Prop cleanouts..How useful are they?

[BillD]

To begin with, I hijacked the pic of Steve's 29 H&H prop cleanout.

How many guys have these "prop cleanouts installed in their boats?

How "easy" is it to clear a prop/shaft of line if you get wrapped up?

Any pics of the pole/serrated cutter to reach down a "cut with" ?

How do you "see" what you are trying to cut away?

I've never seen a cleanout or treied to use one. I'm thinking the prop is too far down to reach by hand.

Appreciated,

Bill D

 

[jerseysportfisher]

bill on boats like ours, the shaft angle puts the prop to far down. On the keel boats the angle is not as steep

 

[steveinak]

I've never used mine and hope i never have to!! but its nice to know its there. Had one on a gillnetter i fished on in Bristol Bay had 4 different corklines in the wheel at once and the clean out worked real well. I've thought about making a pole with some kind of attachment on the end for a knife but i think just taping on one of those red handled Victornox serrated blade knives would work fine for most ropes and if its a real tough one a hacksaw would also work. When i get the boat in the water i'll try to pop it open and get a picture to post.
A Bristol Bay trick was to sharpen the blades on the prop with a file that way when you had net in the wheel you could just cleat off the cork and leadlines and put'er in gear and cut off things easier. When running for the "line" to get another set we would run over the tops of any corklines, no steering around nets just pull'er out of gear when the bow hit the corks and hope you slid over!

 

[tunaorlater]

I can reach my prop from mine but if you couldn't you just tape a knife on a gaff. You can see the prop well enough to get the job done in clear water during the day. At night just put a flashlight in the tube. I haven't used the one on my current boat but I have had it on my past 4 downeasters and they have come in handy. No one wants to swim in December in the northeast.

 

[CEShawn]

Feel like I'm missed something here. Does this cover come off and lets you stick a knife down there to clear it. Of course this tube comes to the top of the boat, above the water line right?

I was almost wondering at one time just putting a piece of clear material there just to see where my pole knife was going. I remember seeing a few boats with "glass bottom" to look at when they went over shallow water looking for 'stuff' of reefs, etc. I just wonder the issue of that right over the prop though.

Anyone have better pictures of this and/or diagrams.

 

[Hurdy Gurdy]

This is the prop clean out on my boat.Its been filled in now.Didnt see any reason for it and it took up alot of room.Didnt allow me to run 6" exhaust.

 

[BillD]

question/s.

This is the prop clean out on my boat.Its been filled in now.Didnt see any reason for it and it took up alot of room.Didnt allow me to run 6" exhaust.

Any degradation in performance of the hull having an 8" or so hole in the hull over the aft end of the prop??

 

[traditions]

We did a few of these years ago,and took the piece of the hull that was cut out, and glassed a smaller tube to it and that was glassed to the cover,so when you put the cover on the hole was filled in.I have seen them without the plug,and I never heard any compliants.

 

[BillD]

We did a few of these years ago,and took the piece of the hull that was cut out, and glassed a smaller tube to it and that was glassed to the cover,so when you put the cover on the hole was filled in.I have seen them without the plug,and I never heard any compliants.

Thanks for all the input !!!!!

 

[Eslang]

I can reach my prop from mine but if you couldn't you just tape a knife on a gaff. You can see the prop well enough to get the job done in clear water during the day. At night just put a flashlight in the tube. I haven't used the one on my current boat but I have had it on my past 4 downeasters and they have come in handy. No one wants to swim in December in the northeast.

I grabbed a lobster pot buoy on my 28 in the end of Sept sea bassing. I had to jump in & get it off the prop. I thought I was going to freeze to death in Sept. In my 36 I picked up some pot warp in the end of Nov. I jumped in & tried to cut it out & couldn't. The water was so cold I couldn't get it off the wheel. I had to be towed in. I tried 2x & physically couldn't.
Yeah a cutout would have been great

 

[tunaorlater]

Mine is made out of stainless (free). In the last picture you can see part of the inside piece.

 

[Eslang]

Mine is made out of stainless (free). In the last picture you can see part of the inside piece.

Free like your door free? Lol

 

[tunaorlater]

Free like i got friends in low places......

 

[Blacktide]

Wow ! Nice work as usual Mike!

 

[BillD]

Seems a prop cleanout is decent "option" on a DE when boating in areas that are rife with lobster pots.

 

[F/V First Team]

Shaft razor
Just feel a soft "tug" and then it's gone

*points at prop nuts*
They're doing it wrong

 

[MouseTrap]

Shaft razor
Just feel a soft "tug" and then it's gone

*points at prop nuts*
They're doing it wrong

The Shaft Razor

Nice!

 

[steveinak]

fishes view of the cleanout

 

[Jim Higgins]

We did a few of these years ago,and took the piece of the hull that was cut out, and glassed a smaller tube to it and that was glassed to the cover,so when you put the cover on the hole was filled in.I have seen them without the plug,and I never heard any compliants.

where can you buy a clean out flange that would go over the prop

Thanks

[email protected]

 

[steveinak]

where can you buy a clean out flange that would go over the prop

Thanks

[email protected]

My H&H was finished by Pen Bay boats maybe try calling them and see what they tell you.