Outboard kill switches

[tonyleigh]

In part follow on to earlier listings on Honda 2hp.
Yesterday decided to purchase spare kill switch for back-up - £18!!!!! Admittedly broker reluctant to sell through embarrassment and needless to say I didn't buy. Don't want this to be a venting of bile against over-charging. Can we encourage postings of users inexpensive, home-made alternatives for different outboard makes?

 

[Guest]

Lost my Mariner 3.3 lanyard overboard, cost £11 to replace - I find almost all O/B spares expensive - a new bolt for the handle cost £2.06, an anode the size of 1p was £4.24. Shear pin was £1.60, not too bad.

I have made a spare emergency kill switch key from a piece of plastic of the right thickness - the tolerance on thickness is fairly wide, as are other dimensions. What amazes me is that there do not seem to be any non-name replacements available for these items.

BTW, don't ever lose the transom drain plug for an Avon dinghy (I have my attached with a s/s cable now - it was stolen). They are impossible to find, and cost a fiver when you do (although substitute bungs are possible).

 

[Guest]

No name Outboard kill switches

do exist. I bought one for my Yam. Cost about £5 from memory and had the kill key configurations for most popular outboards. Now, there's a thief's toolkit if I ever saw one!

BTW, bought it from CruiserMart in Lymington

Chris Enstone, Rival Spirit

 

[Guest]

try this for merc/mariner/yam/tohatsu, etc. at £3.75 ;
http://www.ybw-marine-store.com/yb/product.asp?dept_id=140303&pf_id=1403410

and this for honda at £4.16 ;
http://www.ybw-marine-store.com/yb/product.asp?dept_id=140303&pf_id=1403413

They're Sowester Simpson-Lawrence parts.

BTW for goodness sake please attach the other end of them to you or your clothing - After manoevering away from the jetty last week, I forgot to re-attach mine to my lifejacket, and promptly fell out of the dinghy! Not funny at the time as I had been at full throttle...

 

[Guest]

Rich B - I endorse your advice to ensure the other end of the kill-cord is attached to your clothing. However (as posted on this site in a previous life - discussion of fatal accident at last year's S'hamton Boat Show) I understand the RYA powerboat course is now recommending that if there is more than one person in the dinghy, the kill cord should NOT be attached. I think the reasoning is that if the dingy remains upright, it will probably still have someone on board, who will need the motor to carry out a rescue. My own thinking (and practice) is to attach the kill cord in all cases, BUT have a spare key on board, and inform all of it whereabouts. Incidentally, the killcord is NOT intended as security against theft, it is purely a personal safety device. Btw, thanks for the advice on a source of cheap killcords.

 

[Guest]

Yes, definitely agree with your arguments Edward.

And a spare is vital.

From my own experience, which I certainly don't ever intend to repeat, a runaway boat is pretty terrifying, and looking at potential drowning or shredding of the limbs and organs by outboard propeller a great motivator to sort the situation out PDQ.

Incidentally, I also found it surprisingly difficult to get back into my 3.6m inflatable dinghy when exhausted from the ordeal. I'm thinking of rigging a simple rope "stirrup" to each side to make this possible (had to use the outboard hydrofoil fin as a step).

Regards,

Rich.

 

[Guest]

Re: RYA advice

Had a little think about this...

RYA advice is wrong. Definitely.

I know this because I know what happens when you let go of the tiller at full throttle - it goes hard to port (dinghyhard to s'bord). That will tip you all out if the motor remains running. You'd all be in the sea scattered aroung with the boat going round and round. On top of you. No-one would be able to regain control of the situation as you'd get in each other's way. Guarantee that some people's limbs would get shredded.

If you had the kill cord secured to self, the engine would stop, and OK, maybe everyone would go shooting over the bow in comedy fashion, but at least the boat would come to a halt. Then you could get organised and regain control of the situation and no-one would be shredded.

First person to get back in the boat will have the spare lanyard available.

Regards,
Rich.

 

[tonyleigh]

Thanks all . . .

for helpful responses. Will continue to monitor any additions and post summary of suggestions if it looks to be worthwhile.