One more piece of gear to bring...

[Maine Sail]

I just got back from a one week sail and happened to snag some folating, black poly line, you know the stuff that is supposed to be illegal for fisherman to use. Well to make a long story short we were motor sailing in about 1 knot of wind when we wrapped this line around the prop. There were no lobster bouys in site and I never found one so I know it was floating and almost impossible to see. We were about 10 miles from Monhegan Island in the open ocean with virtually no wind so I had to dive. I put on my wet suit & mask, two items you should never be without, and went under. Well the ocean was confused and had about a two foot "sloppy chop" even though there was no wind. So on my first of about ten dives the boat went up on a wave and came down on my head causing a nice "pizza slash" right on top of my mellon. After I sawed the line off the area between the strut and the prop and came back aboard I realized how bad I was cut.I suggest wearing a wet suit hood of at least 6mm when diving on a prop in the open ocean! A bike helmut would be a better idea for the mellon but not practical. I plan on adding this to my dive kit. Even a 3mm "surfers hood" would have prevented the bottom paint from road rashing my head. Hell it might even prevent a concussion. Here's what I carry in my prop wrap dive kit.Full wet suit 3mm/4mm, flippers, two masks, four serated knives with holes drilled in the handle and wrist lanyards so you can't drop it, dive gloves so you don't cut your hands on the prop, underwater flashlight for night work, safety belt with "quick release" to maintian an attachmanet with the boat but a "quick release" if you get tangled and now a 6mm dive hood to protect the mellon...I just thought I'd pass this piece of advice on to anyone planning on coming to Maine... -Acoustic

 

[Peter]

God, it's this kind of story that

makes me love my tilt-up outboard!

 

[Alan]

Peter

How do you motor with a tilt up outboard?? The down side of outboards, however, in a seaway the prop can easily leave the water with each wave.

 

[CharlieCobra]

Ya don't run it up.

Nah, ya tilt it up to get the prop unfouled. Dang! Just noticed the wink.

 

[John Nantz]

Thanks for the Report and Suggested Gear

That's a real bummer about getting knocked on the head. That's something I never thought about when diving on the boat.Stuff happens when cruising away from populated places, like you mentioned about line, fishing nets, etc., and one has to be prepared to deal with things on their own. I've got some of diving gear - two-piece wet suit, booties, head, goggles, weights, etc. but not some of the other gear you mentioned. Our water is murkey from plankton (I think), and never thought about a waterproof flashlight. Just assumed I'd use one of my sailing knives to cut stuff but as you mentioned it's a good idea to have a lanyard around the wrist so it doesn't get lost. Might have thought about this when going over the side but then again maybe not.It's good to have this kind of gear because you never know when or what it'll be needed for - wraping the anchor rode around the rudder or keel, hitting something, or fishing gear. Maybe even un-snagging ground tackle although for this area it's seldom one can anchor in less than 30 feet so that's probably out.Hope your head heals from that trauma okay. Ouch! I promise not to forget your lesson-learned.

 

[CharlieCobra]

Not a boat...

I've not been hit on the head by a boat yet but I did take a shot in the noggin' from a floating VW once, in the salt water at that.

 

[Steve]

Another Mainer

Sailors in Buzzards Bay and farther South wouldn't even think about having a wet suit. I sail in Casco Bay, Sheepscot, Boothbay Harbor, and John's Bay. The water (as you know) never gets much above "very cold" around here. A full wet suit is vital. I have been very lucky over the years and have not gotten tangled in anything (yet!) I carry everything you mentioned except I hadn't though about fins, hummmmm . . .

 

[NYSail]

Line cutter

I am considering getting a line cutter to go on my prop. It fits between the strut and the prop and has many cutting blades. I am told this is a great investment so as to avoid diving. I love to sail at night and the Long Island sound is filled with lobster traps. I am sure sometimes a tangle may still happen, however more times than not it wil cut through anything.GregP36-2

 

[Maine Sail]

I would not count on a line cutter

I've owned two boats with them and the line still gets wrapped. It may get cut but it still wraps. You'll have a nice sense of security and won't bother to check that ALL the line cleared. About two weeks later you'l get a vibration because the line melted and fused around the shaft preventing lubrication to the cutlass bearing and it's now destroyed. A line cutter will cut line but it WON'T always clear it so you still need to dive but now you run the risk of slicing your fingers on the cutter. I will never put them on a boat again. I actually took one off my last boat. They seem to work better on faster turning shafts with more power but I still had issues on my powerboat with a huge Cummins turbo diesel. In Maine during a full moon tide all the flotsam and jetsam always gets sucked off all the islands and coast and back into the bays so you can warp it in your prop. I've had everything from bait bags to plastic bags in my prop. Nylon or poly is the worst because it you don't notice it, like a bait bag, it can melt around the shaft and ruin your cuttlass...

 

[NYSail]

Damage

I have never had the misfortune of having anything stuck on my prop. In cases where a line does get tangled, has any damage ever been done to the engine? The p/o had a shaft saver between the couplings to save the trans. just incase something grabbed the prop that tight. Any experience with these? (I am full of questions)

 

[Joe]

Ny Sail .... shear pins

most outboards have them... not sure about fixed prop inboards. Anyway they are designed to fail before the prop or shaft.

 

[Tim R.]

BTDT

Always carry a wetsuit and a mask/snorkel combo. A knife duct(quack, quack) taped to a pole can work wonders sometimes if you don't need to run the motor.Tim R.

 

[Tom S]

I wonder if the "Capt Hook" line cutter would have

helped ? Has anyone ever used one of these ?http://www.captnhooksolutions.com/I've seen it at boat shows and while I am not sure it will get 'all' the strands of poly rope etc. it looks like it might be able to get most of the line cut off your prop to let you motor to a better spot where you can jump in and have everything double checked underwater.Acoustic -- you say your line cutters didn't work like you expected. I assume you used the ones that were just a razor disk on the shaft. Have you thought about the "Spurs" brand? Its supposed to cut via a "shearing" action which seems much more likely to actually cut the line that wrap it around the shaft and hope to 'saw' it away. Also like you mentioned it much much safer due to not have an open razor blade

 

[Tom S]

NYSail I've had the misfortune to wrap a lobster

pot around my prop crossing LI Sound. Luckily I was right at the helm and immediately threw the engine into neutral.When I hit the line I was motoring at a very good speed and when I hit it was so loud I thought I ran into some submerged rocks ! *yks After a moment I realized that was impossible as I was in the middle of the Sound. I looked back and I saw chunks of styrofoam floating away and figured it out.After diving in (no wet suit but I was lucky it was Aug on the Sound) and cutting the line off I motored away fine. There was no permanent damage at all to the boat or the engine or the shaft. (FYI - This was a 1980 Watkins 27)

 

[Dave D 94 H26]

not to take away from the present string...

but what is our resonsabilty to the "fishermen" when we do this? I know we're supposed to avoid them to allow them their living/supper, but what else? Anything? Just cut and go? I'm just wondering in case I ever have the occasion. I'm also trying to consider the other guy.Dave

 

[Maine Sail]

One boat had Spurs the other had..

the serated razor. Both had issues. The Spurs would cut the line but there always seemed to be left over line wrapped around the shaft. My Spurs also got bent by a piece of drift wood in a seaweed slick and it bent them so they had to be removed.

 

[Jon W.]

Prop diving sounds dangerous.

I think I'd just sail into port if that would happen to me here. I've had some serious tangles with Millfoil in Lake Washington Other than that I just hit the occasional log in Puget Sound.

 

[Tom S]

IF I can I will try and get a hold of the line

that goes down to the trap and tie it off on my cleat while I might cut away the wrap on my prop and try to tie the two back togetherWe are all so concerned about the lobster traps & being good conciencious sailors when the lobster men are "LOADING" high traffic areas like Fisher Island Sound where they "KNOW" they there are lots of boaters & will lose the "foam floats". They are not putting the lobster pots in some out of the way place. They are loading them right in the Channel ! *oWhat are we supposed to do? What if its night time ? Are we expected to see every single lobster pot in the dark ? Its not like they have flashing lights on these things.Think about it ... How many Speed boats are avoiding those lobster pots ??? How many Tugs ? Not many, they are just running them over and chopping them to bitsFrom what I understand, not all-but many, of the lobster pots in really crowded areas have two lines connected to them so that if they lose their "float buoy" the trap is still connected to another trap so they don't lose the "cage". In other words sometimes they are "strung together"

 

[NYSail]

Have a lobster

Well I think if I ever have the miss-fortune of hitting a pot, I will save the lobster from dieing in a cage and will pull him/her up and have a great dinner......and pray I don't get hit in the head by the boat while cutting the line.

 

[chuckwayne]

taking lobsters from pots

you really need to pray that you don't get hit in the head with a bullet from the lobsterman!