kelp cutter on outboard lower drive?

[zenspearo]

Does anyone know of a source?

From what I gather, these are specially made items. Somebody on some other board mentioned "Stainless Steel Specialties in Ventura" but I googled and found nothing (probably reflective of my googling skills).

Not looking to "lum". Simply try to avoid that dreaded overheat alarm. With kelp being so thick this year, I've been nailed when anchoring, thinking we were way outside and when the current let up, found that we were way inside of the bed.

Thanks in advance for any suggestion of a source.

[Bob Ballew]

you will probably have to go where the commercial urchin divers buy their stuff..Santa Barbara...blacksmith shop specialty item requiring machine shop tools....may have to trailer your boat there so they can measure the outdrive dimensions prior to welding up the blade mounting tangs..only local commercial guys I know for advice are Rene Rojas and Gary Thompson, if someone can put you in touch with them...

[SDspearo]

I have seen an ad in Natioanl Fisherman, Might have been called a line cutter.

[Bob Ballew]

a line cutter is just little tabs designed to cut line away from your prop as it wraps...not big enough to cut kelp...

[phil herranen]

ab10hunter just asked me to make one for him i can let u know how it turns out
phil

[SDspearo]

http://www.spursmarine.com/

These look like they would cut rope, so they should cut kelp to, IMHO

[YakAtak]

I've always heard if you use a stainless steel prop, that should be enough....

[Bob Ballew]

stainless can take more chips and snails, but, that won't save your prop rubber center hub or your seals....

[zenspearo]

Originally Posted by phil herranen

ab10hunter just asked me to make one for him i can let u know how it turns out
phil

Hi Phil,

Please let me know. I would be very interested.

[abachar]

Joe, we run a Yamaha (07, 250hp), so I will send you picks when we work out the design. I have to draw it up and figure out my mounting points still.

Amadeo

["Yard-Sale Josh"]

me and a friend tried tying a knife up to work as a kelp cutter once. he dropped the knife overboard before we could even test it. we just plow through all the kelp,very very slowly but it works.

["Yard-Sale Josh"]

i would also be very interested in buying one if anyone can find a source and price

[fishmunger]

Anderson Custom Boats in Goleta will make one for you. Expect it to run in the ball park of $200 or so.

Here's a pic of the one on my 70HP. I made my first one for my 8HP (boat in avatar) out of some relatively thin stainless, but for the bigger motor I went with 3/16" which is pretty fricken sturdy. I made an EXACT "model" of it out of cardboard, then I took it to a guy that does stainless and just asked him to replicate it.



Nate

[silentapnea]

I know its a month old thread but recently ran across this.
http://ventura.craigslist.org/boa/712621763.html

[zenspearo]

Update: I had mine done (thanks Chip for supplying the idea). It ended up being pretty similar (coincidentally) to the one in the picture Fishmunger posted above.

It was done by a local guy who is a good welder. The cost is about $200 all told.

Works great.