Dinghy Kill Switch
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If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
Scary
Guru
Once your in the water, then what?
I'm 72 and I don't know about the rest of you but climbing back into a dingy is getting near impossible for me, especially fully dressed. In cold water you only have a few minutes of strength in your arms and legs before the blood flows inward. What I have done is secure a chain of looped 3/8 line that doubles as a dock line and a rope ladder that allows me to use the strength in my legs to propel me back up into the dingy. Putting your foot into one of the loops combined with grabbing a strap on the top of the tank makes it much easier to get your upper body over the tank and into the boat. I have a couple of D rings on the tanks of my dingy so three loops secured to the D ring are handy to grab and pull into the water. The loops are also convenient to throw over dock cleats to secure your dingy. Wearing life jackets in dinghies sail or power are mandatory on my boats. I think it's a good idea to use the friction devise that stiffens steering effort to prevent torque steering on tiller outboards. My 15 Merc and 20 Yamaha have fins on the cavitation plate to reduce torque steer as well. I adjust mine to reduce torque steer as much as possible.
I'm 72 and I don't know about the rest of you but climbing back into a dingy is getting near impossible for me, especially fully dressed. In cold water you only have a few minutes of strength in your arms and legs before the blood flows inward. What I have done is secure a chain of looped 3/8 line that doubles as a dock line and a rope ladder that allows me to use the strength in my legs to propel me back up into the dingy. Putting your foot into one of the loops combined with grabbing a strap on the top of the tank makes it much easier to get your upper body over the tank and into the boat. I have a couple of D rings on the tanks of my dingy so three loops secured to the D ring are handy to grab and pull into the water. The loops are also convenient to throw over dock cleats to secure your dingy. Wearing life jackets in dinghies sail or power are mandatory on my boats. I think it's a good idea to use the friction devise that stiffens steering effort to prevent torque steering on tiller outboards. My 15 Merc and 20 Yamaha have fins on the cavitation plate to reduce torque steer as well. I adjust mine to reduce torque steer as much as possible.
BruceK
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Maybe call it a "no kill" switch, it might be embraced more.
We are obliged to wear a lifejacket in a dinghy in most circumstances.
Australia was an early adopter of compulsory seat belts,1960s I think.
We are obliged to wear a lifejacket in a dinghy in most circumstances.
Australia was an early adopter of compulsory seat belts,1960s I think.
Bay Pelican
Moderator Emeritus
Strange how few boaters in the Eastern Caribbean use the kill switch. When I am alone in the dinghy I wear both the kill switch and a PDF. Haven't gotten the walk on water thing down yet.
Andy G
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Strange how few boaters in the Eastern Caribbean use the kill switch. When I am alone in the dinghy I wear both the kill switch and a PDF. Haven't gotten the walk on water thing down yet
I'll send you the manual, it's pretty easy just don't look down.
wyoboater
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LOL, Tdunn! In my million plus miles of trucking, plus my boating experience, and even raising my two boys, I've always lived by and taught everyone to think "and then what" in virtually every situation. Of course, if everyone lived by that "Americas Funniest Videos" would go away. Hmmmmmmmmmmm conundrum.
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My 2HP Honda has one. It's clipped into the red stop switch.
For those who don't like the tether, technology (for a few bucks) to the rescue:
Boat Engine Kill Switch System for Integrating With RFID Tags or RF Reflectors invention :: Propeller Guard Information Center
Maritech Marine Wireless Lanyard Kill Switch Page
Boat Engine Kill Switch System for Integrating With RFID Tags or RF Reflectors invention :: Propeller Guard Information Center
Maritech Marine Wireless Lanyard Kill Switch Page
Risk management assumes that someone is capable of considering outcomes different than they desire. I agree with the comment above that some people just seem to find it impossible to consider an alternate outcome. That is why the law of unintended consequences is so often ignored.
IMO if people really accepted that things might not turn out the way they want Las Vegas would not exist.
IMO if people really accepted that things might not turn out the way they want Las Vegas would not exist.
cappy208
Guru
Funny how the more discretionary income one has the less ( or should it be more?) accepting one becomes of outside opinion to this end.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bayview View Post
IMO if people really accepted that things might not turn out the way they want Las Vegas would not exist.
Well, all the lotteries would tend to refute that theory as people with little and no discretionary income play them all the time. Sad thing is their odds are so far worse than any Vegas odds. Slot machines returning 95% and above vs. Lotteries returning 50% and below.
I think most of us are led to a small amount of gambling and hoping for an outcome that we know might be unlikely. Most who gamble in Vegas or on lotteries understand the odds are against them but gamble money they feel they can afford to lose. Gambling on the water with lives at stake is an entirely different proposition.
Buying a lottery ticket where the odds are 10000 to 1 against me winning anything is a gamble I can take. Operating one of our Ribs without a kill switch where the odds are probably 10000 to 1 in favor of nothing happening is one I can't take.
Originally Posted by bayview View Post
IMO if people really accepted that things might not turn out the way they want Las Vegas would not exist.
Well, all the lotteries would tend to refute that theory as people with little and no discretionary income play them all the time. Sad thing is their odds are so far worse than any Vegas odds. Slot machines returning 95% and above vs. Lotteries returning 50% and below.
I think most of us are led to a small amount of gambling and hoping for an outcome that we know might be unlikely. Most who gamble in Vegas or on lotteries understand the odds are against them but gamble money they feel they can afford to lose. Gambling on the water with lives at stake is an entirely different proposition.
Buying a lottery ticket where the odds are 10000 to 1 against me winning anything is a gamble I can take. Operating one of our Ribs without a kill switch where the odds are probably 10000 to 1 in favor of nothing happening is one I can't take.
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