The point about the risk of taking a warp on dock line around the shaft
is very well taken. In a previous boat, with a wide open prop, the
thing that saved the shaft and mounts was the engine's size, or lack
thereof. [grin] However, I've seen a Saber eat motor mounts from
wrapping an errant genny sheet end around the shaft, prop, and strut.
Although it did no permanent damage to the boat, we picked up a pair of
plastic bottles tied together as a float; there was a bit of line
trailing down from an otherwise derelict float and we backed down the
hook at just the right (or wrong) time to draw the whole mess into the
prop. Very exciting to hear WHACK-WHACK-WHACK as the botttles went
through the apperture a few times... No damage to the boat but our
nerves...? different story... [laugh]

Still, I'm not so sure that spurs would have helped in any of the
cases. The dock line we picked up was 1/2" braid (possibly thicker) and
bottles were snagged on barnacles on the prop; the remaining bit of line
didn't get past the zinc behind the prop. The line the Saber picked up
wasn't light, either.

As to a camera... nah. While replacing zincs on a friend's Max-prop in
the Bay (with SCUBA), I literally didn't find the prop until I bumped
into it. Vis in the Bay is often measured in inches rather than
feet... Try guiding a camera around in that. Nah - save the money and
use it for a thin wet suit and hood instead.

R

> I sort of agree with Rick on the topic at hand --
>
>But, I once wrapped my prop coming into the dock - an errant line
>handler dropped a line into the water - I had been having fuel
>engine issues and thought the engine was stalling.
>
>So, this ended up costing me a new shaft - machined of course to a
>standard size.
>
>I have never wrapped on a trap - I just go slower and am very
>sensitive to changes in the engine and prop - and go into neutral fast.
>
>The Baba 30 has a lot of protection against wraps.
>
>I might rather get an underwater video camera with a good light so
>that one can inspect the damage without going over the side - and, I
>gather the price is down on those.
>
>
>
>

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Received on Mon Jun 19 08:35:01 2006