Question in regards to prop guards.

[FloridaScaleBoater]

So, I've been confronted on this a couple of times and just want insight as to what the prop guard is protecting against?
I am not disputing they are a good idea. Just want to know what folks thoughts are as to what/how they are protecting.
I have looked through both IMPBA & NAMBA rule books to find the requirements.
IMPBA rules state "not mandatory"
NAMBA, all I could find is a requirement for "working" pits
IF there is a NAMBA requirement please tell me where.

 

[LohringMiller]

At most formal NAMBA races there are hot pits where boats preparing to race are started. Carrying running boats outside the hot pit is not allowed. The prop guard rule is:

No boats will be started on tables or in the working pits with prop attached, unless it
is properly shrouded and protected from accidental contact. No boats will be started
in the working pits and then carried to the launching area.

That's from the safety section in the NAMBA rule book. It applies in the hot pits as well.

Lohring Miller

 

[FloridaScaleBoater]

At most formal NAMBA races there are hot pits where boats preparing to race are started. Carrying running boats outside the hot pit is not allowed. The prop guard rule is:

No boats will be started on tables or in the working pits with prop attached, unless it
is properly shrouded and protected from accidental contact. No boats will be started
in the working pits and then carried to the launching area.

That's from the safety section in the NAMBA rule book. It applies in the hot pits as well.

Lohring Miller

Ok, doesn't say or imply that it applies to "hot" pit as well, but ok.
Can you tell me what we are protecting/guarding against?

 

[Jarcaines]

Ok, doesn't say or imply that it applies to "hot" pit as well, but ok.
Can you tell me what we are protecting/guarding against?

Bumping into a running prop?

To me the main point is the working pits are busy and people are walking around and working. Some props (thing a mono with a stinger) stick out quite a bit behind the boat. If it’s just handing out there in the open it’s easy to bump into.

 

[FloridaScaleBoater]

Bumping into a running prop?

To me the main point is the working pits are busy and people are walking around and working. Some props (thing a mono with a stinger) stick out quite a bit behind the boat. If it’s just handing out there in the open it’s easy to bump into.

Ok, I'll go along with that.

 

[Mike Cathey]

I also saw a stub shaft break off at the back of the strut and the prop went rattling around inside the guard and then dropped harmlessly to the ground. It certainly would have gone flying if there wasn't a guard enclosing the prop. Turns out this particular new guy was using the 3/16ths music wire from the hobby shop for stub shaft material instead of the hardened stuff.

 

[FloridaScaleBoater]

I also saw a stub shaft break off at the back of the strut and the prop went rattling around inside the guard and then dropped harmlessly to the ground. It certainly would have gone flying if there wasn't a guard enclosing the prop. Turns out this particular new guy was using the 3/16ths music wire from the hobby shop for stub shaft material instead of the hardened stuff.

Nice.

 

[Andy Greene]

So, I've been confronted on this a couple of times and just want insight as to what the prop guard is protecting against?
I am not disputing they are a good idea. Just want to know what folks thoughts are as to what/how they are protecting.
I have looked through both IMPBA & NAMBA rule books to find the requirements.
IMPBA rules state "not mandatory"
NAMBA, all I could find is a requirement for "working" pits
IF there is a NAMBA requirement please tell me where.

You really have to ask- Its protecting NAMBA/IMPBA
from liability - An Idiot from himself and making you comply because someone else was stupid.

 

[Don Ferrette]

You really have to ask- Its protecting NAMBA/IMPBA
from liability - An Idiot from himself and making you comply because someone else was stupid.

I've seen the other side of this as well. Watched a guy come within about an inch of having his shoulder ripped open by a spinning prop from a pit man swinging a big mono up and over the prop guard built into his buddies stand. Most safety rules come along because someone was not paying attention, not aware of surroundings or just plain being stupid. Mistakes and accidents will happen, there is no way to cover it all. The best preventative method is to be careful and be aware of what's happening around you.

 

[Wasted wages]

Problem with vague rules like this is, it's very open to interpretation without a spec from the scantioning body..

For instance, what denotes a prop guard ?

If I use a PVC stand and fix a cut off bottom end of a 2 liter soda bottle, to cover the props, is that OK ?

Not everyone wants to build a heavy ass
wooden stand to comply with the rule.

So without a clearly defined spec, who's to say what is or isn't a prop guard.

I've seen people bump props into the prop guards lifting them off the stand and bend up the blades... besides, once the boat is off the stand, that's when the danger is at its peak.. prop guards won't prevent an accident if people aren't careful making their way to the launch area...

Common sense wins the day here....

 

[K F Wheeler]

Hey, those wood boat stands aren't as hard on the props as plastic pipe is!!! Can't always have your favorite pit man with you...

Ken

 

[Wasted wages]

Hey, those wood boat stands aren't as hard on the props as plastic pipe is!!! Can't always have your favorite pit man with you...

Ken

True, but I build my stands so the transom hangs off beyond the PVC pipe covered with insulation foam... Pitman would have try pretty hard to make the prop strike it..

Now, I have seen some nice stands with a hinged cover over the props...flip the cover open and it's a clean shot off the stand...

I've also taken a club member to the ER after he tried to do a "two fingers on the back of the transom" launch on a .67 rigger he was throwing in for another guy.... as he threw it, he rotated his hand right into the prop, almost took the two fingers clean off.... that was a bad day..

 

[Jarcaines]

I’m not sure if I remember correctly and I am too lazy to look it up right now (especially when anyone else can as well) but I am pretty sure the rule in NAMBA is that the prop has to be enclosed on 3 sides and it has to be made out of a solid material like wood, metal, dense plastic… that also might just be the best practices and not stated in the rules though.

 

[Jarcaines]

Also, half my boat stands don’t have them. I just remove the prop when firing them up in the working pits (cleaning out after run, warning them up, etc.)

 

[LohringMiller]

I've personally watched a friend stick his finger into the running propeller on my boat. It cuts through the nail and finger like it was paper. This was while lifting a prop guard that completely enclosed the prop as the boat was getting ready to be launched. No safety procedure can perfectly protect people from mistakes. Prop guards act to help prevent accidental contact with running props.

Lohring Miller

 

[Mike Cathey]

These wooden boat stands (or bunks) are made from 1/4" Baltic plywood and only weigh a couple of pounds. From experience I found that extra caution is needed when pitting on sloping ground. The footing is less certain and the chances of the pit man whacking the prop is higher. I was at the UNW Gold Cup which was an all-points race and my pit guy hit the prop when he picked it off the bunk in the first heat so I might as well have just left it on the stand the rest of the day because getting into the final was impossible with over 40 boats at the race. Drop one heat and you're toast. In any race now after I start the boat I move it forward on the boat stand to clear the prop guard before the transmitter is exchanged and the pit guy picks it up. Live and learn.

 

[K F Wheeler]

NICE looking boats!!

Ken

 

[David Santistevan]

The NAMBA Rulebook is pretty straight forward with this. Safety Section 8(B)2;

No boats will be started on tables or in the working pits with prop attached, unless it
is properly shrouded and protected from accidental contact. No boats will be started
in the working pits and then carried to the launching area.

So whatever you do, as long as it protects from accidental contact you are good. Like so many safety rules, this is for your own protection and the protection of your Pit Man. So you just need to decided if your shroud option protects you enough to be at the next race, or the race after...

 

[FloridaScaleBoater]

The NAMBA Rulebook is pretty straight forward with this. Safety Section 8(B)2;

No boats will be started on tables or in the working pits with prop attached, unless it
is properly shrouded and protected from accidental contact. No boats will be started
in the working pits and then carried to the launching area.

So whatever you do, as long as it protects from accidental contact you are good. Like so many safety rules, this is for your own protection and the protection of your Pit Man. So you just need to decided if your shroud option protects you enough to be at the next race, or the race after...

Working pits. Says nothing about HOT pits.

 

[LohringMiller]

All the major NAMBA races I've attended REQUIRE prop guards on the hot pit tables. These have nothing to do with the boat stand.

Lohring Miller