Kill cords

[snowleopard]

How do you attach yours (to yourself, not the engine)?

I did an RYA powerboat test recently and the instructor insisted I put it round my leg rather than onto the belt loop of my jeans as is my normal custom. When I'm cruising it is permanently attached to my trousers so it is always there when getting in the dinghy for a trip. The practice at the watersports centre I did my test at is to leave it on the motor and remember to attach it every time. I'm certain some of the staff don't bother for short trips.

So what's your practice? Attached to clothing? round a leg? wrist? not at all?

And what about when the engine is not in use? On the engine? in a pocket? attached to clothing? in a locker?

BTW what happens if you forget to take it aboard? I have a short length of string tied to the carry handle that can be would 3 times round the button to start in an emergency.

 

[Elessar]

How do you attach yours (to yourself, not the engine)?

I did an RYA powerboat test recently and the instructor insisted I put it round my leg rather than onto the belt loop of my jeans as is my normal custom. When I'm cruising it is permanently attached to my trousers so it is always there when getting in the dinghy for a trip. The practice at the watersports centre I did my test at is to leave it on the motor and remember to attach it every time. I'm certain some of the staff don't bother for short trips.

So what's your practice? Attached to clothing? round a leg? wrist? not at all?

And what about when the engine is not in use? On the engine? in a pocket? attached to clothing? in a locker?

BTW what happens if you forget to take it aboard? I have a short length of string tied to the carry handle that can be would 3 times round the button to start in an emergency.

Usually permenantly attached to my life jacket which, generally speaking, i only wear in the rib.

My OB starts with a switch if you don't have the kill cord.

I think your trouser solution is a wise one BTW.

 

[sarabande]

presently, round the wrist of the hand that does the steering on the little outboard's tiller arm on the dink.

However, reviewing the setup, it's just about possible for the loop (because it is springy plastic cable) to slip off my hand and not kill the engine, so attaching it to a belt loop or similar seems a better option.


Thanks for ithis, SL; it has made me think about it rather than 'just' slipping the cord over my wrist.

 

[Sandy]

Currently round my leg at knee level as it gives me upper body flexability without cutting the engine, but it is a wee 2.3m dingy with a 2.5HP engine. I usually place it in a drawer once I am aboard Camelia or the glove compartment when in the car.

If on a rib with a seat I think I'd attach it to my D ring on the lifejacket, if the cord reached the connection point.

Your trouser option sounds an ideal soloution.

 

[VicS]

Usually permenantly attached to my life jacket which, generally speaking, i only wear in the rib.

My OB starts with a switch if you don't have the kill cord.

I think your trouser solution is a wise one BTW.

Doesn't this defeat the whole object of having a kill cord

 

[WF36]

Doesn't this defeat the whole object of having a kill cord

Not really, If you dont have a spare kill cord on boat, and the driver falls overboard, then how do you get back to him to pick him up?

I think the RYA state that all training vessels should have a spare onboard.

 

[Hadenough]

Newer Mariners and Mercs have this arrangement. No different to just leaving the kill cord in and not attaching it to the driver which is what most culprits do I guess. But as Will says better, in that the engine can be started again if the driver does go overboard.

 

[Downsman]

I've put a strong elastic bungee loop on the end of the kill cord, so that it's tight on the wrist of my tiller hand when I'm in the dinghy.

 

[Jamesuk]

I hold mine in my hand when I am about to dock which perhaps is the most risky. Although I am sat down and usually have cut the engine just far enough away to drift in to the dock using the engine as a rudder to come along side. (Tiller steer) on a wheel the engine is in neutral using the rudder of the shaft in the same way. I'm usually confident enough to cut the engine depending on the boat. Jet propulsion RIB I never leave the helm until I'm alongside

Position on a tiller steer it's on my leg if I don't have my live jacket on, or on my Spin lock crotch straps if I do. A point on the Round leg. Don't do this bare foot. A friend of mine climbed out of the rib and it slid down his leg and off his foot. The engine was still running but in neutral.

When using a wheel then the kill cord must be attached to something lower than the wheel when standing up. Otherwise you might find in an emergency stop scenario a dead engine but a kill cord nicely wrapped around the wheel.

Anyway it's always better to wear one. No cable ties or flicking the quicksilver kill switch up to always on !!

 

[duncan99210]

IIRC, some OB remote controls use a small switch under a cover. Pushing the plastic loop at the end of the kill cord into this arrangement pushes the switch up, turning on the engine. If the cord is pulled, then the loop is pulled out, switching the engine off. You could, if foolish, simply push the switch into the on position with a suitable prod - penknife blade for example. The system is therefore not idiot proof but it does mean that if the helmsman goes overboard, taking the kill cord with him, it is a fairly simple matter to restart the engine without hunting round for the spare kill cord.

The real issue is not where or how the kill cord is attached, rather it is getting folks to wear the things whenever the boat is in motion. I don't think that the RYA is prescriptive in how the kill cord is worn rather they insist that it is used at all times. In some RIBs it is easier and simpler to attach the kill cord to your leg above the knee: other arrangements might make it better to attach it to the floatation device.

For a boat with a steering wheel, I used to teach that the leg was the best place to attach it, as it minimised any chance that the cord could get mixed up with the wheel. However, for a tiller operated craft, then it would make more sense to attach the cord to the wrist: attaching it elsewhere would run the risk of tangling it up with the tiller.

 

[snowleopard]

My instructor was adamant about not putting it round the wrist on the grounds that accidents had occurred with it slipping over the hand. I would have thought the same applied with legs too.

 

[prv]

So what's your practice? Attached to clothing? round a leg? wrist? not at all?

My little Suzuki 2.2 doesn't have one. On the rare occasions I've used an outboard which did have a cord, I've generally clipped it to my lifejacket, shorts, or some similar place.

Your instructor's dogmatic insistence on putting it round your leg seems silly. Did he put forward any good reason not to clip it to your trousers, or just "because"? Your approach of keeping it attached to yourself and clipping on and off the engine seems very sensible, compared to their approach of leaving it on the engine - as you say, tempting not to use it.

Pete

 

[Leighb]

I clip mine on the harness ring on my LJ. Seems like the best option?

 

[Tintin]

I always used to put it around my wrist on my 5.5m RIB, but recently helming a small hard boat as safety at my local dinghy club one of the other people suggested around the leg so that I had both hands free if I needed to assist. Makes sense to me.

In my small tender for the yacht I will keep putting it around my wrist.

 

[Keen_Ed]

On RIBs with consoles around the leg. Keeps it below the throttle, and generally out of the way.

When unclipped (for changing helms, for example), engine is stopped, and kill cord is draped over the wheel.

 

[Elessar]

Doesn't this defeat the whole object of having a kill cord

No. You can leave a kill cord on the dash it doesn't fail safe any more than my switch. But I can warm the engine and someone can collect me if i fall in.

 

[Athene V30]

Like others, kill cord on lifejacket. Both essential in a dinghy and then stowed when on board.

 

[BelleSerene]

Leg, not trouser belt loop. If it gets a hard yank at a bad angle your stitching may tear, but your leg stays in one piece before the kill cord ring comes off the plug on the engine.

Leg, not wrist. If you fly away from the helm or outboard, your arm points towards it as you go and the kill cord flips off the end. Less so with your leg, which tends to remain bent - and anyway your foot's built at an angle to the limb which your hand isn't.

 

[emsworthy]

In RIBs round leg for the reasons BelleSerene suggests, if changing helms or warming engine up I clip it through the wheel and back on itself so there is no way to steer the boat without risking killing the engine. My Yamaha Malta doesn't have one but on small OBs that do round wrist.

 

[Downsman]

" Leg, not wrist "

Then just make certain to arrange that you don't fall in head first, otherwise, even momentarily, your arms head and upper body are in the water with a spinning prop before your ankle with the cord on it even gets wet..