Cut Out Switch

[Salty Pete]

G'Day

I was out in my previous boat, 10 mtre timber and I was swimming back to the stern when a breeze caught the boat and it swung around on its mooting. I realised then that if you fell overboard and there was even a slight breeze, you would have no chance of catching it.

The effects of a breeze would be worse, in my opinion, if the boat was a RIB. It would take off like a beach ball across the water.

With this in mind it makes the "Cut Out Switch" on a boat OK in theory, but in practice totally useless as your boat is taking off without you either way.

So to overcome this oversight in the "Cut Out Switch" design, I have added 2 metres of thin rope from the "Cut Out Switch" to the boat and put some elastic bands around the rope to keep it compact.


Should I fall out, as unlikely as that may be, the outboard will cut out, but I will still be attached to the boat via the rope.

I will attempt to add a photo.
Nup can't add a photo all I get is a URL I'll see if I can add a photo in the photo section.

[Salty Pete]

Hang about, I think the thingo I want is right down the bottom.

Yep that's what it looks like??

[ChrisParish]

What this boils down to is tethering. This can turn out to be quite a divisive subject but for what it’s worth I am with you on this.

If I go out on my own I clip myself to the boat with a light weight 2m rope which I attach to the loop at the back of my life jacket and the grab rope on the tubes towards the stern. This way if I was to come out of the boat the boat will not drift away.

People will argue that you could get dragged along behind the boat as the engine doesn’t stop instantly (which is true in that momentum keeps it turning and false in that the engine is not developing any power). They will also say that it might cause you to fall closer to the boat and get hit by said boat.
To the first point I would say that if I have come out then the boat is probably not travelling fast in a straight line - it was probably during a turn or in a following sea so I don’t see me getting dragged for long.
To the second I say I don’t think it will make the slightest bit of difference provided your rope doesn’t get caught on anything. I have always chain stitched my rope but left the last link open so that the stitch unravels when pulled, but I like your rubber band idea and might copy that.

Personally I will take both of these minor risks over the fairly major risk of not being able to catch up with my boat as it blows away over the horizon.

When I go out as part of a group or with other passengers I don’t bother with the tether - there are enough people around to effect a rescue.

[Robin Grant]

@ChrisParish - joining this thread late, but what do you think of using one of these to tether yourself to your SIB? - Would it do the job or do you forsee issues?

https://www.escape-watersports.co.uk/su ... h-1-detail

[ChrisParish]

Hi Robin,

The only issue I can see is that it is quite short so you would have to fasten it on as close to the kill switch as possible so that the kill switch is tripped before you reach the end of the tether.

Some of the modern engines don’t stop the instant the the kill switch is removed - the Suzuki for example runs for half a second or so before the ecu decides that it has had the shutdown signal - so it is important to have a fairly long tether so that you stay clear of the prop.

The one you suggested looks great, but it is quite expensive where rope is cheap - but I’m a Yorkshireman and I don’t like spending money (on small things anyway. I’m great at not spending £5 but crap at not spending £500)