best shaft rope cutter

[earless]

any opinions on the best small boat (>35 ft) shaft rope cutter?

[Talbot]

Originally Posted by earless

any opinions on the best small boat (>35 ft) shaft rope cutter?

I have fitted Ambassador Stripper

Ambassador Marine - Home of the Stripper Propeller Protector

[S/V Alchemy]

I'm fitting my new Shaft Shark next week. Seeing as it's sharp enough to shave with, I think it will do the job. It looks like a James Bond villain's weapon of choice.



Of course, until I actually motor into a couple of old nets, I won't know the reality!

[Cotemar]

I have used the Shaft Shark on My Catalina 380 and it worked well.

Shaft Shark | AB Marine 747 Aquidneck Avenue, Middletown, RI 02842 USA Tel: 800-801-8922

[CharlesFCook]

good video test here:

Rope cutter test - YouTube

[twistedtree]

Cool videos, but which do you think worked best? Most all allowed the prop to keep running, but some seemed to shed the material better than others. Even if the prop keeps going, lots a debris around the shaft will block water flow to the cutlass and burn it out.

[sestina]

Another vote for the Amabassador Marine "stripper". Expensive, but it's the dogs' wotsits!

Ambassador Marine Stripper Propeller Protector - YouTube

Just don't wrap your own fishing gear round the prop. It doesn't take prisoners.

[captain58sailin]

It looks like that poly net gives all of the cutters a hard time, but it looks like a little astern propulsion clears things up soon enough.

[Tim R.]

Removed mine. It cut me more than any rope. When it did cut the rope it did not clear it from the prop and I had to dive to clear the prop anyway.

[BlueFlyer]

I had an Ambassador Marine one too. Found it would chop through steel cabling as well as rope. Excellent product.


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[Dockhead]

Around here, the Ambassador Stripper, is what everyone uses. But it is a local product, so I'm not sure that means it's better than anything else. I have no experience with any others.

But FWIW, I have been extremely pleased with mine. Got me out of a couple of sticky situations. Chopped through 1" warps one time like a hot knife through butter. Don't ask me how the 1" warp got into my prop , or whose it was .

[SailFastTri]

I've been using the Shaft Shark for close to 10 years. Has always worked when needed. Around here the main risk is lobster buoys or fishing line, never tested on wire rope.

It does need to be kept clean for maximum effectiveness.

[HopCar]

I was an early adopter of line cutters. I have had a set of Spurs on my boat since it was launched in 1988. I know in that time I must have hit many ropes but I've never been stopped. I can't say Spurs are the best, I haven't tried the others. I can say that they do work.

Today I would still choose a scissor type, Spurs or Stripper over a disc type. I do think some kind of line cutter is a good idea.

[HappyMdRSailor]

I've got a Spurs, and it looks like it does the business.... One thing I will say, is that it makes an eff-ton of noise when the thing isn't properly adjusted... Requiring a haul... or a good diver...