Seaweed

neilda · 20 July 2009, 10:14

I have generally tried to avoid large and obvious outcrops of seaweed - thinking, perhaps foolishly, that it might clog the prop. Is this right?

PeterM · 20 July 2009, 10:24

Just dont swerve too hard to avoid it !

Anyway ....... I reckon there ismore chance of it blocking the water inlets on the leg than clogging the prop . I have only had this once when going a long way up river running at idle in very very thick weed.

I reckon at any speed the prop will rip seaweed to bits in seconds. But odly even though I know & think this this I still try & avoid it ! Maybe as you never know what its hiding by way of big bits of wood etc.

JSP · 20 July 2009, 10:38

Large amounts of Seaweed seem to collect and hang on to flotsam and jetsam.

PeterM · 20 July 2009, 10:47

Near me you often see long lines of seaweed where currents meets - its impossible to avoid , but I try & pick a 'thin' bit to run through If I am at any speed.

Other days the sea is full of odd bits - every few metres , others you dont see any floating or slighly submerged for miles.

Guess its the same all round the coast ?

codprawn · 20 July 2009, 13:49

Not around here it isn't - always too rough and massive tides for it to form in big clumps.

Have to watch out for the odd coconut palm though - the Gulf Stream seems to drop loads of stuff from the Caribbean over here!!!

SeaSkills · 20 July 2009, 16:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSP

Large amounts of Seaweed seem to collect and hang on to flotsam and jetsam.

...and rocks!!

willk · 20 July 2009, 16:20

I hear what JSP is saying, if the weed is gathering, so are the bottles, cans, nets, ropes and planks. I always try to avoid the stuff and nip through light patches if necessary. It can't do the paintwork on props any good - not that I have much left

PeterM · 20 July 2009, 16:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by SeaSkills

...and rocks!!

when this gets bad it is known as 'ISLANDS' or 'LAND' - there is a big WIGHT one near me I try & avoid.

jyasaki · 20 July 2009, 16:34

We have lots of giant kelp out here (two types: Giant Kelp, Macrocystis pyrifera; and Bull Kelp, Nereocystis leutkeana); at speed usually isn't an issue (the stuff tends to get chopped up pretty easiily with the prop spinning at a good clip) and I think the speed of the skeg tends to either cut it or srive it down clear of the prop.

Going slower can be more problematic; the stuff can wrap around the prop or snag the LU. Usually, stopping and giving it a burst in reverse (or doing the same a few times between reverse and forward) will clear things up nicely. Occasionally you have to raise the motor and manually clear it.

A bigger problem is having a blade of kelp fold across the front of the LU. I've had a few overheat alarms when a blade positioned itself across both sides of the water intake.

I usually try to pick my way through thinner spots, but occasionally have to just motor through. It normally isn't that big a deal.

Drifting paddies I usually avoid. Not so much for potential damage, but more because they are neat mobile ecosystems for small critters and I feel bad about tearing them up.

jky

willk · 20 July 2009, 19:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by jyasaki

Drifting Paddies I usually avoid. Not so much for potential damage, but more because they are neat mobile ecosystems for small critters and I feel bad about tearing them up.

jky

Hmmm. I'll take that as a compliment, I think...

JSP · 20 July 2009, 19:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by willk

Hmmm. I'll take that as a compliment, I think...

neilda · 20 July 2009, 19:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blackroady

Just don't swerve too hard to avoid it !

I am never swerving again.

Ever.

m chappelow · 21 July 2009, 21:32

i dont know about sea weed but we nearly ran over a discarded aluminium air cylinder last sat ,not a diving one looks like an emergency breathing one ,

chewy · 21 July 2009, 22:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by m chappelow

i dont know about sea weed but we nearly ran over a discarded aluminium air cylinder last sat ,not a diving one looks like an emergency breathing one ,

Did you weigh it in?

jambo · 21 July 2009, 22:13

Nearly clobbered a beer barrel once unfortunately it was empty!!

J

BogMonster · 23 July 2009, 00:37

My 2p from dodging an awful lot of kelp around these parts...

On an aux engine it is to be avoided at all costs as you rapidly end up motionless and swearing.

On a decent sized main engine it only clogs the prop at idle or very low revs and just gets chopped at high revs. If you stop with the motor in a clump then there can be problems with stalling when putting the engine in gear again. Kelp around the leg can cause cavitation problems and block the water inlets as already said. I've also had problems with it blocking the telltale in my aux.

In my experience the best thing to do is to trim the motor out as far as you reasonably can and keep a bit of speed up, and the kelp or weed will usually just slide off the bottom of the leg without catching. You can plough through quite thick kelp like this but I always try and avoid it if I can, and when in clear water give it a good burst astern to make sure everything has gone.

As also said, kelp tends to attach itself to rocks and other inconvenient solid objects so is more often than not best avoided as an early warning of expensive clanging noises ahead

having said that there is kelp around here which is on the surface and attached to the bottom in 30-40ft of water in quite a few places, so it's not necessarily about to become bumpy.

If you get a good sized clump that is securely attached it's quite handy to tie up to as well

jyasaki · 23 July 2009, 17:04

[QUOTE=BogMonster;306006]there is kelp around here which is on the surface and attached to the bottom in 30-40ft of water in quite a few places, so it's not necessarily about to become bumpy.{/quote]

The Giant and Bull kelps found off the California coast may grow from depths of 100 feet or more. Not saying it always does, though...

Quote:

If you get a good sized clump that is securely attached it's quite handy to tie up to as well

As long as you don't depend on it. Handy for temp moorings, but the stuff tends to slide out of morring lines, or be torn out from the bottom when it's the least convenient.

jky

m chappelow · 23 July 2009, 17:42

[QUOTE=jyasaki;306098]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BogMonster

there is kelp around here which is on the surface and attached to the bottom in 30-40ft of water in quite a few places, so it's not necessarily about to become bumpy.{/quote]

The Giant and Bull kelps found off the California coast may grow from depths of 100 feet or more. Not saying it always does, though...

As long as you don't depend on it. Handy for temp moorings, but the stuff tends to slide out of morring lines, or be torn out from the bottom when it's the least convenient.

jky

yes i saw a t/v programe years ago on about the california kelp beds there huge by uk comparisons ,theres a lot of kelp beds in my area though they only grow about 3 metre high at the most and if the sea gets rough a lot gets washed up on the beach with massive stones /rocks attached , i remember we lost the drain bung out of a hard fishing boat once so we cut a piece of kelp stalk and used that ,lasted for weeks .mart

wavelength · 23 July 2009, 18:17

Quote:

an awful lot of kelp around these parts.

just a bit eh! I thought I had seen kelp til we went to F.I.s
The admiralty chart shows it well but its mighty impressive stuff

, ya wouldnt want to be tangled up in that lot

BogMonster · 24 July 2009, 03:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by jyasaki

As long as you don't depend on it. Handy for temp moorings, but the stuff tends to slide out of morring lines, or be torn out from the bottom when it's the least convenient.

jky

No I wouldn't consider doing it unless I was staying in the boat but if you're just sitting watching something for a while it's handy to stop you drifting!

You do see large clumps in deeper water here but I think its mostly drifting rather than attached.