If you or a loved one have been injured in a boating accident through no fault of your own, you may be entitled to compensation. Violators face civil penalties up to $100 for the first offense. The law will be enforced by the Coast Guard in federally navigable waterways. Use of the ECOS is not required under any circumstances while docking, trolling, or operating in no-wake zones. One exception to the rule is if the main helm of the vessel is contained within an enclosed cabin that would prevent an operator from falling overboard. In particular, the statute requires individuals to use an engine cut-off switch while operating any vessel less than 26 feet in length with an engine capable of 115 pounds of static thrust (which is roughly equivalent to 3 horsepower) anytime the vessel is operated above displacement speed (idle). Cummings Coast Guard Authorization Act, which passed Congress in early 2020. The language of the new law can be found under Section 8316 of the Elijah E. Operators are simply required to start using safety devices already in place. Almost no boats will need to have their vessels retrofitted with ECOS capability to comply with this law. In fact, Congress passed a law that as of December 2019 all manufacturers are required to equip vessels they produce with an ECOS. In this instance, the operator was charged with Reckless Homicide.ĮCOS have been installed by the manufacturer on nearly every vessel that has been produced for several decades. If he had done so, the boat’s engine would have shut off when the operator was ejected. This tragic incident could have been avoided if the operator had attached the ECOS halyard to his person. The boat was equipped with an ECOS device, but the device was not in use.Īfter the three occupants were ejected, the unmanned vessel began circling while unmanned, an incredibly dangerous situation known in boating as the “ circle of death.” The vessel and its propeller eventually struck Deputy Hodges, fatally injuring him. During the training exercise, all three occupants of a 19-foot patrol boat were ejected. On June 1, 2017, Anderson County Sheriff’s Deputy Devin Hodges was conducting on-water training exercises on Lake Hartwell in South Carolina. These devices are critical pieces of safety equipment if the operator is ejected from the boat.įailure to use an ECOS can have tragic consequences. Wireless ECOS are electronic fobs that automatically cut off the engine when they detect they are submerged in water. When the operator gets too far away from the helm, the lanyard disengages from the ECOS and the engine automatically shuts down. This term encompasses both physical lanyards and wireless options.Ī lanyard ECOS physically attaches the vessel operator to a switch that shuts off the engine if the operator is displaced from the helm. Commonly referred to by recreational boaters as “kill switches,” the proper term for these devices is engine cut-off switch (“ECOS”). Tried it on the OB-specific switch from my old unit (was all sun-beat, so didn't want to use that switch), and got the same reversed result (and was able to put it back to original again, too.) YMMV, but it saved my butt.Under a new federal law that went into effect April 1, 2021, the operator of any powerboat less than 26 feet in length overall (LOA) must wear an engine cutoff switch while operating a boat above no wake speed. (There's a spring w/ a contact plate on the end - be sure the contact plate doesn't come off of the spring.). Pay attention to which way the back is on to start with, flip it 180 degrees, and gently press it back together - making sure not to disturb the guts. Spread those, gently ease the back off - this will expose the 'guts'. There at little tab/finger holder things on each side of the switch. I pulled the control off again, removed the switch, and flipped the back side of the switch, then all was good. I ran into this same problem - purchased used control for my OB, but apparently it had been on an IO, as the switch was 'backward' for my OB - OB ran w/ switch in 'OFF' position, wouldn't run w/ switch in 'RUN' position. Not trying to resurrect a dead thread, but in case anyone else ends up here due to a search on this issue. Re: Kill switch working the wrong way round
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