Question: Do you have a rope cutter? I ask because we are thinking of fitting an Ambassador Stripper (stainless) to a new build alloy [aluminum] yacht with an alloy sterntube, and we wonder if it is possible to get the two to live happily together.
Answer: Some twenty years ago we picked up a ball of netting at sea on a passage from Bermuda. When we got to Nova Scotia, unaware of our new underwater decoration, we started the engine and put it in gear. The result was a bent shaft and strut that required having the boat hauled twice before we finally got things sorted out. As I recall, the total cost was in excess of US$5000, making the price of the cutters we installed the next year look like a very good deal.
That was on a previous boat. One of the first things we did in 1992 when we bought this Morgan’s Cloud was to install a set of Spurs cutters. Since then they have saved us from being disabled by a rope around the propeller at least a dozen times. Although even the Spurs could not clear the running gear when we picked up the whole cod-end of a net, some years ago .
Bottom line, there is a lot of rope and netting floating around the ocean and so we strongly recommend line cutters, particularly since getting disabled at the wrong moment, say entering a harbour situated on a lee shore, could even cost you your boat.
We have no experience with the Ambassador Stripper but we can tell you that any cutter you install on an aluminum boat should not compromise the isolation of the stainless steel shaft from the hull. The Spurs cutters are great in this regard since they have small plastic bumpers and plastic bearings that isolate the spinning part on the shaft from the fixed part that attaches to the strut or stern tube.
Does anyone have any experience with the Ambassador Stripper or any other thoughts on line cutters? If so, please leave a comment.
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
i put spurs on my jeanneau 34 and upon mounting them i was surprised to find they were complete with their own set of tiny anodes that i made a mental note to inspect periodically…not something i had foreseen, but the apparatus looked so good and seemed so sturdy that i wasn’t unhappy…unfortunately the anodes lasted only a few months but i wasn’t about to haul out just to replace them…then about a year later when i did haul out i was disappointed to see half of the apparatus was totally missing rendering the apparatus totally useless and i don’t know how long this had been the case although i did succeed in replacing the missing part(s) after communicating with the mfr…so at the end of the day i found spurs to take their place with being just one more regular maint item to schedule when my original perception was this would not be necessary…bummer
We bought one of the simple French disc types with a serrated edge this spring, but sadly didn’t have time to fit it due to a chaotic haul out/relaunch schedule that we found ourselves stuck with. We had one on our previous boat for nearly ten years, and on the two occasions we needed it (that we know of) it did it’s job perfectly.
These are very basic, but have the advantage that they are easy to fit, relatively inexpensive and shouldn’t interfere with the isolation of the shaft.
I comment as the person posing the original question to John.
Having discussed this with a number of folk, to whom I am very grateful for advice, I am inclined to go the way Colin suggests, i.e., to fit a simple disc cutter. In addition to the fact that this type does not introduce another stainless to alloy fitting problem, it also avoids the potential for damage to the sterntube due to the torsional loads that could be exerted on the fixed part of a scissor type (e.g., Spurs and Stripper) when faced with something very tough to cut.
For those who may be interested there is a reasonable overview of a selection of cutters in Yachting Monthly, April 2009.
How much are spurs worth?
A couple of years ago a 82′ Italian Azimet motoryacht came into our shop. One V 12 CAT engine had started smoking badly & the factory mechanic changed the fuel injection system and put the engine back together with the boat still afloat. Before he completed the fuel system control re-connection the “professional” skipper helpfully tried to start the engine and it ran away uncontrollably to self destruction- connecting rods sticking through cylinder heads, oil all over the engine room etc. When we hauled the vessel we found a rope wrapped around the prop, the real cause of the performance problem. So at this point the bill for the spurs was at $235,000. But there is more! The boat was a wiring and design nightmare and leaked like a sieve through the decks and bulwarks. Having spent all his money on a new engine, the owner refused our suggestions to rewire the boat to proper standards and stop the water leaks. The day after we finished the engine rebuild the boat caught fire and burned to the ground. So how much are spurs worth? $2,000,000!
I’m just back from a really intense one week travel photography workshop which is why I have not responded to this really good and useful thread of comments before now. Thanks to all.
I have tried both the Spurs and one I cannot name that was a plain SS disc ground to a razor edge. The Spurs worked but had lots of small parts difficult for a diver to work with and bearings and zincs that needed to be replaced. After losing 2 of the shaft connected bits ($80 ea.) I got rid of the things. The plain SS disc on the other hand was simplicity it self. The first time it was called into use (poly prop line) the edge simply folded over.
I now have a Shaft Razor made by Evolution Marine in Rockland ME. (Who would know better about this problem than a “Mainer”?:-)
http://www.evolutionmarine.com/detail.html?id=3002&cart=tskkhqai
So far it has been called into use only once but it did its job well and without stress to shaft or strut. I like the serations on the front face in addition to the rim. They also machined a special shaft hole size for me at no additional charge. Good customer service.
Hi Ed,
The Shaft razor looks like a very nice product. As you say, the Spurs, while functional, have a substantial maintenance burden attached to them.