Yamaha UK Pro Outboard with Yamaha propeller guard

Last month (October 2012) we wrote three stories on Yamaha’s new stainless steel propeller guard for their rescue outboards:

• Yamaha Offers Propeller Guards on UK Pro Outboards. October 13, 2012.
• Propeller Solutions Launches Nylon Coated Stainless Steel Propeller Guards. October 14, 2012.
• Yamaha Motor UK Pro says “a propeller guard is essential to reduce the risk of injury. October 15, 2012.

In those posts, Yamaha themselves said their new stainless steel propeller guard:

• Is essential when operating in flooded environments because of the likelihood of swimmers being in the water
• Provides the needed strength
• Causes minimal drag allowing the outboard to give maximum performance when needed
• Assists in keeping foreign objects from fouling the propeller
• Makes the boat more maneuverable by better directing the flow
• Can increase thrust at low rpm

Its interesting that the boating industry rejects using propeller guards on recreational boats for the same reasons Yamaha uses this one on their flood rescue outboards. The boating industry often says propeller guards are dangerous to people in the water, are not strong enough, foul in debris, create handling/maneuvering problems, and increase drag (and fuel consumption). Somehow either (1) Yamaha’s new guard is the first guard to ever solve those problems, or (2) the Yamaha rescue outboard application is magically different than the same outboard on a recreational boat, or (3) the rest of the industry and Yamaha disagree on the performance of this guard, or (4) propeller guards have really worked all along.

Everything on Yamaha’s web site relating their new propeller guards vanished. The news listing, the actual news clip, the UK Pro Accessories brochure, coverage of the new rescue boats at Lincolnshire, the 2stroke Flood Rescue outboard brochure, and more. Its all gone …

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UPDATE – we have since reposted many of the materials Yamaha erased from view at: Yamaha Possible Coverup of Propeller Guard Documents Exposed
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In early November 2012 we finished an article on ways the boating industry has been accused of suppressing the development of propeller guards. Instantly pulling all references to Yamaha’s new propeller guard makes us wonder if they removed them for legal purposes OR if they were pressured by other marine companies (drive manufacturers, boat builders, NMMA, etc) to remove the performance claims about their new propeller guard.

Would someone at Yamaha please respond and tell us why you removed all online references to your new stainless steel propeller guard right in front of the November 9-11, 2012 NBSAC (U.S. Coast Guard’s National Boating Safety Advisory Council) Meeting in Watsonville, California? We hope you are just updating all those pages and brochures at once to provide more information about your new propeller guard. Please prove us right.

If Yamaha proves us wrong (if it was removed for legal reasons), AND things hold to form as seen in our Suppressed Propeller Guards article, the industry will test the guard, it will fail, and the industry will say it was no good just like all the rest of them. With all references to the guard blotted out, the boating industry may not acknowledge it ever existed? Or, maybe Yamaha will continue to sell the guard and just deny they ever said all those good things about it.

Don’t let this happen again. We encourage you to join with us in encouraging Yamaha to do the right thing and re-post the missing news items and brochures featuring their new stainless steel propeller guard. You can send them your comments below. Please keep your comments G-rated (family friendly). Yamaha is a great company, has some fantastic products, and does lots of good things.