Do you use the kill switch cord?

[earl60446]

My old boat / motor did not have a kill switch cord so obviously never used it. My "newer" boat / motor has one at the controls and to be honest with you, I have never used it. I know I should, I think I am even breaking the law not using it.
How many of you use it?

Tim

 

[gillhunter]

I have a 9.9 on 1648MV that I run 99.5% of the time either total electric or 10hp restricted lakes. I don't use it on restricted lakes, but I do use it when I'm running on unrestricted lakes. I should probably use it when running the motor on restricted lakes, but the ones I fish don't have much traffic and I'm usually putting along at 5-6 mph.

 

[lckstckn2smknbrls]

My 25hp 1983 Mariner doesn't have one. I really should add one and use it.

 

[lovedr79]

I do sometimes. Not as often as I should.

 

[PsychoXP18CC]

I know I shouldn't differentiate, but I only use mine when it starts getting a little hairy out. I do a lot of running and gunning in the spring and summer chasing white/hybrids/striper, so throwing the PFD on and off gets annoying. I do however use it religiously when it's cold out or at night.

 

[JMichael]

Having survived being thrown from a boat (glass ski boat in this case) and watching a friend (boats owner) get run over by his circling boat that was stuck at probably 60% throttle, you'd think I would insist on one. But strangely enough, I almost never think about it. I may eventually install one as it seems I'm becoming a little more safety conscious as I grow older, but I wouldn't place any bets on it either way. :lol:

 

[rickybobbybend]

Retrofitted one to the motor and always use it when under way. I hooked the other end to an auto-inflating PFD. After a bit, using it got to be automatic, kinda like using seat belts in a car.

 

[Knee Deep]

I never used the lanyard until almost falling out of my off-shore boat along with my wife over 20 miles offshore. Now I have become convinced to use one at all times. You just never know, and it's such a no-brainer solution.

 

[crazymanme2]

I always use mine but I used to race boats so it's a habit I will never give up.

 

[rscottp]

I have gotten much better about wearing the inflatable PFD but never ever use the lanyard. Never wear a helmet when I ride my bike. I am what I am I suppose.

 

[PSG-1]

I always use the one on my jet boat, but I don't use the one on my outboard very often, even though that's the one I really should be using. The jet boat will just run me over and slide across with no damage except for knocking me out, where the outboard will chop me up and turn me into crab bait.

 

[GYPSY400]

I use mine when travelling alone.. But I should use it all the time.

 

[WPS]

I never use the one on my pontoon, but I use them on smaller boats!

 

[acabtp]

view the results for an image search for -->"boat propeller injury" (NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART, maybe ****) and you will never run without your kill switch properly attached again.

to me, it's just as important as a seatbelt in the car or a helmet on the motorcycle. the only outboard that i still use that didn't come with one, i retrofit so that it has one now.

 

[ccm]

I always wear mine. I run just a small 4hp on a 14ft v hull & it has a kill switch; my old 2hp did not. I was going to my favorite crappie hole up a creek going around 5mph & I hit a stump. The impact threw my 250lb rear end off my seat & into the front bench. If it hadn't have been for the other seat I had mounted on the front bench it could have knocked some of my teeth out. Then their was the task of trying to get back to tiller & regain control of a boat that was doing circles. The old 2hp was at wide open throttle & it wasn't an easy task to get to the kill button/throttle lever. I can't imagine what would have happened with more horsepower or speed; I may have thrown me overboard & left to the mercy of an out of control boat & motor with a spinning prop.

 

[RiverBottomOutdoors]

I use mine when jetting sketchy water.

 

[earl60446]

Lots of good reasons here to use the lanyard. There are not any good reasons not to use it. I resolve to start using it at any speed more than idle. Life jacket too.
Tim

 

[Joe_M]

[emoji89] Boat # 1 10 hp, boat #2 40 hp, boat #3 twin 150 hp, and now boat #4 40 hp,,,,, kill switch, life jackets all the time while moving faster then trolling speed..... Oh yea, the best life jacket your budget can afford

 

[JMichael]

Lots of good reasons here to use the lanyard. There are not any good reasons not to use it. I resolve to start using it at any speed more than idle. Life jacket too.
Tim

That's one area that I have improved on with my safety habits. Since I acquired one of those inflatable mustang PFD's, I wear it all the time. But it's so comfortable that I don't even realize I have it on most of the time so that's part of the reason I'm doing better in that area. And that's actually saying quite a bit for me. I was a rescue swimmer in the military so getting past the ego and wearing the PFD was a big step. :lol:

 

[SquiggyFreud]

Life jacket and kill switch is worn when the motor is running on the boat every time...passengers are not allowed on my boat without wearing one either.