seaweed, prop shaft

[Dan F]

Hello all-

I'm wondering if anyone has any brilliant ideas for prevention of clumps of seaweed fouling the prop & shaft. My CD30 has a "Campbell Sailer" prop, which I'm guessing must be part of the problem as I've not experienced this as such an issue on other people's boats. But we barely go 30 minutes in seaweedy waters before we get a good wrap of kelp, our RPM's get cut in half, and I have to go for a (very cold) dive to clear it. I've installed a "shark shaft" cutter on the prop, but the seaweed ignores it. I've tried alternating bursts of reverse & forward to whip it off, without luck. Any great ideas out in the Dorysphere?

Many thanks,

Dan

[Oswego John]

Hi Dan,

To date, I've never heard of a foolproof way to keep the prop from fouling. I've heard of some practices that are somewhat effective.

Here, in the eastern Great Lakes, we have two types of sea weed that we have to be concerned with. One is native to the area. I don't know what the official flora name for it is. Locals call it #%@*&weed.

It's roots are in the bottom and it reaches up toward light and the sun, like trees in a forest. About this time of the year it is up to the surface in 8 or 10 feet of water.

The second and greatest concern is something comparatively new in the area. It is called European water chestnut. As the other weed I mentioned grows, this chestnut weed also reaches up to the surface. But it gets worse. Once it gets to the surface, it still keeps growing, but now outward. It makes a green mat, or carpet upon the surface.

We can motor through the #%@*&weed, but not through the European water chestnut. So, what to do?

What I did, and some of the locals do is, first, don't go anywhere near where the stuff is concentrated at certain times of the year. I always felt that by some means, keep the weeds away from the prop and shaft. Just as the weeds won't get entangled on the sleek, smooth bow of your boat, don't allow the weeds to catch onto anything at the stern, either. Foreward edge of the rudder excluded.

On a workboat I once had, I fashioned a contoured box of hardware cloth from the log back, protecting the strut, shaft and prop. At first, it worked okay except when I put it in reverse. Since the prop was ahead of the rudder, I wrapped a piece aft of the prop and boxed in the entire shaft/prop and then it improved the situation.

Sincr the weeds were anchored in place by their roots, the boat would glide through the weed stalks,parting them aside without snagging.

I don't know what else can be done.
Good luck,
O J

[Dean Abramson]

Dan,

I try really hard not to motor thru those big floating lines of kelp which come out on the tide; I go around or I find the narrowest spot. Then, with momentum on, I put the prop in neutral to gilde thru. The prop no doubt spins a little, but not that fast. As soon as we emerge, I give a burst of reverse, then fwd, then reverse, then proceed.

If I have been sailing thru it, then as soon as I start the engine, I do the fwd-reverse thing a few times.

I have had pretty good luck with these routines.

Dean

[Steve Laume]

Thanks guys for the alert. Not having experienced this problem I would have motored in like a lamb to the slaughter. Now thanks, once again, to this board I know not only to be very cautious around these kelp areas but also have a strategy to deal with the problem if it does occur. This board is great! You have added a whole new meaning to, evil weed, Steve.

[Dean Abramson]

Oh... then one more thing, Steve. Don't try to dry and smoke that stuff.