PropGuard...Has anyone ever used one?

TOHATSU GURU

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Jul 22, 2004
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Has anyone ever used any brand of propeller guard? If so, what brand and with what result?
 

WillyBWright

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Re: PropGuard...Has anyone ever used one?

I've mounted one or two, but see no advantage. They foul the prop with weeds easier, slow you down, mess with handling, and if you hit something they are just as likely to bend into the prop and damage it as protect it, plus break the skeg and antiventilation plate to boot. As a safety feature, They Most Certainly Are Not! A prop striking an arm or leg will cause a nasty gash. But a hand or foot caught inside one will have the same effect as a food processor. Frankly I think they should be banned altogether.
 

gss036

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Re: PropGuard...Has anyone ever used one?

Around here just about everyone uses prop guards on the 8-15hp trolling motors. We troll and when turning sharp or in rip tides, they keep the downrigger wire out of the prop.
I would think getting a hand or foot into one would be purley reckless on the part of the operator.
If they are used for the purpose they were designed for they work great. I would not even consider a prop guard on anything larger than a 15hp and not for anything you are going to be running wide open in a small boat (10-12ft). That is not why they were designed.
 

TOHATSU GURU

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Re: PropGuard...Has anyone ever used one?

Do you know which brand of propeller guard you(collective) were using? I have to admit that I have never been a believer in devices like these based on the increased possibility of blunt force trauma that could occur and the performance loss associated at higher speeds. But, I have received some consumer inquiry's about them and I have to admit, I have no real world usage with any brand of them other than some wierd cage type from 25 years ago and it was awful.
 

WillyBWright

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Re: PropGuard...Has anyone ever used one?

The two I installed reluctantly were PropGuard, but their website is dead. I assume the company is too. They were aluminum cast and attached on both sides of the antiventilation plate and tip of the skeg. I did a quick Google and there are others out there. They seem to have a very scant dealer base. That alone should be an indication of their practicality among those in the know.
 

dreamchaser

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Aug 31, 2006
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Re: PropGuard...Has anyone ever used one?

T Guru ,,,, Try doin a google search for "Adventure Marine" ......A lot of sporties use the stainless type for fishing round here for the same reasons as GSS036 says.......
 

TOHATSU GURU

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Jul 22, 2004
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Re: PropGuard...Has anyone ever used one?

I know about the various ones that have been produced and are in production. But, manufacturer claims versus real world use, can and usually are, quite different. I'm really looking just for real world, " I ve used it and blah, blah....". I appreciate anyone taking the time to relate their personal usage.
 

gss036

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Re: PropGuard...Has anyone ever used one?

Can not help with name brand as my nephew made mine at his boat mfg shop. He used a piece of alum piping about 3/16' thich X 11-12" round. Works great for the purpose intended.
I can get about 7 mph w/15hp Honda on my 23WA Seacraft. I steer with a remote electric/hydraulic steering devise from GOETZ Engineering @ Coeur d'Alene Idaho.
 

deejaycee_2000

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Mar 28, 2006
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Re: PropGuard...Has anyone ever used one?

I ran a couple on my 50hp tohatsu when I still used tohatsu motors, the best was a aussie made Hallet guard or NZ made Pro-pel ......
 

deejaycee_2000

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Mar 28, 2006
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3,447
Re: PropGuard...Has anyone ever used one?

Has anyone ever used any brand of propeller guard? If so, what brand and with what result?

On my racing inflatables when we had to use prop gaurds I only used a aussie made Hallet guard or NZ made Pro-pel on my 50hp tohatsu, they slowed me down a bit but they sure kept my props in one piece, other racers also all prefer the pro-pel prop gaurds ........
 

woodduck17

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Nov 18, 2005
Messages
141
Re: PropGuard...Has anyone ever used one?

This is the one I used before I traded up to a bigger boat. I cut the fins off of it because I felt I didn't need them. There was some power loss on the 15hp motor I was using but I didn't bust a prop while it was mounted. I liked this one because it didn't require drilling any holes in the cavitation plate to attach it to the motor. http://www.clacka.com/propGuard.htm
 
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