Kill cords

[Al Dickson]

They can come off the helm if attached to the wrist & can also get wound round the controls - leg is better but not fullproof as others have indicated.

We attach kill cords to the helm rather than the boat & have a number permanently fixed to the lifejackets of those who drive as low as possible so they don't interfere with the controls & kill the engine without warning which can be dangerous.

There is also a spare on the boat in case the helm goes over others can restart the engine to recover.

Standardising kill cords and having them permanently attached to the driver(s) is the way to go IMHO

 

[snowleopard]

Did he put forward any good reason not to clip it to your trousers, or just "because"?

The rationale was that one's clothing could come detatched e.g. if you decided on a bit of high-speed hanky-panky (no, he didn't say that bit).

I reckon the stitching of belt loops on jeans is at least as strong as the plastic cord. I can see that belts can easily come undone. My buoyancy aid has nowhere to attach a cord apart from the belt which is tied so liable to come undone.

 

[lw395]

While kill cords are undoubtedly a Good Thing, and I would expect to have one on a 'powerboat', they shouldn't be the most important line of defence.
They are a last resort, if your kill cord comes into play, you have already stuffed up very, very badly.

A bit more emphasis on not getting to the kill cord phase would be sensible in my view.
It's not OK to have marginal control over a powerful outboard just because you're wearing a kill cord.

 

[Elessar]

While kill cords are undoubtedly a Good Thing, and I would expect to have one on a 'powerboat', they shouldn't be the most important line of defence.
They are a last resort, if your kill cord comes into play, you have already stuffed up very, very badly.

A bit more emphasis on not getting to the kill cord phase would be sensible in my view.
It's not OK to have marginal control over a powerful outboard just because you're wearing a kill cord.

Oh dear. It was unusual for SB to have a useful, thought provoking exchange of information. In this case about how to wear the kill cord. Of course wearing one doesn't mean you wont be careful. No one has suggested that. But now the thread will descend into another pointless SB rant i reckon. Let's see.

 

[ShinyShoe]

In addition to the not unreasonable theory that a belt loop may not be that strong the length of cord may be measured on the basis of 9 inches of it being round a leg.

Clips are prone to failure. You may need to squeeze clip more for belt loop.

I suspect a jeans belt loop is quite strong although I have caught them on door handles and ripped them. Never snap snapped a kill cord. A good one has a core with the plastic just providing springy ness.

If you use it on Jean belt loop do you use it on the lightweight trousers with less stitching?

Slipping off a leg when properly applied is not impossible but much harder than a wrist.

My personal preference is looped round the waist belt of lifejacket and back on its self. If buoyancy aid rather than LJ I do leg. I don't do tiller engine. If I did I'd consider a wrist strap as I can see logic to keeping the coil near the control.

Always have a spare kc so my crew can come and fish me out the water...

 

[snowleopard]

While kill cords are undoubtedly a Good Thing, and I would expect to have one on a 'powerboat', they shouldn't be the most important line of defence.
They are a last resort, if your kill cord comes into play, you have already stuffed up very, very badly.

A bit more emphasis on not getting to the kill cord phase would be sensible in my view.
It's not OK to have marginal control over a powerful outboard just because you're wearing a kill cord.

I agree that some safety aide do give a false sense of security, guard wires and harness tethers for example. I wouldn't have put a kill cord in that category.