The U.S. Coast Guard is reminding mariners of a new law requiring recreational boats to use an engine cut-off switch and an associated cut-off switch link. The engine cut-off switch is an emergency device that shuts down the engine if the operator is ejected from the vessel or falls overboard. The law went into effect on April 1, 2021 requiring operators of recreational vessels with an installed switch to use a cut-off switch link, which is usually a lanyard clipped onto the operator or their lifejacket.
This law applies to any boats less than 26 feet in length that generate more than 115 pounds of static thrust and were built beginning in January 2020. It also requires operators to use the link while navigating on plane or above displacement speed.
Watchstanders in the Coast Guard Sector Juneau command center responded to a report Wednesday of two people in the water after being ejected from a runaway skiff near Spuhn Island. Troopers responded to a similar report last month where two men were ejected from a runaway skiff resulting in one death.
Engine cut-off switches prevent unnecessary accidents, injuries and deaths caused by a recreational vessel operator being unexpectedly displaced from the helm, according to the Coast Guard. This includes situations where the operator is ejected from the vessel. The new requirements will improve safety for all recreational boaters by reducing the potential for propeller injuries from runaway boats whose operator was displaced from the helm and not using an engine cut off switch link.
Learn more about Engine Cut-Off Switches by clicking here.