Avoidable tragedy

[cymru]

Two days ago a fishing trip from a village near here ended very badly when (according to the survivor) something snapped in the steering mechanism and all three occupants were thrown in the water. The boat proceeded to circle at high speed and the propeller took one guy's head nearly off and did amputate the arm of another. Both died.

The one who survived was in the water for 7 hours and found by the coastguards at 03:00am floating on top of the bodies of his two friends. They were wearing wet suits and as they were heading home, had taken off the weight belts. He said that he thought he could have held on for about another hour.

This could have been avoided if the captain had been using the kill switch properly; i.e. fastened to the wrist or life vest etc. I confess I have been lax up to now but no more!

 

[haulnazz15]

Re: Avoidable tragedy

Seems more likely that they would have hit something than a steering cable malfunction. Must've been one heck of a malfunction to throw three guys off of a boat, but maybe they were all standing at the time.

 

[lncoop]

Re: Avoidable tragedy

Kill lanyard is now the law around here and rightly so. I've been lax about it over the years as well, but I've been making a conscious effort. The new law is a factor for sure, but something about having a youngun at home (and especially aboard) just seems to place everything, particularly safety concerns, in a new context.

 

[blifsey]

Re: Avoidable tragedy

That is tragic!

I don't understand my own logic for lanyard use...I've only used when out solo. I need to become a better user of it!

 

[bow wow rider]

Re: Avoidable tragedy

i'm in the "i should use the lanyard more often" crowd. it just seems so impractical, and i always feel like i'm in control. i guess the truth is that i'm not. i'm at the mercy of a bunch of mechanics and whatevers in the water.

i have thought before of hooking the lanyard to my golden retriever who will occasionally jump in the water as soon as the boat slows to no-wake. i always have to kill the engine then anyway. we're working on training =)

 

[clarkbre]

Re: Avoidable tragedy

i have thought before of hooking the lanyard to my golden retriever who will occasionally jump in the water as soon as the boat slows to no-wake. i always have to kill the engine then anyway. we're working on training =)

Good idea until that dog swims to shore and leaves you stranded.

I too am a kill switch abuser. I?ve never worn the lanyard. However, like said above, with a youngin? at home or in the boat I?m rethinking my whole boating safety priorities.

 

[Utahboatnut]

Re: Avoidable tragedy

Might be a good topic for a poll....

 

[a70eliminator]

Re: Avoidable tragedy

When it's "your time" something's going to get you.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Avoidable tragedy

The old cable steering systems: when the cable breaks, the OB swings hard to one side, mayhem ensues.
That video of the run-away boat had 3 people aboard, I heard, so the "only when by yourself" policy is not a good one.
Likewise, if you use it at high speed but not low: if you tumble over when your boat is trolling, it will sail away from you on a straight line and you will not be able to catch it. So low speeds are as dangerous has high, especially in cold and/or empty waters.
And they aren't just for being thrown overbaord; you can hit a wave wrong, or an object, and get thrown to the deck; you want the boat to stop (ever trim the bow too low and have it veer? that's a scary feeling).

 

[bow wow rider]

Re: Avoidable tragedy

my old homemade (not by me) pontoon boat with an OB had the old cable & pulley steering system. drove me nuts cuz the cables would always fall off the pulleys. eventually me and my friends replaced it with a non-pulley system.

six months later the boat floated away. money well spent!

 

[2300max]

Re: Avoidable tragedy

Don't flame me I'm new to boating......I didn't know anything about using that as a safety device. After reading the posts I think it's a great idea! We use that type of set up on drag bikes. I think I'll be using it when boating season starts.

 

[imperial184]

Re: Avoidable tragedy

i just bought my first boat and i dont think it even has a kill switch. how would i find it. 88 imperial v 184

 

[Fireman431]

Re: Avoidable tragedy

Imperial...here is a pic of the kill switch. It should be under/near/around your ignition switch. The red lanyard gets clipped to your person and when you fall away from the helm, the clip pops out from the helm and kills the engine. If your boat doesn't have one, GET ONE!

On another note, A friend and I came up with a wireless version. This has the operator having a waterproof, floating key fob on him/her, and when the boat loses the signal (50' or so), the engine dies. However, as we began developing it, we found another person already securing the patent for it. It's called a 'man overboard' device. Runs about $200.

 

[trendsetter240]

Re: Avoidable tragedy

I had the exact same thing happen to me last summer only it was a teleflex pushrod steering system.

It was a yamaha 40hp outboard and the steering arm coming off the outboard required a bolt as opposed to having a threaded end requiring a nut. The person I bought the boat from aparantly replaced this bolt with a regular steel bolt as opposed of the hardend grade 6 bolt that should be used.

Long story short, the bolt snapped while at WOT with just me aboard. Immediately the boat went into a 360 degree spin and I was thrown to the floor. Luckily I was able to cut the throttle back to neutral and wasn't thrown overboard.

I wasn't wearing my lanyard at the time...I do now.

 

[26aftcab454]

Re: Avoidable tragedy

alot of folks over the years have been killed & injured when the steering cable breaks...it is not uncommon.

 

[ewenm]

Re: Avoidable tragedy

i think kill switches must be size related, both my previous boats an 18 footer and 22 footer had them, the boat i have now is 32 foot and it has no kill switch.

but then it would be pretty hard to get thrown out i guess.plus it would need two kill switches

 

[DaNinja]

Re: Avoidable tragedy

Part of my passenger briefing,
"If anyone sees me at the helm without this lanyad attached, you are free to bring it to my attention."

Lanyards, like life jackets, may never be needed. I can guarantee though, if I leave the boat while underway, it will be the result of a violent, unplanned event. I wear both. It's too easy compared to the possible outcome.

 

[Mark42]

Re: Avoidable tragedy

The new ignition switch that will be installed shorty has a lanyard. Looking forward to seeing how well it works out.

 

[scanman]

Re: Avoidable tragedy

I've got a very narrow jon with an old '75 9.9 on it. Years before a kill switch was invented. Now ya'll got me worried! I've personally fallen outta this boat when the trollin motor gets suddenly WOT sideways! Bigger boat, or what? The outboard only has a stop button on the foreward face of it.

 

[FindMe]

Re: Avoidable tragedy

I have spoken of this before, but I'm going to do it again.
My son once was thrown from a boat he was piloting at night, with no lanyard. During a summer break from highschool, he was working at a waterfront cafe, and using my skiff for wheels. One windy night he let go of the helm to trim the throttle. "Dad. I let go of the wheel, and the next thing I saw was the bimini flying past my face".

The boat was spinning in circles, moving up river, and he didn't know how he was going to get on board if he caught it, so he gave up, took his clothes off, and swam down the river on his back for a mile+ to find a way to get out.

All ended well.

Near the end of his senior year, he joined the Navy, to pursue his goal to be a cruise ship chef. Plans changed in boot camp when the SEAL Team came around asking if anyone thought they had what it took to be a SEAL. When they asked him why he wanted to be a SEAL, he told the guy that when that boat load of SEALS was going up the river at night, he was going to drive it. He spent his Navy time in Special Boat Team 20, finishing up in the MCADS team at Little Creek.

He got really, really used to climbing into boats at night. He also got used to wearing a parachute.

He is out of the Navy now, and instead of cooking, he is working on a degree in physics.
Make no mistake about it, his boating "incident" is what set all of this in gear, and changed his life.
This is a link to his ex-team.

http://www.socom.mil/SOCOMHome/newspub/news/Pages/SWCCcompleteMCADSdrop,3rdSFG.aspx

I'm so proud of that kid, I could post this stuff every night.