Saftey Boat's & prop Guards

I have just done a Saftey boat course and the coach/assessor does not beleve in them and thinks they cause more hasstle than they are worth and create a 20% Loss in power.

However, the prob guard website contradicts this claim compleatly.

Also someone tol me there is a law that prob guards must be fitted.
Is it a law or an insurance thing or neither?

Any views welcome?

Yes its very easy to become paranoid about a 3/4 bladed bit of metal spinning very quickly

 

thanks.

Like all "safety devices" many people feel that they are then safe and do not need to exercise proper care and due dilligence.

The devices where originally designed to save the Manatia (?sp) of the American everglades. These gentle creatures were getting chopped up at an alarming rate by props so something had to be done. As with most things, the manufacturers wanted to sell more ....... guess what? Yep, you guessed they now market them as essentialy safety devices. Utter codswallop!!

Having seen our entire safety boat fleet fitted with these things on the pretence of safety whereas in reality they where fitted to cut the cost of the props failing to work on concrete. One of the downsides was that because of the heavy loads induced on the prop bushes because of the lack of speed, we suffered many failed bushes. In one year the cost of failed bushes far exceeded the previous cost of damaged props without the guards fitted. The extra cost of fuel was not even taken into account, though for that year it was up on the previous year by some 25%. Now all guards are removed.

There is no substitute for the proper and correct techniques for PB handling. Just pray that you get a good instructor and you will not know that until you get more experience.

Oh by the way, if you fit a guard and your foot or whatever gets between the prop and the guard then you have ZERO chance of keeping anything ............ without a guard you have a slim chance that you might be knocked away from the prop.

On tickover, about 1000 rpm the gearbox reduces the revs to about 500, there are usually 3 blades on a prop, that means 500 x 3 hits per minute. The moral of the story - keep away from the prop and keep the prop away from people.

There is nothing wrong with the RYA courses - it is down to the quality of the instructor. There is nothing wrong with any sailor helming a safety boat - it is down to the individual and how they were trained.

And finally ........... we have a windsurfing instructor at our club.......knows it all, can do it all, has done it all, will do it all, blah de blah de blah ALL........ bores all

What is it with these bloody whinge surfers??


Edited by Phat Bouy

Id say better training and experience are more important than fitting them.

We have them on the centre boats, Ok power loss may be there but I believe it is more piece of mind IF something happened.

I have had to remove a sail from a prop guarded engine after the sail was removed but then propped wrapped itself. Interesting tow that one by another safety boat!

Originally posted by Phat Bouy .And finally ........... we have a windsurfing instructor at our club.......knows it all, can do it all, has done it all, will do it all, blah de blah de blah ALL........ bores allWhat is it with these bloody whinge surfers??

Lucky for you, you should listen to him, being by definition a dinghy
waller therefore in possession of only partial knowledge of all things
maritime yet convinced otherwise..

Maybe he's even got ten years of offshore powerboat racing experience
as well..

And knows that turning an out board motor (as dicated by the RYA
Powerboat safety course) off in any situation, never mind near a lee shore
and in attendance to a rescue situation is stupid since likely as not the
plugs get oiled on two strokes and on occasion can refuse to fire up
especially if a tad warm, or following periods of near idle use...