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Author Topic:   Too much seaweed

Seawolf posted 08-19-2003 10:00 AM ET (US)
Hi y'all,
I'm fairly new to boating, and want to relate an experience that I had this weekend. Took my family and 13' to Key West, camping for a few days to explore the waters a little bit. I bottomed out once or twice lightly on the sandy bottom, then right before i'd get on plane the prop would spin like it had a spun hub. Next morning it planed like usual - no problems. Then suddenly it kept happening again. Thought for sure hub was no good, so I tracked down a new prop and installed it. Out on the water was fine for a short time, then started doing it again. What the hell is going on? I look over the back and see a big clump of seaweed stuck on the lower unit and water intakes. I shift to neutral and the stuff floats away. Solved the mystery but there was so much seaweed that it became a frequent problem. I was thinking how to invent a "seaweed guard". Someone else recently posted a similar problem about a possible spun hub, so maybe they ran into the same situation. There was so much weed, it was hard to avoid. Now i've got a spare prop.
BTW, there is alot of beautiful boating in the keys. You've got the ocean side, the Florida bay side which is called the 'backcountry', and a bunch of islands 35 miles west, on the way to the dry tortugas, called Marquesas keys. I was gonna shoot for the Marquesas, but the seaweed incident blew out my plans. In the summer, trying to sleep in a tent sucks.
Barry
Hollywood, FL
Bigshot posted 08-19-2003 10:33 AM ET (US)
Where I grew up in NJ there were islands of floating grass. In a 13' I would have to back it down VERY frequently. Major pain in the butt. The bigger the boat the less prone to getting grass on the prop, maybe the deeper V helps but my 24 Baja just eats it up, no matter how much you hit.
In FL we rarely have grass over here, far and few between. My 13' would still pick it up, those boats are weed magnets I think.
Robob2003 posted 08-19-2003 02:17 PM ET (US)
Bigshot,
Where are you boating out of Ellenton?
Consider yourself lucky if you miss the annual die off and floating masses of weed.
On Tampa Bay we call it "The grass of August."
Bigshot posted 08-19-2003 02:38 PM ET (US)
Manatee river to saraota bay usually. My Montauk will make the trip without stopping once for grass. This weekend it was pretty abundant though.

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Author	Topic: Too much seaweed
Seawolf	posted 08-19-2003 10:00 AM ET (US) Hi y'all, I'm fairly new to boating, and want to relate an experience that I had this weekend. Took my family and 13' to Key West, camping for a few days to explore the waters a little bit. I bottomed out once or twice lightly on the sandy bottom, then right before i'd get on plane the prop would spin like it had a spun hub. Next morning it planed like usual - no problems. Then suddenly it kept happening again. Thought for sure hub was no good, so I tracked down a new prop and installed it. Out on the water was fine for a short time, then started doing it again. What the hell is going on? I look over the back and see a big clump of seaweed stuck on the lower unit and water intakes. I shift to neutral and the stuff floats away. Solved the mystery but there was so much seaweed that it became a frequent problem. I was thinking how to invent a "seaweed guard". Someone else recently posted a similar problem about a possible spun hub, so maybe they ran into the same situation. There was so much weed, it was hard to avoid. Now i've got a spare prop. BTW, there is alot of beautiful boating in the keys. You've got the ocean side, the Florida bay side which is called the 'backcountry', and a bunch of islands 35 miles west, on the way to the dry tortugas, called Marquesas keys. I was gonna shoot for the Marquesas, but the seaweed incident blew out my plans. In the summer, trying to sleep in a tent sucks. Barry Hollywood, FL
Bigshot	posted 08-19-2003 10:33 AM ET (US) Where I grew up in NJ there were islands of floating grass. In a 13' I would have to back it down VERY frequently. Major pain in the butt. The bigger the boat the less prone to getting grass on the prop, maybe the deeper V helps but my 24 Baja just eats it up, no matter how much you hit. In FL we rarely have grass over here, far and few between. My 13' would still pick it up, those boats are weed magnets I think.
Robob2003	posted 08-19-2003 02:17 PM ET (US) Bigshot, Where are you boating out of Ellenton? Consider yourself lucky if you miss the annual die off and floating masses of weed. On Tampa Bay we call it "The grass of August."
Bigshot	posted 08-19-2003 02:38 PM ET (US) Manatee river to saraota bay usually. My Montauk will make the trip without stopping once for grass. This weekend it was pretty abundant though.