Kim pickup sail - beware

[Fourbees]

I recently bought a Kim pickup sail - for recovering MOBs from the drink in a horizontal position. You attach the bottom of the sail round a pair of stanchions with straps which have a seatbelt-type buckle, attach a halyard to the top of the sail and roll the casualty up the side of the boat. When we tested it on SWMBO in East Cowes Marina (off a pontoon) the straps parted and she fell down the side of the boat into the Medina (easily recovered by me, but she wasn't pleased!). We had followed the instructions (such as they were).

After that we tried everything we could think of but couldn't get the straps to hold fast. Today we took the pickup sail back whence we bought it (Force 4 in Bursledon) where the staff member quickly diagnosed an assembly fault - the strap was incorrectly led through the various parts of the buckle. He had to prise the cover off with a screwdriver to fix it, which he did, and we tested it this afternoon with me as the casualty - no problem. I am posting this to warn anyone who has bought this safety item and not tested it to check it out now (not when you have a real MOB situation). We know that it wasn't just our pickup sail that was wrongly assembled, because when we were in Lymington at Easter we had a close look at another one on sale in a chandler, and that one wouldn't have worked either.

 

[SimbaDog]

Well done for posting that

 

[WilliamUK]

We know that it wasn't just our pickup sail that was wrongly assembled, because when we were in Lymington at Easter we had a close look at another one on sale in a chandler, and that one wouldn't have worked either.

Did you tell the chandler?
Have you told the manufacturer?

 

[Norman_E]

I recently bought a Kim pickup sail - for recovering MOBs from the drink in a horizontal position. You attach the bottom of the sail round a pair of stanchions with straps which have a seatbelt-type buckle, attach a halyard to the top of the sail and roll the casualty up the side of the boat. When we tested it on SWMBO in East Cowes Marina (off a pontoon) the straps parted and she fell down the side of the boat into the Medina (easily recovered by me, but she wasn't pleased!). We had followed the instructions (such as they were).

After that we tried everything we could think of but couldn't get the straps to hold fast. Today we took the pickup sail back whence we bought it (Force 4 in Bursledon) where the staff member quickly diagnosed an assembly fault - the strap was incorrectly led through the various parts of the buckle. He had to prise the cover off with a screwdriver to fix it, which he did, and we tested it this afternoon with me as the casualty - no problem. I am posting this to warn anyone who has bought this safety item and not tested it to check it out now (not when you have a real MOB situation). We know that it wasn't just our pickup sail that was wrongly assembled, because when we were in Lymington at Easter we had a close look at another one on sale in a chandler, and that one wouldn't have worked either.

It would be a good idea to get that published in the magazines before a real life rescue attempt turns into a tragedy. It sounds as if the manufacturers need to do a recall as well.

 

[Fourbees]

Did you tell the chandler?
Have you told the manufacturer?

Force 4 Bursledon now know, as they fixed it. It might be a good idea to contact the manufacturer, though, if I can do it - they should issue a recall notice, really, shouldn't they?

 

[photodog]

Force 4 Bursledon now know, as they fixed it. It might be a good idea to contact the manufacturer, though, if I can do it - they should issue a recall notice, really, shouldn't they?

Too rights!

Something for YM to look at?

 

[Captn D]

This is another timely example of so called safety equipment that just doesn't do the job it is supposed to do and if relied on could well cost lives. Please see my post here.

 

[Fourbees]

This is another timely example of so called safety equipment that just doesn't do the job it is supposed to do and if relied on could well cost lives. Please see my post here.

I saw your earlier post and it's all very worrying. I have found an email address for the (German) manufacturer of the Kim pickup sail and I'll mail them. I'll also try to contact Force 4's head office, as the other dodgy sail we found was at their Lymington branch. I'll let the forum know if I get any responses.

 

[Tintin]

This needs to be sticky

 

[photodog]

This needs to be sticky

Its not THAT exciting surely??

 

[Billjratt]

Should we not have some pics to illustrate the problem?

Then others can fix their own.

 

[Fourbees]

Should we not have some pics to illustrate the problem?

Then others can fix their own.

Unfortunately, it didn't occur to me to take a picture of the incorrectly-threaded buckle before the Force 4 man fixed it. I don't want to mess about with it again now that it's working.

 

[Fourbees]

I have emailed both the manufacturers and Force 4 explaining the issue with the Kim pickup sail. I await their responses and will update this item if I get them.

 

[Burnham Bob]

Maybe Force 4 need to be a little more rigorous with their suppliers. I bought an outboard sling and the straps supplied did not match the instructions. I returned it with a detailed note of what was wrong and was sent another with the same fault and a different set of instructions. When I rang them I too was put through to a shop and the guy opened several and agreed with me that one of the straps was simply not the right strap and all the ones he had in the shop were wrong too.

I finally got a proper sling with correct straps, but it did take a lot of effort to get Force 4 to actually check the product and agree that it was faulty.

 

[Bosun Higgs]

When we tested it on SWMBO in East Cowes Marina (off a pontoon) the straps parted and she fell down the side of the boat into the Medina (easily recovered by me, but she wasn't pleased!).

Go on - how long did it take before you had stopped laughing sufficiently to help her out of the water. And how long before she will speak to you again?

P.S. Are you hiring the item out?

 

[Fourbees]

Go on - how long did it take before you had stopped laughing sufficiently to help her out of the water. And how long before she will speak to you again?

P.S. Are you hiring the item out?

Showing unusual self-control, I didn't laugh while she was still immersed... Only later! And surprisingly, she didn't blame me personally for her undoing, and was speaking to me again after she got back from the showers (which are very nice at East Cowes).

No point in hiring the item out now that it's fixed...

 

[Fourbees]

Reply from manufacturer

I have now received a reply from the (German) manufacturer of the Kim pickup sail:

"many thanks for your mail. We regret that you have found a Problem on the PickUp Sail.
I will check now all PU-Sails about that problem and will make contact all our Dealers that they have to check their PU-Sails in their Stock.
Also I will go save, that our Supplier don`t make a mistake like that in the future.

Many thanks and BestRegards
Sascha Schwarck"

The wording suggests that they don't actually make the sails themselves (presumably sub- contracted to China). Nothing from Force 4 yet - but it is a Bank Holiday here in UK.

 

[graham]

I recently bought a Kim pickup sail - for recovering MOBs from the drink in a horizontal position. You attach the bottom of the sail round a pair of stanchions with straps which have a seatbelt-type buckle, attach a halyard to the top of the sail and roll the casualty up the side of the boat. When we tested it on SWMBO in East Cowes Marina (off a pontoon) the straps parted and she fell down the side of the boat into the Medina (easily recovered by me, but she wasn't pleased!). We had followed the instructions (such as they were).

After that we tried everything we could think of but couldn't get the straps to hold fast. Today we took the pickup sail back whence we bought it (Force 4 in Bursledon) where the staff member quickly diagnosed an assembly fault - the strap was incorrectly led through the various parts of the buckle. He had to prise the cover off with a screwdriver to fix it, which he did, and we tested it this afternoon with me as the casualty - no problem. I am posting this to warn anyone who has bought this safety item and not tested it to check it out now (not when you have a real MOB situation). We know that it wasn't just our pickup sail that was wrongly assembled, because when we were in Lymington at Easter we had a close look at another one on sale in a chandler, and that one wouldn't have worked either.

Report it to the Marine Accident Investigation Board as a "near miss" type of accident. They will possibly publish it in their magazine and will no doubt take it up with the manufacturers.

Imagine using it in anger on a dark cold night only to lose the casaualty a second time.