THE CUTTING EDGE by Peter White
When one looks at it in the cold light of day, it is after all only a propeller. With the engine switched off, it cannot cause any problems - or can it?
I was standing with a colleague around the blunt end of my RIB with the hull resting on its trailer. I was unthinkingly spinning over with my hand the stainless steel propeller when I became conscious of blood dripping. What a stupid thing to do. It was like inadvertently playing with the sharp edge of a knife. This got me thinking.
Several times on a mooring or at anchor I have heard my student say, 'I know this is a silly question but why is the propeller still turning?' No such thing as a silly question but this is one easily explained when one looks and sees the current moving past the hull. The propeller when disengaged will spin. The boat, although stopped over the ground is still technically moving through the water - sort of!
Weather is warm and sunny, it is a nice day for a picnic, Ok, so all onboard and off we go. We will anchor off the beach and swim ashore. Sliding into the water off the side of a RIB or climbing back onboardby the same method keeps everything clear of the back end. However, asports boat normally has a bathing platform or ladder or both. Swimming away with a few leg kicks to clear the boats stern can in a flash cause damage to a foot/ankle/or leg.
I have recently heard of a young girl swimming around an unguarded propeller and striking her foot on a blade. Because she nearly lost acouple of toes she had to go to hospital to have them stitched back on.
Just count up the number of times or the number of occasions that one could find them self in the water around a lower leg of an outboard oran out-drive unit. [On the beach in shallow water as an example.]
If we take health and safety to a conclusion - stop everything - don't move or we might get hurt - we shouldn't be swimming around the boat,or we shouldn't have fallen overboard. Better still - don't go afloat.
One answer maybe, would be to suggest that the propeller is either removed or covered with strong plastic bag or a wrapped blanket when swimming near the boat, anything to protect a person in the water. OK, problem removed.
If you forget to do a prop check on the propeller before starting upand then leave the temporary protector in place as you engage gear, the end result could be interesting.
On the other side of the coin, we can replace propellers but not people.
So let us be sensible. Be very conscious of the danger and stay away from the rear end and whilst swimming, or engaged in water sports. Wear suitable shoes for swimming to protect the feet from sharp stones and broken glass, often found in mud and sand, and at the same time the shoes could help save the feet from the cutting edge of a stationary propeller. Only ever move around a hull when the engine is switched off.
Peter White
Author of Powerboating Companion,Outboard Troubleshooter and Powerboating: The RIB and Sportsboat Handbook, 3rd Edition
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