Hello, I’m new to this forum, but I may not be smart enough to use the search button effectively enough to find the answer to my question.

I am in the final stages of buying an 06 47 Fountain lighting with staggered mercury 1075/1200s and #6 surface drives and hering cleaver 6 blade props.

The question I have is about swimming with these props. Obviously at minimum you would need to use prop covers, but am I going to be better off buying a second set of props for this boat? Most of the time I will be able to tie up to a friends boat and get out of the water off their swim platforms, but in the case I’m out on my own, one person (me) would need to get into the boat with the prop covers removed.

I am finding threads related to cleaver props, the herring prop covers, and swimming, but they all seem to be on single engine boats and it looks like they are single engine boats.

Does anyone have any experience with surface drives and trying to swim off the boat? I know it’s not ideal. Is it just a bad idea to be swimming around this boat in general with cleavers (what I’m starting to think) and I should be buying a second set of props for this boat? I only have experience with XR drives and they don’t seem stick out past the stern as far. Does anyone make a non cleaver style prop that would work on this boat?

Any existing thread links or advice would be appreciated! Thank you!

What second set of props would you buy??? The only props for 6’s are cleaver style.

Just use the trim tabs on the sides to get in the boat, and stay the heck away from the drives when swimming. There are no covers that I’ve heard of that can protect you in the water.

I have no clue... this is my first boat with surface drives. For some reason I thought that not all surface drive props were razor blade sharp.... I guess I’m completely ignorant lol ... you learn something new every day.

First off, don't dive onto the props nor use them to climb aboard. Can you use a 5 gallon bucket or something similar wirh a bungee to cover them while swimming?

The boat I am buying originally came with triple 500s or 525s but went back to fountain to be re-rigged with the surface drives and 1075s, so it has a swim ladder where all other boats ive seen with surface drives don’t have a ladder (for all the reasons above) I never thought about a 5 gallon bucket. I don’t know if that would have a large enough circumpherence though.

We jump in off the side to swim then climb up the corner of the transom on the tab. If other people are around swimming you could install prop covers then.

Also check out these hidden ladders, lots of Outerlimits have them, do some searching and find some pics, pretty slick you could install one on the transom corner.

EEz-In INTEGRATED TRANSOM LADDER - Garelick EEz-In