Ropes around prop

[Wandering Star]

I’m boatless having just sold my boat to my son. Las week we moved her to a Bankside mooring at Ridge Wharf (Wareham) on the Frome River. The mooring spot was covered in dead reeds. Today we turned up to go out sailing and discovered we’re firmly moored by several old mooring ropes wound around the prop as well as our new ropes.

My son went into the water and had a grope around, he thinks there are 3 seperate ropes but they’re around the propeller blades - not the shaft. Whatever, he couldn’t get them free and as a paid up geriatric and I’m not going into the water. The water is very muddy so nothing visible really.

I’m wiring to ask if anyone knows a diver or diving company in the area (Poole) who might meet up with us and sort out the mess? Other suggestions welcome!

 

[Neeves]

A wet set (to keep your son warm) good gloves (to protect from barnacles) and a sharp serrated, firm bladed knife with string (tied to wrist) in case you need 2 free hands. Not a filleting knife.

Start by cutting off the end(s) of the rope and you, or your son, may find you can unravel the ropes (rather than cut them).

If some of the rope is your own mooring line and its round your prop then the mooring line was far too long (and if I think. this - I'm mistaking what you say).

You may need to establish a new mooring line as if I'm not mistaken and you cut your mooring line - you will float off 'not under command'.

Jonathan

 

[arcot]

Serrated blade bread knife duct taped to long wooden pole or 1 x 2 inch wood perhaps 8 feet in length or aluminum pole from boat.
Worked for us.

 

[Neeves]

Serrated blade bread knife duct taped to long wooden pole or 1 x 2 inch wood perhaps 8 feet in length or aluminum pole from boat.
Worked for us.

I think part of the problem is the water is murky and they cannot see, anything. The little they know is based on touchy, feely

J

 

[Wandering Star]

Thanks, just been into the office which I thought would be closed today, seems it’s a regular event and they’ll untangle me and clear the dead reeds sometime this week - so not quite as calamitous as incident as I thought it might turn out to be!

 

[Snowgoose-1]

I have used an half inflated dinghy and stretched arm and going by feel with bread knife.

Depends on the boat/prop access of course, but essential to have someone on watch
looking out for wash.

 

[William_H]

I would have suggested try bypass type pruning secateurs. Long handled if possible. I hope the office people can untangle the rope for you. Failing that if water is so murky might need to lift the boat out of the water. For a lighter boat might be able to move weight to bow to lift stern at least partially out of water. ol'will

 

[rogerthebodger]

Anywhere close by that has a scrubbing post that you can dry out to get to the prop

 

[Refueler]

Anywhere close by that has a scrubbing post that you can dry out to get to the prop

That's assuming of course if he can move the boat .....

 

[Wandering Star]

That's assuming of course if he can move the boat ...…

Which I can’t! The prop has multiple ropes etc attached to various strong points probably fixed in place by different former mooring holders over several years! All the redundant ropes were covered by a massive large clump of dead reeds. The mooring buoy was sitting in the middle of the dead reeds and I purposely and stupidly motored the boat at the mooring buoy not realising the dead reeds were hiding a rats nest of old ropes.

The boat is now stuck securely. The good news is, the yard are sorting out the problem for me as I type, the bad news is I’ll need to shell out for the convenience of having someone else sorting out my mess!

 

[rogerthebodger]

That's assuming of course if he can move the boat .....

I have moved my 20 ton boat with a dingy and a 25 hp outboard a short way in good weather

 

[Hoolie]

But I bet your boat wasn't tied to the seabed by multiple old mooring lines like the OP!

 

[Refueler]

I have moved my 20 ton boat with a dingy and a 25 hp outboard a short way in good weather

I've moved loads of boats ... pulled them off beaches etc with a dinghy or own boat ... but as "Hoolie" says - 'tied to seabed with ....." makes it a bit difficult ...

 

[Refueler]

"The boat is now stuck securely. The good news is, the yard are sorting out the problem for me as I type, the bad news is I’ll need to shell out for the convenience of having someone else sorting out my mess!"

mmmmm I think I would have been arguing politely the case that if yard provides a mooring and takes fees for it ... surely its their responsibility to provide 'fit for purpose' ....

But you say that YOUR rope is also fouled on the prop ..... mmmmmm sort of 'muddies the waters' .....

 

[Wandering Star]

"The boat is now stuck securely. The good news is, the yard are sorting out the problem for me as I type, the bad news is I’ll need to shell out for the convenience of having someone else sorting out my mess!"

mmmmm I think I would have been arguing politely the case that if yard provides a mooring and takes fees for it ... surely its their responsibility to provide 'fit for purpose' ....

But you say that YOUR rope is also fouled on the prop ..... mmmmmm sort of 'muddies the waters' .....

I agree especially as the first person I spoke to from the yard on Sunday told me “I’m not the first and probably won’t be the last” - but it’s a nice, friendly and helpful yard and I’m a non confrontational sort of person - I’m happy not to argue the toss in exchange for them resolving the problem!

 

[NBs]

Sorry about the nasty mess of ropes.

A good rope cutter will probably save you from this. It's worth investing in one e.g. the "Ambassador" is a well known and functional rope cutter.

 

[oldgit]

not just yachts.
This stopped a 6 cylinder diesel dead.


and friction had melted the rope into a solid mess round the shaft , fortunately we have drying blocks.

 

[chrishscorp]

not just yachts.
This stopped a 6 cylinder diesel dead.
View attachment 177282

and friction had melted the rope into a solid mess round the shaft , fortunately we have drying blocks.

Give your P bracket a thorough examination if this happens, I heard of one failing some time after that sort of debris had been removed

 

[vyv_cox]

Sorry about the nasty mess of ropes.

A good rope cutter will probably save you from this. It's worth investing in one e.g. the "Ambassador" is a well known and functional rope cutter.

Totally dependent upon how the entanglement occurs. I picked up a length of 6 mm polypropylene line that had held a pot marker, evidently broken away. The line was presumably lying to current almost vertical with none on the surface. The boat stopped moving, prop still turning. 10 metres of line wrapped around the prop hub with none of it anywhere near the cutter.

 

[Sea Change]

I knew a guy who picked up his dinghy painter in his prop, and it wound around the shaft in such a way that the shaft was forced backwards and became disconnected from the gearbox. A strange way to fail and very inconvenient at the time...