Now I have seen everything

HUMPH

HUMPH

Well-Known Member
Nov 4, 2009
7,618
SF BAY AREA
Boat Info
2003 410DA
2009 Walker Bay 13’
Engines
CAT 3126TA's 350HP/
50HP Honda
So, I had a diver go in and check my running gear today. I was coming back from a weekend cruise a few weeks ago and when I throttled up my port engine in reverse I felt it atart heaving so I backed off. I went out last Sunday and as soon as I got into the channel I noticed that the boat kept trying to turn to port. I bumped up the RPM's just a touch and it started heaving so I backed off to idle. Returning to the marina I kept the port side in neutral and went the mile back to the marina on the starboard engine until getting into the marina where I engaged the port side so I could handle the boat in the current.

Back to the diver...he called and told me he found a comforter wrapped up in the prop! I wish I had him take a picture but I didn't think of that. I was expecting heavy weeds or a line wrapped up but not a comforter!

What's the strangest thing your props ever picked up?
 
"What's the strangest thing your props ever picked up?"


If you're boating in the right place, potentially now Osama Bin Ladin
 
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On my first boat I had my anchor come loose from the pulpit at 35mph. The only thing that kept the rode from getting tangled in the prop was that the anchor hit the prop first and took off most of the blades!:smt021

Then the anchor continued about 60 ft behind while the boat slowed, then the rode snagged, stretched, and "rubber banded" the anchor out of the water and back towards us, landing in the water about 20ft behind. All in the blink of an eye.

That's one of those life mistakes that you don't repeat (make sure the anchor is secure before you take off)
 
A deflated rubber raft just below the surface on my 270 a few years back... stopped the motor... had to get in the 55 degree water, under the swim platform to remove it.
 
Landscaper's mesh fabric. Though I dinged a prop it vibrated so much.
 
I picked up a nylon ski tow rope that must have been laying just under the surface and it was blue so I had no way of seeing it. That thing wrapped so tight around my port side prop it almost stopped the port engine from 3200 rpm. It must have been heating up for a bit since it was a huge chunk of melted plastic around the shaft, strut, and prop. 3.5 hours later with a ginsu knife and about 3,000 trips under the boat by the sandbar finally cleared it off. What a nightmare.
 
HUMPH said:
I wonder what happened to the occupant?
Click to expand...

Sadly, we really don't like to talk about it, but no one really miss him either...LOL J/K

If was on the water surface (As a PFD should be), but it was a dark blue and black one so I didn't see it when we skimmed over it. Either came from shore or flew off a boat without someone noticing....Didn't see any missig persons reports ;)

Put a real damper on our performance, when the port prop started cavitating like a mofo and the port engine oversped.
 
Now I have run the boat a couple of times after having the comforter removed (I think my propr is still cold) and there is a different sound coming from the port side that had said comforter. Does anyone have an idea what would be making the noise? It does not make the noise in neutral but does in gear. Could this be damage to the cutless bearing or could the comforter wrapped prop made the engine alignment off?
 
bearing or stuffing box... motor not likely out of alignment.
 
Lobster Pot line ... $1500 to fix the outdrive and didn't even get a lobster out of it ! !
 
managed to pick this up somewhere in front of my dock. took me a minute to figure out why i kept stalling when i put it into gear!
towstrapwrap.jpg

By soup0027 at 2011-05-01
 
I have taken out a crab pot or two in my day. There are a LOT of "lost" or abandoned pots on the Potomac.
 
About 2 meters of garden hose before it stalled when running on muffs.... Lucky it stalled or I could have pulled the house into my boat.:smt043 Note to self. don't set up shift cables on muffs after your kids have been playing with the hose.

Humph, I think the only thing you would hear would be an imbalance or if something was bent. How much power did you pull? If it was quite a violent shake it may have upset your shaft strut? Or tweaked a blade?
 
A mooring line once (spent 35 minutes below the boat in October in 53 degree water) then another time a large blanket. That must have blown off a boat.
 
annie said:
About 2 meters of garden hose before it stalled when running on muffs.... Lucky it stalled or I could have pulled the house into my boat.:smt043 Note to self. don't set up shift cables on muffs after your kids have been playing with the hose.

Humph, I think the only thing you would hear would be an imbalance or if something was bent. How much power did you pull? If it was quite a violent shake it may have upset your shaft strut? Or tweaked a blade?
Click to expand...

I didn't put too much pressure on it after I felt it but it did oscillate quite a bit. I think I may need to have the cutlass bearing checked out...
 
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