

The OP has a saildrive (see his many earlier threads)

 

[Refueler]

The OP has a saildrive (see his many earlier threads)

So ... I was just commenting ....

 

[PetiteFleur]

I habe a stripper and it's worked on 2 occasions, the first I was idling up to a mooring and the engine suddenly stopped. Started immediatly and we moored up and I noticed the genoa sheet in the water... The 2nd time we were motoring in a flat calm to Holland and the engine suddenly stopped - we had run over a large black plastic sheet! Tried going forward and reverse but no joy - the crew were deciding who was going swimming with a large knife when I realised the engine was'nt stopping immediatly so continued going forward and reverse and eventually freed. We saw the large plastic sheet behind us as we motored slowly away. We dried out against the slipway for inspection but fortunately no damage.

 

[Tranona]

So ... I was just commenting ....

I know, but the attachment and drive mechanism is totally different on a saildrive so it is useful for the OP to know that he does not have to concern himself with that fail safe feature on shaft drive installations.

 

[Refueler]

I know, but the attachment and drive mechanism is totally different on a saildrive so it is useful for the OP to know that he does not have to concern himself with that fail safe feature on shaft drive installations.

The OP asked effectiveness of Rope Cutters ...

Whether saildrive .. P bracket .. etc - the action is same.

I accept that the mounting and its failures are different - but the cutting action is not.

I made my comment after reading of anothers cutter failing similar to mine .. are you also telling them ?

One point that can be taken from their and my posts - the cutter can in fact fail ...