461 Feathering Prop - Rope Cutter - Tip

I've just been advised it's not recommended to try and fix a rope cutter to our 461 saildrive leg as we have the standard feathering 3 blade prop.  Apparently inserting the cutter is moving the prop too far aft - and one can risk damaging the splines.

Not an issue for me and I'm greatful to Hanse UK for the honest practical advice.

As I did not know this when I ordered my boat, I think it is worth passing onward now.  If any new buyer is still specifying and also think they may add a cutter at some future stage - they may wish to discuss possible alternates to the standard specified prop........

Cheers

JOHN

John,

Having caught 60ft of netting around my prop in thick fog, mid Channel on the way home from Cherbourg in June, clearing props is close to my heart! Our 300 is of course much smaller than your 461, but the prop is still a long way under the boat especially with all sorts of material floating around. One tip I learned from watching the diver in Yarmouth sort us out was that he tied all of the loose ends up to the boat as tight as he could. This meant that the lines stayed taught when he was cutting them, which in turn meant that he could see exactly where the problem was and minimise the time he spent under water - he did this with out the use of any air tank, but I dont think I could have done the same even in the flat calm waters of Yarmouth harbour!

Having informed the Coastguard that we were stuck 25 miles south of Needles Fairway, (in the westbound shipping lane)they decided to send the cavalry - Freshwater Lifeboat was alongside us exactly an hour after the first contact with Solent Coastguard. That is faster than you could get an AA van to a single lady driver on the motorway!

Suitably heafty donations were subsequently made together with a determination not to have to call upon their services again, so rope cutter fitted and an avid interest in exactly the type of product you have been searching for.

Freshwater lifeboat is, like Hamble and the Venturers boat at Lepe an independant operation - they are well worth supporting in addition to the normal RNLI memberships etc in my opinion. They are certainly on my Christmas list from now on!!

regards

Graham

This probably sounds oversimple but could you not use a length of hose to breath through, making sure, of course, that someone else on board was in charge of it at the other end?  You don't need to dive very deep and I am sure a system can be arranged to help hold the hose in place. 

I wouldn't choose to use such a system frequently or for long but as a simple short term solution to the immediate problem it should allow you to stay under for a short while - effectively it would be no more than an overgrown snorkel tube.

JofB wrote: I wouldn't choose to use such a system frequently or for long but as a simple short term solution to the immediate problem it should allow you to stay under for a short while - effectively it would be no more than an overgrown snorkel tube.

Unfortunately, an overgrown snorkel tube is a death trap. Please, don't invent diving equipment or use equipment that isn't properly designed and tested.

Hi Alain & Anne,

Yes agree it is a shame the Yanmar will not provide warrantly if one wished to go for a Max Prop as I think they are better than the Flex O Fold also.  Here are shots of our Flex O fold open and closed to compare with your folding two blader....

We've now had both (Max on last Grand Soleil yacht and Flex on 461) and the Maxi Prop seemed better to us.  Specifically its ability to stop the boat quickly.  To be fair we've never had an issue of drag with the Flex which we did experience sometimes with the Max, but the Flex need a real burst of power to engage in reverse and begin working to stop you.

Hear what you say about not wishing to risk Yanmar warranty by going with a non recommended prop - but you should be aware our experience in Spain and UK is the Yanmar agent warrantly is sadly worth very very little.

We've so far had two engine related issues, and in both cases the agents have ducked for cover the moment the 'warranty' word is used in our first yuear.  Guess what?  Offer hard cash each time they reappear happy to do the work.  How bad is that?

Hanse UK each time has always done the right thing by me and I love the boat, but if I were specifying a 461 today and knowing what I've experienced with Yanmar warranty, I'd have insisted they fitted a Max Prop. 

No issues for me in loosing warrantly that I've found does not exist anyway!  You'll possibly not find my warranty experiences with Yanmar agents replicated in France - and I hope by repeating them here you'll be aware enough to avoid any problems that may arise.

Regards

JOHN