I will be sailing a lot in Maine, where there are a TON of lobster pots and lines. One sailor said they snagged the prop twice a year on them, another said it's happened twice in ten years.
I saw a boat with a tight, thin wire running from the aft end of the keel to the forward edge of the skeg, kind of creating a protected prop, in regards to underwater lines. I thought this was a good idea for sailing through lobster pot minefields, so that run over lines would not go along the keel and then float up to snag on the prop. Otherwise you would have to zig and zag like crazy in some areas. I realize the wire will give little protection while motoring, because lines will be sucked into the prop.
The boat I am sailing [Pearson 365] has a line cutter on the shaft, but I would like to avoid getting to that point, for several reasons [lobstermen's livelihoods, tougher to cut lines, etc].
Anyways, what does everyone think? Any experience or knowledge about this? Would it help, or just be a waste of my time to set up?
Also, I was thinking that instead of screwing more holes into the boat [to attach the wire] I would epoxy on some kind of tabs [like a square inch or two of plastic or rubber with a small eye hook], onto which I could tightly string thick fishing line. So, any ideas about this, what to use for pads, and would I need to sand through the ablative paint to make them stick?
Have at it everyone!
Thanks for all the great advice so far,
John
We have a similar problem here with crab traps. It would be my luck the the protective device would end up wrapped in the prop and cause more damage than a line. If you have a cutter already installed, I would go with that. Granted, we don't want to hurt anybody's livelihood, but when I see a string of crab traps in a marked channel I become somewhat hardened about the owner's livelihood. He would not step up and repair the damage caused by his gear in a marked channel, would he?
I have sailed in the Penobscot Bay of Maine for 25 years all this time in ketch's. 15 years in a wooden ketch and the rest in a 365. The 365 is a catchers mitt for lobster trap rigs. One day two years ago the chop almost hid all the floats and I caught 5. I have considered placing a stainless steel or bronze bar between the keel end and the rudder skeg to fend off the line from the traps to the float/s. My concern being that the bar could be bent into the prop and really mess things up.
What really causes problems is when the lobster man uses a toggle connected to his or her float. This creates a natural trap for the 365 if it gets close to the main float. Several years ago I purchase a hooknife and Perfect pole that allows me to cut a toggle line that hooks on to the rudder skeg. I have used it several times since my purchase.This frees me from having to jump into the Maine water.
I think the real solution would be to place a bar between the keel and the rudder skeg and support this bar so that it would not bend into the prop when fouled.
For what it is worth.