Fail safe - fail dangerous

[Storyline]

Do professional fishermen use kill-cords on their open boats? I've never noticed such a thing in use, but if anyone could prove their worth it must be all-weather commercial mariners.

If on the other hand they're a damned nuisance and inadequately constructed for hardy outdoor use, it's difficult to think they're anything but a cynical veil of safety, much less effective than always maintaining alert respect for the basic necessity to stay in the boat.

Yes but I think they are aimed at the average w/e sailor who is not a natural in a dinghy or just does not get enough practice to become as one with the boat. Have seen some comical (& sometimes dangerous) sights of yachtsmen in dinghys, one in particular, who was an accomplished keel boat racer and at the time owned a HR36, was coming alongside the pontoon in his tender, put one foot on the pontoon and pushed off with the other foot - result was that the tender went away and left him in a very perilous position. As he was the ex commodore those around tried hard to conceal their giggles.
So for me, even though I have been messing around in inflatables since I was a kid, kill cords are a good idea.

 

[GrahamHR]

Do professional fishermen use kill-cords on their open boats? I've never noticed such a thing in use, but if anyone could prove their worth it must be all-weather commercial mariners.

If on the other hand they're a damned nuisance and inadequately constructed for hardy outdoor use, it's difficult to think they're anything but a cynical veil of safety, much less effective than always maintaining alert respect for the basic necessity to stay in the boat.

"Professional Fishermen"; Is the behaviour of "professional" fishermen by not choosing to use kill cords any indication of common sense in terms self preservation? They invariably do not wear lifejackets either and ( see a number of MAIB reports), they have in my experience no knowledge of, or choose to not to follow the Col regs. They don't seem the example to be emulated !