Does your boat wear spurs?

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Tom

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Over the years we've picked up our share of stuff on our props. One of the worst was a 9/16" polypropylene diameter line that got wrapped around the counter-rotating props. When the props had picked up all the slack line, both engines lugged down, then I heard a loud screeching noise which turned out to be the set screws holding the coupling on one shaft giving way and scoring the shaft. This all happened very quickly and I shut the engines down too late to prevent ruining a prop shaft. That was 12 years or so ago on a prior boat.

Over the years, I've often thought about a product like Spurs, but have never talked to anyone who's actually used them. Thus the intent of this message - to ask if anyone has used this or a similar product. If so, on what make/model of boat, engine size, size of props, etc and have you found evidence that they work or don't work?

Every time I get the boat hauled I ask myself if I want to cough up that amount of money and every time I say "next time".

I was reminded of this issue again when I recently delivered a friend's boat back to it's home berth after having been hauled for periodic maintenance. The harbor/boat yard in question were new to us, thanks to our long-time yard having changed hands and having gone downhill. I knew that there were depth/draft issues in the area of the new yard and I consciously left the harbor close to high tide. I hadn't gone more than half a mile before I thought I'd spun a prop, although I knew that was close to impossible. Fighting a high wind, I brought the boat back into harbor on one engine and, with the owner's permission, called a diver.

Both props were engulfed in weed, one so much so that it had lost all "bite". The diver had a tough time cutting/removing the weed and I ended up waiting until high tide the following day to try a different "escape" route. So, here I am again wondering if I should install this product or if I'd be wasting time and money.
 
How much money are you talking?  The idea looks great but I always worry when they don't offer prices anywhere.
 
Newt, it's been a few years since I priced them, but they were quite expensive. They're stainless steel and priced based on shaft diameter. I vaguely recall it being many hundreds of $ for my boat (multiplied by 2 for two shafts), plus the labor. Of course, if the boat doesn't happen to be out of the water, it's also another $500 or so to haul it and the fuel to get to the boat yard and back.

FWIW this site shows them priced from $375 to over $1,000 each, depending on shaft diameter.
 
Wow, I've never heard of these.  They do look interesting.  I think the real question though is, do you operate your boat in a place that is likely to need the spurs on a regular basis?  You said the last time you had any real problem (other than your friends boat) was 12 years ago.  Can you really justify the cost of installation and maintenance for something that happens once every 12 years?  I know I ran through a bunch of weeds in a boat a few years ago, but I had drifted a little too far in towards the shore and didn't raise the motor before starting it.  Other than that, I have to think its a matter of where you operate on a regular basis and just how much "stuff" you've picked up to warrant the spurs.  I certainly couldn't justify them on my boat, but mine is mostly inland lakes and I have a much smaller boat that is much easier to work on than you apparently have.
 
edjunior said:
.... do you operate your boat in a place that is likely to need the spurs on a regular basis?

Ed, I don't think that frequency of occurrence is the issue. All it takes is for the boat to be disabled in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Can you really justify the cost of installation and maintenance for something that happens once every 12 years?

The 12 years ago event wasn't the last time it happened (I said it was "one of the worst"), but it certainly was a memorable event. I've struggled with the cost question ever since. Just a ballpark estimate (more like a WAG on my part): $1,500 for the spurs, $500 labor, $500 haulout charge, $200-$400 in fuel to get to a boat yard and back. That's $3,000 in round numbers, not chump change and it makes the $150-$200 cost of an occasional diver look cheap.

I certainly couldn't justify them on my boat, but mine is mostly inland lakes and I have a much smaller boat that is much easier to work on than you apparently have.

I don't see me putting them on our small boats, especially since they have outboards that can easily be tilted/raised. The inboards on the large boat are a different issue of course. In addition to the inconvenience of getting a diver out or having to be towed, the real concern is the possibility of being 'dead in the water' and drifting into shallow water or onto rocks. In the recent case of a friend's boat, although I was able to get back to the dock on the other engine, the diver told me that the other prop was also well on its way to being incapacitated.

The weed issue appears to be an increasing problem in the Delta waterways where we do much of our boating. The Department of Boating and Waterways has been trying to figure out what to do for several years, but to date don't appear to have come up with a solution. If we head out the Golden Gate and turn south, we have to navigate through a minefield of lines from the crab pots.

The real question for me is will the Spurs work. I'd hate to pay all that money and then have the boat disabled by weed or line or whatever. The manufacturer has lots of claims on their web site, but they've been around for a long time.
 
Never owned a boat let alone used the product but let me tell you of a square dance party I went to once... We went out on the lake in the hosts boat (An old Detroit Edison work boat) and he was towing a water board... Well, he put the boat in neutral and drifted a bit... Only it was not neutral. it was in reverse so the boat backed over the tow line.... Fouling the prop.

We had a swimmer in the water and she tried to free it but not strong enough so over board I went (Who else) and got it free (I'm farily good in water... Enough fat I float well) alas, I was unable to return to the boat so I road the board back close to shore and swam in.. Changed into my swim-trunks and we did our dance thing.

They all told me I was doing things backwards

Supposed to wear the swim-trunks in the water and the trousers to the dance....

What could I say

That was on Michigan's Hartsens Islland  Where they have the Hartsens Island Speed bumps (Gight switch back turns with water both sides of the road... Go too fast and you will most likely flood out your car... The hard way!!!)  They also have the Hartsens Island Automatic Car Wash (First spot on the ferry in choppy seas... There is no bridge you see, so the first couple of cars on the ferry, if the water is rough, get a free rinse)
 
John, my captain has reversed over a few lines over the years, but I usually get told it's my fault.

A tip for folks planning to tow something, use a polypropylene rope/line; It floats and therefore has less opportunity to foul the props. One caveat - polypropylene doesn't have the same friction on a cleat as a nylon line and will readily slip, as I once found out with a resultant broken finger.
 
Well I guess if Chris says it is your fault then you must have put the lines right where she would run over them. ;D ;D ;D
 
You know the only two words we're allowed to use in reply Ron.
 
Tom, I don't think Spurs would do any good on the weeds.  Although they might cut the weeds within a couple of inches of the shaft you would probably still get a foot or two of wound up weeds outside the Spurs diameter.  I always though they would be good for things like crab pots or floating ropes.  If you get lines wrapped around both props when you are 50 miles offshore they would be worth every penny.
 
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