Prop Basket vs Spurs vs Not to Worry

[Mike Nesja]

We are planning on sailing our CD25D this summer in the area of Rockland, Maine (Penobscot Bay). Does anyone out there have any practical experience with Prop baskets or spurs to prevent becoming entangled in lobster pot lines. We are thinking that these things might be more trouble than just being generally careful to avoid the pots in the first place.



nesja@aol.com

[Joe]

We are planning on sailing our CD25D this summer in the area of Rockland, Maine (Penobscot Bay). Does anyone out there have any practical experience with Prop baskets or spurs to prevent becoming entangled in lobster pot lines. We are thinking that these things might be more trouble than just being generally careful to avoid the pots in the first place.

Mike,

Prop baskets will really slow you down. Before our CD, we kept a Pacific Seacoast Dana in mid-coast Maine, We first tried a prop basket and could sense the loss of speed in all winds. We switched to spurs and the sailing speed picked right back up.

When we purchased our CD330, we had spurs installed as a number one item. If you plan to leave them on, it is a good idea to have them sharpened every year or two.

As a sailor’s courtesy (and to keep the lobsterman on our side), if your spur does cut warp (the line) leading either from the buoy to the toggle or from the toggle to the trap, do everything you can to retie the lines. This stuff costs the lobsterman about $1000 per trap, and if you cut a line, he is out the money.

If you’re currently tired of computer games, take a visit to http://www.midcoast.com/lobcam/.

You’ll find a live video camera (updated every two minutes) INSIDE a lobster trap in the Muscle Ridge Channel off Owl’s Head just south of Rockland. It may be the most boring site on the web, but it will give you a sense of how your summer will go.

Joe



tgjournal@gestalt.org

[Neil Gordon]

Be careful and don't worry. The prop is fairly well well protected and it's not that easy to snag a lobster pot. We sail out of Boston Harbor and find traps set up and down the coast. Have not had a problem picking out way through them.

As pointed out, lobstermen work hard at what they do and their equipment is expensive. The last thing they need is for their lines to be cut. If you get a tangle, put the mask on and get it off. If you have to cut the line, tie it back together. Btw, the chance of cutting a line and then tying it off is about zero. One end is attached to the buoy, but the other end will be on the bottom.

Regards, Neil
s/v LIQUIDITY
Cape Dory 28 #167



neil@nrgordon.com

[john]

We are planning on sailing our CD25D this summer in the area of Rockland, Maine (Penobscot Bay). Does anyone out there have any practical experience with Prop baskets or spurs to prevent becoming entangled in lobster pot lines. We are thinking that these things might be more trouble than just being generally careful to avoid the pots in the first place.

on the cdsoa cruise several years ago, one boat caught a crab pot line in the prop and it stopped the engine so suddenly that the engine came off its mounts and cracked the stern tube. the boat started taking on water and of course had no propulsion. and also of course the waterman showed up and started arguing with the skipper about his gear. the boat required a tow and emergency haulout. i am very very careful now. previuosly i had heard the cd props were well protected but apparently not perfect.

[Chris Reinke CD330 Innisf]

Mike - I would suggest you first consider the location and types of sailing you will be doing. The easiest method is to avoid the pots. I make several trips between New York and Cape Cod which usually includes navigating Long Island Sound at night. On a cloudy or choppy night the pots are almost impossible to see. I elected to install spurs to avoid going over the side at night should I wrap a line. Plus the full keel does a good job in protecting the prop.

I have had moments when I regretted having the spurs. Several summers ago my wife was approaching our mooring and was forced off her line by a couple of kids in a zodiac. She was forced between our tender and our mooring. I was sure our spurs would cut the line and I would be swimming to shore. The keel protected the line and I was able to stay dry.

The cage may be a bit much. I am not aware of my spurs ever cutting a line, but that may just be because they worked. Again, avoidance is the best method.

We are planning on sailing our CD25D this summer in the area of Rockland, Maine (Penobscot Bay). Does anyone out there have any practical experience with Prop baskets or spurs to prevent becoming entangled in lobster pot lines. We are thinking that these things might be more trouble than just being generally careful to avoid the pots in the first place.

chris.reinke@transamerica.com

[Joe]

Be careful and don't worry. The prop is fairly well well protected and it's not that easy to snag a lobster pot. We sail out of Boston Harbor and find traps set up and down the coast. Have not had a problem picking out way through them.

As pointed out, lobstermen work hard at what they do and their equipment is expensive. The last thing they need is for their lines to be cut. If you get a tangle, put the mask on and get it off. If you have to cut the line, tie it back together. Btw, the chance of cutting a line and then tying it off is about zero. One end is attached to the buoy, but the other end will be on the bottom.

Regards, Neil
s/v LIQUIDITY
Cape Dory 28 #167

Neil is wrong on two counts. First, the lobster traps in West Penobscot bay are so numerous that even a dinghy has trouble avoiding them.

Second, the warp does not go from the buoy to the trap. If it did, the full keel of the CD would protect your prop. The warp goes from the buoy to a toggle (usually about ten feet from the buoy) and then to the trap. Where you get problems is when the toggle is a foot or so beneath the surface (often the case in strong tides, rough seas, etc., etc.) Since you can’t see the toggle, it does little good to avoid the buoy as you may very well motor over the warp from the buoy to the toggle.

The only sure-fire way to avoid snaring pot warp in Maine is to sail rather than motor.



tgjournal@gestalt.org