Yanmar Marine International has launched its first rope cutter — the Yanmar SD60.

The Japanese heavy equipment manufacturer says the SD60 is an easy-to-install safety feature designed solely for sailing yachts equipped with the Yanmar SD60 sail drive and fixed two or three-blade propellers.

Suitable for both monohulls and catamarans, the Yanmar SD60 rope cutter is designed for a range of cruising sailors, charter boat operators and sailing schools, to enhance safety and reduce maintenance costs and downtime.

The new Yanmar option is a circular saw blade mounted directly onto the shaft behind the propeller. It turns with the shaft to effectively stop ropes, weeds, plastic and fishing lines from jamming between the cutlass and the propeller, removing the hazard almost instantly before bearing or other mechanical failures can occur.

The SD60 rope cutter is available for OEMs to offer as an option for their new build sailing boats or as a spare part available via the Yanmar network.

“As the industry’s first rope-cutting solution designed exclusively for the SD60, the Yanmar rope cutter provides a simple and effective solution, preventing the need for external intervention should the propellor become compromised,” says Justin Hogen, product manager at Yanmar Marine.

“With a rope cutter fitted, rope, weeds and lines are removed quickly, without reliance on the reaction and experience of the skipper and avoiding the requirement for crew to go overboard to manually remove the entanglement.”

The issue of yacht propellers catching rope, nylon fishing lines, nets and other plastic hazards floating in the water is a problem faced by sailors, which can result in significant damage, costly repair bills and frustrating downtime.

When the propeller comes into contact with waste, it can wrap itself around the sail drive/propeller shaft, which can prevent the shaft from rotating, and manoeuvring will become impossible. Entanglement will create turbulence and drag, affecting boat speed and performance, and can cause bearings to overheat or damage the seals.

The SD60 is available with two bell housing sizes for compatibility with the 3JH5E, 3JH40, 4JH5E, 4JH45, 4JH4-TE, 4JH57, and 4JH80 engines. It is available now through the Yanmar dealer network.

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