Powerboat and RIB magazine are campaigning for compulsory licensing

A good idea as long as it can be put into practice. Should be compulsory for all pleasure craft capable of more than, say 10 kts.
 
Just to be clear, it's PB&R magazine that's calling for compulsory licencing, fines for not wearing a kill cord etc etc and also want everyone to have a "Always wear your Kill cord" sticker on the console...(which also has "Powerboat and Rib Magazine" printed along the bottom incidentally).

All nothing to do with the Ribnet Forum who are simply having a poll of their members to see if they agree or not.
 
Compulsory licensing would not have prevented this tragedy and won't stop accidents happening in the future.

All it will do is provide a convenient way to prosecute (and fine) people for all sorts of things.

PB&R should do one
 
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Whitelighter said:
Compulsory licensing would not have prevented this tragedy and won't stop accidents happening in the future.
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I agree that compulsory licensing will not necessarily prevent similar tragedies, but compulsory USE would make a significant contribution to preventing similar accidents.


Perhaps it's time to invent a proximity device so that the driver is not physically connected to the kill-cord switch. Something about the size and shape of a watch strap, so that if it goes more than a metre or so from the controls, the engine /gearbox goes to neutral. The 'wimp' factor of having a piece of red plastic tied to the driver is then mitigated.

I suspect that legislation will be overtaken by insurance companies requiring kill-cords or neutralisers. If indeed some speedy craft are insured in the first place :(
 
The issue with any new regulation is enforcement. There are many regs today that are not properly enforced. Who is going to go around the various boating areas checking licenses and kill cords? Where will you carry your license on your PWC? Not going to happen IMHO unless the Eurocrats decide to impose.
 
sarabande said:
I agree that compulsory licensing will not necessarily prevent similar tragedies, but compulsory USE would make a significant contribution to preventing similar accidents.


Perhaps it's time to invent a proximity device so that the driver is not physically connected to the kill-cord switch. Something about the size and shape of a watch strap, so that if it goes more than a metre or so from the controls, the engine /gearbox goes to neutral. The 'wimp' factor of having a piece of red plastic tied to the driver is then mitigated.

I suspect that legislation will be overtaken by insurance companies requiring kill-cords or neutralisers. If indeed some speedy craft are insured in the first place :(
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What happens to a RIB doing 40 knots when it suddenly loses power?
 
I am guilty on not using a kill cord when in our 4hp tender. THis has made me thing twice TBH as I nearly always have the kids in it with me.

You can never police it - but equally policing seat belts is near on impossible but i bet we all wear one.

Kill cords are mostly badly designed. Twirly things that keep on tugging at you and need to be removed if you need to help the kids in the tender.

I guess - but dont know - that jet ski drivers use them as they are in a fixed seated position so the twirly thing does not cause that much hassle.

A proximity transmitter that cut the engine if not in range would be more practical. Keep it in your pocket. Out of range - boat turns off. You could use this even on a 40ft sports boat as long as the range were long enough. This technology is freely available and not expensive. You are seeking to detect the driver has gone "missing" not that he has moved foreword in the tender.

I appreciate the world is not going to stop and retro fit every old outboard, but installing something like this on new boats would cost probably £10- £15.
 
jrudge said:
You can never police it - but equally policing seat belts is near on impossible but i bet we all wear one.

Kill cords are mostly badly designed. Twirly things that keep on tugging at you and need to be removed if you need to help the kids in the tender.

I guess - but dont know - that jet ski drivers use them as they are in a fixed seated position so the twirly thing does not cause that much hassle.

A proximity transmitter that cut the engine if not in range would be more practical. Keep it in your pocket. Out of range - boat turns off. You could use this even on a 40ft sports boat as long as the range were long enough. This technology is freely available and not expensive. You are seeking to detect the driver has gone "missing" not that he has moved foreword in the tender.

I appreciate the world is not going to stop and retro fit every old outboard, but installing something like this on new boats would cost probably £10- £15.
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On seatbelts, all new cars have an audible warning, hence pretty much self policing. How loud would this need to be on a sports boat/pwc?
I am not aware of a fully waterproofed proximity sensor.
 
Waterproofing would not be difficult ( I have a waterproof iphone case that cost £12) but why does it need to be waterproof?

In your pocket - dry. Fall in - boat stops life saved. Buy another for £5 ... but waterproofing it would not be beyond the cunning chinese.... if you can waterproof and iphone - including the ability to plug in headphones and charge it ... you can waterproof a dongle.
 
rafiki_ said:
On seatbelts, all new cars have an audible warning, hence pretty much self policing. How loud would this need to be on a sports boat/pwc?
I am not aware of a fully waterproofed proximity sensor.
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+1

RFID _could_ be used, but range is stupidly short unless you built the antenna in the whole craft (actually that would be an idea to have it integrated in the rub strake thing all around the boat/tender/rib!)
Radiation would be something to worry about though :(

V.
 
rafiki_ said:
The issue with any new regulation is enforcement. There are many regs today that are not properly enforced. Who is going to go around the various boating areas checking licenses and kill cords? Where will you carry your license on your PWC? Not going to happen IMHO unless the Eurocrats decide to impose.
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Yup you can have all the regulations you like but if there are no peak capped little Hitlers around to enforce them, they're not worth a light. Anyway, aren't we getting ahead of ourselves here? Do we know for certain that the driver wasn't attached to the kill cord or are we just assuming he wasn't? A good friend of mine drowned in the Solent a few years ago after he was thrown out of the RIB he was driving. His body was found on one side of the Solent with the kill cord attached to his wrist and the RIB was found on the other side so kill cords are not infallible. I do agree with Whitelighter also; maybe it's time to think about something more sophisticated than a kill cord; industry has used simple proximity and other safety devices for years. Even my cheapo ride-on mower cuts out if the driver's weight is removed from the seat
 
Sandyman said:
A good idea as long as it can be put into practice. Should be compulsory for all pleasure craft capable of more than, say 10 kts.
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ooh i agree. no-one should be allowed out in a fast sailing dinghy unless they know more about col regs than 'power gives way to sail'. you hold enlightened attitudes for a raggie...
 
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