No Kill Switch? Idiot!!!

https://www.wired2fish.com/news/anglers-ejected-from-bass-boat-without-kill-switch/

I get mad every time I see one of these videos. How many people have to get ejected, hurt, killed or in this case, almost killed for not wearing their kill switch, before people learn. I had a very good friend who was ejected and then run over by his own bass boat in 1978. He lost both legs, spent a year in the hospital and went on to develop several other serious health issues as a result of surgeries and transfusions. He died about six years ago, at the age of 54, from liver failure due to hepatitis.

In the video above, maybe Dad should have been driving since he's giving his son hand signals on where to go

Wow. Guys are lucky to be alive.

Always kill switch & PFD for me! I fish Lewisville almost exclusively now and the rogue rollers will put you in the water pdq if you're not paying attention. What made the boat hook? Deaccelarating & turning? Mechanical failure?

Probably trimmed too high for the turn he was attempting. Nose dropped and it bow hooked.

C'mon think that last statement has nothing to do with your original comment.

"In the video above, maybe Dad should have been driving since he's giving his son hand signals on where to go"

Almost every boat I have been in and co angler has pointed to the buoy's. It helps on that lake as I'm sure you know.

Kill switch issue I understand.

Yeah, I don't get it either. Although I'm not a big fan of legislating common sense, Kali's Law requiring kill switches did pass a couple of weeks ago and is awaiting the Governor's signature. I hope it has a huge fine attached to it. We have a lakehouse on a point on the south end of Livingston. To no one's surprise, the wind was BLOWING this past weekend. I sat there on the porch and watched boat after boat get pounded by that washtub of a lake- and at least 90% of them weren't even wearing PFDs of any kind. If you don't have the sense to put on a PFD, I seriously doubt they had kill switches attached. As much hate as bass tourneys get from non tourney fishermen, their rules have at least ingrained a few really good habits into me. My boat has insurance, PFDs are always worn by everyone in the boat while the engine is running, and the kill switch is always attached to my PFD.

Steering must have broke.

Since I fish by myself 90% of the time, I made my wife a promise that I would wear the PFD and hook up the kill switch. That's one promise I have kept.

Hot foot would have helped too. Boats having a good run without them. If steering would have been straight it would have been interesting to see how much their top speed went up.

Thanks fouz, that makes sense after rewatching.

I always wear my kill switch and life preserver as I fish a lot on a private lake and a lot of the time I am the only boat there. I also like a well maintained Hot Foot that will cut the throttle if my foot comes off of it. Although if you foot got stuck it could break a leg on a 3G maneuver like they had.

Can't say I always comply but will try and do better in the future.

The jump back into the boat was sketchy as well. Dude was lucky to be alive... and you could tell he was in shock at the end...glad they are ok.

I don't understand why some choose to not wear a PFD or kill switch.

If you do choose to not wear a PFD chances are you are only.putting your life in danger. However, not wearing your kill switch endangers others on the lake as well as you.

Lol

??? Care to elaborate on this thought? Cause I see no sign of any mechanical failure

Trimmed too high for the turn or caught just enough wave to give sone lift and then
Hull caught further into the turn

Looks like the motor trimmed down at the 2:12 mark right before it began to pick up speed.?

Go back and watch the early part of the video. Is that a co angler pointing out obstacles? Or a Dad attempting to show his son, who is obviously seeking feedback, how to run that section of TB? If those guys were in a decent sized tournament, they were DQ'd long before the video.

Fouz, think your right about passenger input being a big part of it. Looks like bow hook was a combination of driver distraction and driver error. It appears he was going to go on right side of marker and got motioned to go to the left and stuck the nose. Bottom line is should of had kill switch connected. I won't even comment on jumping back into boat, that's a whole new level of stupid.

Whole new level of stupid is darn right!

I was thinking of trading my center console for a bass boat. With a new grandson, maybe I should just keep the CC. Only goes 50, and not much chance of getting completely thrown out. but I suppose it's possible. Turns like a battleship so not going to change directions like that.

Little kids are much safer in a CC, keep it. You can catch the same fish in a CC as you can in a bass boat. Keep it.

Smart thing for those two guys is sell the boat and all their tackle and take up golf or bowling. They're a danger to themselves and others operating a boat. Can you imagine them in a tournament where they take off by numbers and they're number 100. The possibilities are limitless even with a kill switch.

I agree, not very smart to at LEAST have the kill switch attached. Life jacket should be a mental habit of donning it while you are up on plane. Thank goodness he wasn't drunk and running over those buoys and ripping up his lower unit

I think I would have deleted that footage if it was me

I would bet a dollar to a doughnut he will wear a kill switch from know on .

it is just crazy not to wear a life vest & have your kill switch fastened. bad things can happen to fast.

They are fortunate that they were not ran over!

its just as disturbing that a driver is running near to WOT down a lane with no clue as to where he's going ...common sense in so many ways has been unaccounted for here!

Million dollar idea generator there. Remote/auto activated kill switch. A smart device to trip the kill switch with an app to connect to it. It could sense the distance to your phone or an optional wearable hardware remote that you wear. Lots of ways to implement something like that.

They both have their life jackets on, maybe Im watching the wrong video?

Cast , with that thought process it won't be long before our boat seats are like a riding lawn mower and has a kill switch under the drivers seat. LOL

Jody

I have ideas like that occasionally. Just remember I predicted it. When I was about 14 working at the 66 station, I predicted pay at the pump. Boss said it was the stupidest idea ever.

Correct, with no kill switch connected to said life jacket, hence, the boat continuing in circles almost running them over several times.

When by myself, I make 100% sure I wear a PFD and killswitch. BUT, I need to get in the habit of wearing them even if I have passengers on board.

Not sure about using an app (a sensor on the wheel and seat seem more practical) but I do agree that the lack of advancement in kill switches is surprising. Look around the lake on a weekend and many anglers aren't wearing a life jacket at all (and they are within their right). Without that life jacket, they have to clip the kill switch to their clothes every time they start the boat (unlikely).

We need a new way that doesn't require clipping something to a lifejacket or clothing every time. It's 2019...all these $80k boats and one of the most important safety features is a [censored] clip.

How many guys driving ski boats do you think wear pfd and kill switch? Less than 10% I would guess.

Well heck, that is a good idea. That would be easy to build. A little bit of logic and you have smart seats. You know, if you are on plane, your butt oughta be in the seat. If you or passenger get out of seat, engine throttles down.

That is a marketable idea. It is the exact same tech as the tractor seat switch. It only works/kills if the blade is engaged.

Something like this would work.

They are already making one.

None

Saw an ad for those somewhere.

Well there ya go. I was a little late on that one though.

Better learn by Sept. 1.

I believe the new Vexux boats come with a key fob that acts as a secondary kill switch if it is submersed.

Even simpler, a pressure switch under the drivers seat to kill the motor when driver gets tossed. They're putting them on lawn mowers every day.

Seen a few boats years ago, like late 70's, early 80's, that had a pedal switch on the floor that you had to keep a foot on to keep the engine running.

You can't keep a fool from doing foolish things. I don't care how many laws or safety gadgets you come up with. Sometimes you have to allow natural selection to take its course.

I don't know why it is so dang hard to hook the kill switch lanyard to your pfd. I have made it a habit .

Not wearing a PFD and not using a kill switch is like gambling , eventually you'll lose .
2015 , Clear Lake California --- an older guy , fishing solo was pulling up to a boat dock . THe dock was wet from a light rain ( early spring ) . He was getting out of his boat and apparently slipped on the wet dock , fell and hit his head knocking himself out and slipped in the water . Nobody noticed because it happened so fast and very few people around . People assumed he left his boat to get his truck.
His body was eventually recovered under the boat dock several hours later . This guy was in his early seventies and poor overall health ---- but sshhitt happens , why gamble ?

Mowers have hinged spring mounted seats, our bass boat drivers seats are rigid mounted.

This video was posted a few weeks ago on thehulltruth. Amazing how many crusty old farts on there commented on how dangerous 60mph bass boats are.

Plus, you'd have to be seated to even crank the motor up at the ramp to warm up... Unless there was a way to bypass that, or make it where you must be seated for it to go into gear

The guy didnt look like a fool to me. He made a mistake and paid the price... That does not make him a fool.

I'm sure most of the folks on this thread has at one time or another neglected or forgotten to attach the kill switch. And I'm sure more than a few on this thread learned not to over trim because of a "close call". Unfortunately for this guy, his "close call" was a near fatal accident.

He and everyone that watched the video will now be much more likely to attach the kill switch and will back of the trim a bit. Lets just be thankful the guys lived to fish another day.

Mike,

I don't think he was referring to the occupants in the video but to the discussion about all the safety equipment being discussed later in the thread.

Possibly. If so, I redirect my response to the word "idiot" in the title of this thread.

Im really not attempting to be a troll. I just know what it's like to make a mistake... It happens. What's important is that we learn from our (and others) mistakes.

BINGO!!!!

I did not know bass could swim 64 mph.

Glad the guys were ok. Sketchy reentry into that boat! Not sure any other way to do it other than let it run out of gas though.

This is where the logic comes in. If the boat is in gear you have to be in the seat. If it is in neutral you can crank it up while not in the seat.

Eh. It’s a boat. Don’t need grannies hands on it. Just learn to pilot! Use your head. Like Lieutenant Dan says, “Don’t do anything STUPID!”

Okay then.... The airbag switch in your truck's passenger seat.

Could u imagine the rattle created by a mechanism like that.

This is where engineering comes in, hit a wave, u get lifted up, and u kill your ignition while running, when u land ignition cuts back on. Just getting lifted in your seat will take the weight off. Cannot be good for a motor, And hopefully never implemented.

Imagine your boat at 6k rpms getting good bow lift and the motor quits for whatever reason. What happens?

That is a different subject and I agree with you on it.

Was it an idiotic thing to do by not wearing a kill switch and jumping back in the boat at 29 mph? Yes

Does that make the boat captain an idiot? No, not unless he does idiotic stuff all the time.

That re entry was amazing solid 9 for the landing

I'll stand by my use of the term "idiot" in describing this incident. Anyone who operates a bass boat without the use of a kill switch is an idiot, a fool, whatever you want to call it.

Yes you can. I do it all the time at work. It's called Pok-a-yoking a process. Basically making it fool proof.

Here's an example concept: Instead of a clip on the end of the kill switch lanyard make it a piece of metal. Pull the lanyard around your waist to magnetic attachment point on the other side. Have a sensor that measures tension on the throttle side (so if a person tries to buckle it behind themselves it wont work). On the left side of the operator have a sensor that will return the boat to idle if the metal end is pulled free (Driver ejected). Basically it's a seat belt type thing, but it would have zero restraining ability so no one could become trapped in the event of a crash.

Ill put mine on this and try and use it more in the future.. Mines always been a hassle to unclip from my life jacket.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Flexible-Coil-Expands-to-Secure-keys-around-Industries-Wrist-Coil-Key-Holder-Red/143193842825?epid=1900006372&hash=item215704a489:g:RYMAAOSwk2Jcn37I

How did the boat trim itself down and get on pad with nobody in it?

Agreed!

It was ballsy for him to jump into the boat and mitigate the risk that he created. He had two options... 1) Risk his safety one more time by jumping into the boat and stopping it; or 2) risk the lives of others by allowing it to runs circles until it hit something (possibly another boat).

Personally, I think he made the better choice. It could have ended poorly for him... but it could have also ended poorly for someone else if he didn't stop it. In fairness, I'm sure saving his boat was pretty high on his list of concerns too!

Cuddos to the rescue boat as well. That was some good piloting!

It's amazing that no one was hurt and his boat was not damaged. Huge lesson for him and everyone who watched the video.

Sounds like a good idea to me

Some of you are making this way to complicated.

If you want a star wars contraption on your boat, by all means rig it up and use it. I for one find that the kill switch on my boat is perfectly adequate. Last thing I want to be doing on tournament morning is messing with your magnetic forcefield kill switch because it isn't working. And it will fail. I've had to replace the seat safety switch on my zero turn three times and that is just a simple contact ground. Also remember that not all boats have seats like bass boats. Lots of center consoles don't have helm seats. I've owned and operated boats for almost 30 years and have yet to have the simple kill switch we currently use fail. This isn't complicated. If you can't remember to hook it up just leave a life jacket hooked to it. I have a larger life jacket that I slide over my CO2 vest every time I sit down.

REMEMBER KISS- keep it simple stupid.

HAPPY POK-AYOKING

^^^^^^

Truth.

A lanyard type kill switch is both simple and easy to use. I have a separate lanyard on each of my daughters and my life jackets since she also pilots the boat at times.
When I stop to fish I take the jacket off and drop it on the seat. Next time I sit down I first pick up the jacket and put it on. The kill switch is always attached. Simple and there is no extra effort to hook up the kill switch. Its attached all day.


There are some people who just don't take life's dangers seriously. A kill switch has been party of my regiment since the 70's when my first bass boat had one. I won't be caught on a boat without one.

Yep.

Never really thought of the simple kill switch that has been on every tractor I’ve owned as a “Star Wars contraption” but I get your point. Already a kill switch on my boat and I don’t need another.

I tried Pok-a-yoking from 7 AM till 5PM at Ray Roberts Wednesday and kept backlashing.

Call me a dummy but i enjoy idling around in gear fishing and have been known to leave the console for a moment to take care of something , don't want the FEDS"engineering into my boat how I operate it. I put on my wrist strap anytime I'm going to get up on plane.

I bought 4 wheelers that have stickers saying it is unlawful for anyone under 16 to operate. I could purchase a 400CC 100hp motocross bike for a 10 year old and turn him loose........... legally.

+1

Come On Guys , clip your lanyard to the kill switch and PFD .That’s it .

Why would you unclip it from your lifejacket. Mine never gets unclipped

Because I fish alone a lot of the time and keep my life jacket on the entire time I am in the boat.

Ok, but why unclip it from your life jacket. Just leave it clipped to your jacket. Then when you get ready to move just plug it back in

I only watched the video once but I’m not sure I saw an over reaction that would have caused that accident. They were obviously on the gas but just seemed like in an instance they were in the water.

Our 1st boat was one of those tri-hole 15 footer with a Johnson 60 hp on the back. I was young, but pretty sure there wasn't a kill switch at all on that boat. Wonder when they first started making them regular use. We upgraded to an 18ft tri hole in early 70s and I don't remember a kill switch on that either, but maybe it did and I just don't remember it. If it did, it never got used. People just didn't think about safety that much back then. Car seats were essentially human ejector seats that just had 2 curved ends that slid over your bench seat. How stupid was that? And we used those white ski belts that would have been useless had you been knocked out. Reality is safety has come a long way in the last 50 years. I don't think we were dumb back then. Just didn't know any better and the way the world operated. You could also just hold and nurse your baby in the back seat. Nobody gave it a thought. Weird to think about that now.

It absolutely did! That is weird!

Ain't the "Feds", the Great State of Texas will REQUIRE you to have a functional kill switch hooked to the operator when the big motor is running on September 1, 2019.

They write these laws because there are so many dummies out there that kill others or themselves because they are too dumb to do it themselves.

So you copy the forklift design. Pressure switch is in the middle of the seat cushion. Motor can be started and throttled up without it engaged, but won't engage into gear. Nothing wrong with changing the way boats are currently setup, but there are plenty of working systems already out there in the field to copy. Frankly it's so easy it's pretty crazy that it hasn't already been implemented.

^^^^a la riding mower^^^^^

I have a 2006 Sea Ray 205 Sport and it does not have a kill switch of any kind. You start it with the key/ignition switch and turn it off with the same key/switch. It has a 5.0 SBC in it. I have no intention of installing a kill switch.

Guaranteed that boat came with a kill switch. Either previous owner disconnected / removed it or you just haven't noticed it.

Starting it and turning it off with the key has nothing to do with a kill switch.

and since I got my first boat in 1969 and have had several since then I know what a kill switch is/does. The Sea Ray does not have a kill switch. As far as I can tell it has never had one. There are no holes or provisions for one

With the risk of being told that im a damn idiot, I am going to ask for help and recommendations. I do not believe my killswitch has been functioning properly for a while. Does anyone have a good recommendation in the Lake Lewisville/Denton area to have some take a look and fix it?

They wrote this law due to an accident that had nothing to do with a kill switch. It was pure emotional

Bottom front of the shiftier

I bet it does