AMBASSADOR MARINE
Why do I need a rope cutter?
As sailors we carry the means to our own destruction. Ropes are used all over boats and any one of them could accidentally slip over the side causing a serious problem, even if all the ropes on your boat remain where they should be there is plenty of other material lurking just below the surface to catch out the unwary.
Ambassador Marine is the only company to produce rope cutters for both conventional shaft driven boats as well as saildrives.
Will my cutter need a lot of maintenance?
The Stripper is almost maintenance free, the only wearing parts are the Delrin bearings. Stripper's have sailed around the world and not needed any replacement parts or labour.
We do stock service packs, accessories as well as replacement parts, so if you need anything from a set of screws right up to a new rotary cutter, we can provide you with all the bits you need without having to invest in an entirely new Stripper.
Why choose the Stripper over other rope cutters?
There are several types of rope cutters on the market, and of each type there are several designs. Independent studies have show disc cutters require a high degree of tension in the material between the fouling propeller and the P bracket pulling the material across the blade before any cutting occurs, this maybe too late to avoid damage and will still result in a fouled propeller.
Scissor cutters work by passing a rotating set of blades by a stationary blade, cutting material as it is drawn through the cutter. There are several designs on this technology from various manufacturers. Ambassador Marine Stripper's incorporate what we believe are the key elements to producing the most efficient cutter.
- Shape
The Stripper is shaped to work like a set of scissors, cutting progressively from the root of the blade to the tip. This produces a very smooth cut reducing impact and vibration on the engine, gearbox and mountings. If the blades where to come together meeting simultaneously along their entire lengths there would be a much greater force required to cut the rope.
There is no chance of the material escaping the cut, or 'striking out' as the teeth will resist any radial movement of free material whilst the propeller draws the material through the cutter. Evidence shows any item being wrapped between the propeller and another part of the boat will be wound tight against the propeller shaft as it rotates therefore there is no escape!
Prior to having cavitation control, the blades tapered towards the tip to reducing the cavitation caused by the cutter in front of the propeller. Rope cutters that taper outwards from the root not only produce much greater cavitation increasing propeller wear and reducing performance but are also structurally weaker at the root increasing the risk of blades breaking or bending when cutting dense material.
- Teeth
The teeth give the Stripper real bite by dividing up the rope into smaller strands, helping further reduce the stresses induced by the cutting. The teeth also help in breaking up materials such as netting and plastic sheeting reducing the risk of it entangerling the propeller.
- Cavitation Control
The Stripper is the only rope cutter on the market that actively combats cavitation. Passing an object through water at speed produces cavitation, on a propeller it is normally most damaging about a third of the way up the blade from the root. Cavitation produces metal fatigue not only reducing the life of your propeller but also reduces the power or thrust it can produce.
With the latest modification to the Stripper cavitation is not only drastically reduced to insignificant levels on the cutter but also your propeller by directing a flow of high pressure water directly onto the propeller blade allowing longer life and in some situations improved performance!
An independent study by a major marine organisation proved that with a Stripper installed, the cavitation wear on the propeller was less than having just the propeller running in isolation!
- Family Range
The Stripper family has been designed to be available for as many boats as possible, with cutters for conventional shaft as well as saildrive driven boats.
The conventional shaft Stripper is available for shaft sizes ranging from 20mm to 175mm. Using the patented blade design they provide the same level of protection to smaller recreational vessels, as enjoyed by super yachts and commercial ships.