Kevlar prop guard
 

Since we have drives with razor blades for props is there a safe slip on prop guard to cover these. My kids know not to jump off the back of the boat but sometimes I worry that a friend or passer by might not know what's lurking in the water. I was thinking a Kevlar layered bag ...puncture proof and a steering wheel cover to remind us they are on. SSM drives and Arnesons inherently are not under a platforms. We beach and swim with a lot of people around it would be nice for the extra protection. We have seen 3 sever cuts in the past few years.

I see nylon trailer bags but need something a little more substantial.

Mac I have two full rolls of Kevlar and an industrial sewing machine . . . . . see ya monday :D

That's good advice. That's what I'd do if I didn't have elephant ears.

Ah no dave me and sewing machines I think I'd probly end up with a pair of 3 legged pants

Prop Guards
 

I was thinking about this and voila im looking through the threads and you guys beat me to the punch. I need something similar. my new boat comes with 2 sets of cleavers and many places where I boat in Michigan I can see somebody casually walking buy and just nicking those props while we are in shallow anchorage. I was thinking about going with a larger set of the nylon prop bags and then lining with thick Kevlar.

Guys, 1,000 denier nylon should be plenty heavy. Knife sheaths are made from 1,000 denier as is various military equipment Kevlar, IMO, is over kill.

Padraig

Prop Guards
 

that's a good suggestion. I was thinking what would be easiest to put on and take off and last in the water too

one suggestion that i received while doing some research was a 5 gallon bucket with a bungee cord to hold the bucket on. protects both the props and people.

Prop guard
 

have you tried the bucket on yours? does it work well

I've tried this in the past. The cleavers on both of my boats are over 17" diameter, a std 5 gallon bucket did not fit over either.

I made some out of aluminum sheet metal. I made a cylinder 18" diameter x 8" tall. There is enough thread sticking out of the output shafts that you can weld on a bung. They just screw on. The issue is because they are rigid, they take up a lot of space, but after i hacked my leg up, figured it was worth it before one of my kids takes a header on to the props!!!!

So I have someone who will make these would there be interest in buying some if I have him do a run of a dozen pairs the steering wheel cover would be stretch material with a elastic band pretty simple. The prop covers themselves nylon bag with 2 layers of kevlar all bound together with a draw cord. I may have a embroider emblem in the bag to hold material in the center. trying to keep them under 100 bucks

Steering wheel and 2 prop covers for under $100?

Since your gonna be sewing can you put the oval with a "1" in it?..... Lol
Count me in for a set.

Count me in if you make these!

I bought the ones from mercury racing and the worked quite well just remember to remind yourself to take them off before you start running after a swim!!!

I'm switching to 18" cleavers on arnesons. Would also be interested! Was planning to design something myself if someone didn't beat me to it.

I found these on Amazon. Won't fit 18" but the company might make a bigger size.

Hardline Products PRO-16052 Propeller Bag

I would be in for 2

Mine were 17.75 5 blades and used the covers I posted

Obviously the mercury prop covers would work well for normal storage when walking around the boat... just curious, Can you easily get the bags on/off from a typical swim platform before jumping into the water?

How substantial are the bags? Do they have some kind of metal ring holding the shape? If so, is there any concern with that ring touching the blade tips? I'd be concerned about how long the bag would last given how sharp cleavers are.

I was thinking about developing a heavy duty urethane plastic solution that would slide over the props... but if the mercury covers are good, then that's probably a waste of time.

There have been a few boats for sale lately with no props. Maybe buy one of those ?



The bucket sounds good on quick thought.

They are made out of neoprene and had a plastic like ring on the inside that would go around the blades. There are straps stitched into the bag and then the ends had a clip like a back pack they also had a draw string to keep the on tight while going down the road. I only had them a year before I sold the boat but the worked good!