Rope Cutter - advice please - yes or no?

[JamesB]

Dear Fairey Owners

This may well be a bit of a schoolboy question in which case I apologise and am happy to be suitably chastised.

I would be grateful for thoughts/advice/experience of rope cutters on our Shaft driven boats.
I have had a rope around prop this year as attached photo whilst out on the Solent in a fair breeze the significant wind over tide etc. Not a very pleasant trip home as per pictures. The problem was clear once hauled out although the rope had melted onto the prop shaft!

I have since done some homework and am not quite clear whether a rope cutter would have been effective here and if so what the best type would have been as there seem to be several types. My understanding which may well be incorrect is that a potential problem with a rope cutter is that it can interfere with the flow of water through the cutlass bearing and am not sure how much of an issue this is/might be.

Similar very much less severe issue last year with nylon warp which interfered with speed but I thought was down to fouling.

I wonder if this is telling me I should act, or maybe I have just been unlucky and it won’t happen again

Thoughts/advice other than changing to a swordsman with a water jet would be much appreciated!

Jim Byrne
Spearfish 2000 - Touch and Go

[nickkieffer1]

Hi I had rope cutters on floating charge when I took the props of and went to Hamble propellers
first thing they said was do you have rope cutters fitted as there was cavitation on both props at the root.
I did remove them and gained very small amount of speed . Fortunately I never had a rope entangle around
the shaft so cannot be sure they would even work. I think it is an individual choice some have them and are happy
others feel they are the devils invention the choice is yours . Nick

[tjsb]

I don't have them and agree it is personal preference. For what it's worth, on a Spearfish, I can just reach a prop with a blade to cut a rope swimming with head above water, but not fun, especially in any chop.

[JamesB]

Thank you Nick and tjsb.

It does appear to be down to personal choice. Like tjsb I can get to prop in water(just) but not keen on that in middle of Solent on choppy day or on open sea. I am naturally more inclined to not having anything on the boat or running gear unless it has to be there so would tend to Nick and tjsbs approach.

It does appear however that someone may be trying to tell me something here. To avoid appearing in 'Fairey News' for the wrong reasons rope cutters will be a job for over the winter. I will keep eye on prop.