Spurs marine shaft-mounted line cutter

[Kenaithab]

Has anyone installed a Spurs Marine line cutter on the shaft of an Ranger Tug? If so, did you install it yourself? Any problems? I have an R-29. After reviewing available online tests of different line cutters, the scissors type seems to be fairly effective on a wide range of potential materials that could foul the prop. Thanks.

 

[Kaisardog]

I installed a line cutter myself on our 33 ' sailboat. all that was required was to remove the nut holding the propeller onto the propshaft. i had to buy a proprietary tool to do this since ours was a flexofold folding prop. once the prop was off, the circular cutter blade went between the aft end of the p - bracket and the fore end of the prop . it was an easy job. those cutter blades are wicked sharp, wear leather glove while you do this task. the cutters are essential if you are traveling around where there are a lot of lobster pots etc., such as new england.

 

[davecook]

I installed a line cutter on my 27 Ranger . There wasn't much space between the back of prop and the shaft bearing housing . I think the cutter was 3/4 inch wide and was simple to install since it is in two pieces . See the '' Bucketlist '' picture album for a picture of it , installed . Dave

 

[REO6205]

I use a line cutter on both of my boats and they seem to work well. A lot of sport crabbers won't part with the bucks for sinking line and don't adjust their shots to water depth. That leaves a lot of K-Mart plastic line floating on or just under the surface.

I'm sure if you cut somebody's line you always retrieve the buoy and try to find the owner to let him know, right?

I don't know anything about lobster traps but crab pots are expensive and if somebody went blundering through mine and cut some I'd like to know about it. I can usually snag them with a grappling hook if I know where to start looking.

 

[stwendl]

I use a line cutter on both of my boats and they seem to work well. A lot of sport crabbers won't part with the bucks for sinking line and don't adjust their shots to water depth. That leaves a lot of K-Mart plastic line floating on or just under the surface.

I'm sure if you cut somebody's line you always retrieve the buoy and try to find the owner to let him know, right?

I don't know anything about lobster traps but crab pots are expensive and if somebody went blundering through mine and cut some I'd like to know about it. I can usually snag them with a grappling hook if I know where to start looking.

Don't quite get it. If there is something on a buoy, the line would go down straight even with tides. How would one even get close to the line to be entangled with a prop. I presume they are not using floating lines and have excess loose under the buoy

As long as one goes around the buoy no entanglement should occur. And those gadgets should not be set in shipping lines. You wouldn't put your lawn chair in the middle of a street either

 

[REO6205]

Good post. You bring up an interesting question.

I see sport crab pots frequently with floating line far exceeding the depth of the water. I can't figure out why anyone would want forty feet of line if they're crabbing in twenty feet of water with only a six foot tide difference.

I've seen line that is floating on the surface and carried quite a bit past the buoy on a strong tide.
Avoiding the buoy is a good practice but I'd also give it extra room for the line you can't see. If the pots are set close to shore there can be eddies that move the line around also.

You're right about not setting out your pots in a navigable channel. That's just rude and ignorant. Our local water cops...three different agencies...will pull pots set in the channel and if the owner wants to get them back they get a lecture to go along with the pots. Seems fair to me.

 

[Cutwater28GG]

Its guaranteed to have crab pots in the middle of channels in the puget sound. my favorite are the idiots who put them in the middle of the channel of the ballard locks by shilshole or the middle of the swinomish channel by anacortes . They should all be keel hauled.


do these line cutters work for braid fishing line? i.e. for something so thin?

 

[portlandtug25]

Hello fellow tug nuts:
Considering installing a Spurs (scissor type) line cutter on my 25sc. Looking to hear from anyone who has similar cutter installed.

My last trip in Puget Sound was interrupted by a ball of poly rope, about 9" diameter( sporting a length of #9 wire on the end, no less.) We were stopped in our tracks about 10 miles north of Shilshole. There was just enough algae and crud growing on the ball of rope it to keep it just barely submerged and impossible to see. So a two hour wait in a fairly busy area for a tow back to Shilshole and a $350 diver bill (had to remove prop and replace the nut and cotter pin) and we were on our way two days later.

Now I know that the odds of hitting something like this are small, BUT if it happens you are stuck (unless you have scuba gear on board and are in a location where you can safely detangle the mess yourself--- I didn't and wasn't)

Is it my imagination or is there more junk floating about these days? I've been boating on the Columbia and Puget Sound for nearly 30 years and never used to worry about this...

At the same time these things aren't cheap and I don't want to spend money on something not effective.

Thanks