rope cutters

fisherman

fisherman

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I have spur cutters, but some of my mates use the C&O Engineering cutter, and find it very good. No moving parts, just a very sharp stainless disc on the shaft ahead of the prop. 01626367702. I have no vested interest etc etc. Very good service on props, shafts etc.
 
The better a shaft cutter works, the less you know about it.

I fitted a Stripper because it is has a positive cutting action that draws the obstruction into the blades. It is very well made and and is well reviewed. It cuts rope, net and appartantl polythene sheet, but I have no knowledge that it has ever done anything when afloat. Long may that happy state remain.
 
One of the mags did a test a year or two ago. As far as I remember each cutter was subjected to six fairly realistic tests. The Stripper cut 6/6, spurs was 5/6, the non-shearing types did very badly and I think one didn't cut any.

My Stripper cut a heavy piece of polypropylene last year. Unfortunately the reaction was so great that it ripped the fixed part out of the P-bracket. The manufacturer advised me that the end with the cutter was designed to shear off before the tapped holes would strip but it didn't work for me. I checked the bronze of the P-bracket for dezincification but it looked OK. I fitted the new one before fitting the new P-bracket, making sure the holes were tapped carefully and the bolts extended right through to the cutless bearing.
 
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would like to know if I need to fit a cutter with a volvo 3-blade folding prop on a sail-drive leg?

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It all depends on your attitude to risk. How likely do you think it is that you'll get fouled at some point, and what would it be worth to you at such a time to be magically freed? My view is that a fouled prop is not all that unlikely, and that it would be a traumatic, potentially dangerous situation. Which is why I fitted a Stripper to my saildrive with folding prop. I don't know if it has ever cut any rope, but if I assume that it has then I consider it excellent value for money!
 
The sea is getting dirtier. My boat picked up 4 ropes last year. A folding prop probable picks up the least but it still happens.

I decided last year that a turning prop (modern Yanmar gearbox & I think some Volvo ones should not be put in astern to lock prop when sailing!) tends to be the worse as it "collects" ropes etc. We had a plastimo disc type cutter and while it always finally cut the rope it was not until it was wound on really tight and pulled in against the disc blade. This always left a birds nest around the prop ruining the drive efficiency (especially going astern). With a folding prop it could prevent the prop from opening.

As others have said Ambassador Stripper came out best closely followed by the spurs type cutter.

Had Ambassador on last boat so replaced disc type last winter with an ambassador - so far no problems.
 
A friend of mine took his Stripper to pieces this winter while replacing the anode on his saildrive and noticed a distinct score on the face of the fixed blade and another on the face of one of the rotating blades. Ambassador Marine told him that it must have cut through a steel cable to leave such marks. I was impressed enough to but one myself!
 
I use a spinning disc type and so far its been fine. The old London River has a fair bit of rubbish in it, ditto Mudway, so I may have been lucky there. Picked something up going through the boat passage in the sub barrier a few years back, nasty noises for a minute and then all fine again. No idea what it was though.
 
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