Kill cords and sussex beaches

[thorper]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/s...es/4704221.stm

A worrying story.... also it appears we drive "inflatable speedboats"!

Ricky

[Pac_Dreams]

This kind of irisponsible behavior by a minority of small craft users will bring about compulsory registration and training for ALL leisure users. If we want to continue enjoying our unregulated past time then we all have a duty to be responsible for ourselves and others. The government has already looked at regulating the Marine Leisure sector, however thanks to the RYA (love or hate them) have been campaigning for it to remain free.

None of us wish to see any compulsory regulations enforced on our sport, and the associated costs that would involve.

Happy Ribing

[Chopppywaters]

why does this happen to RIBs Its giving them a bad name! lol

[dave9960]

Pac,

Part of me feels that every person who drives a RIB should have at least passed RYA level 1 or 2.

I don't think it should be allowed that anyone could buy a RIB without any experience at all, put it in the water and shoot along at 25 plus knots.

Dave

[Scary Des]

Rubbish even people that are trained have accidents

The reason ribs are in the news is because they are very popular in the medias eyes at the moment, before ribs it was jet skis, before that it was power boats and before that is was dugout canoes
The media disproportionately reports incident involving ribs and the sea in general because it fits their model for news
How often do you hear about car accidents in the news where only a couple of people are killed wipe-out a whole family and it fits the media model and there it is in the news
10 people a day are killed on the roads but rarely make the news one person falls of their rib (and survives) and there it is for all to see Des

[Nos4r2]

Originally Posted by Chopppywaters

why does this happen to RIBs Its giving them a bad name! lol

Probably because it's a lot harder to get thrown out of a speed/ski boat when your legs are under the dash! Lets face it, RIB owners are generally responsible and experienced but there's always a couple of dickheads who have no idea what they're doing. I've been boating in one way or another for 30 out of my 33 years and I've seen an awful lot of speedboats and skiboats acting like they are the only ones afloat-but never a RIB.I particularly enjoyed firing mackerel guts from a catapult at the skiers that used to play "how close can I get to your anchor warp" in the Studland 6 knot limit.

Des, you're right... Training is no substitute for common sense and not being a complete asshole. Anyone can train-just look at the state of driving on the UK roads at the moment.

[Richard B]

Originally Posted by Nos4r2

Probably because it's a lot harder to get thrown out of a speed/ski boat when your legs are under the dash!

And the sides are somewhat higher!

I've seen an awful lot of speedboats and skiboats acting like they are the only ones afloat-but never a RIB.

Hmmm, selective blindness perhaps? There a plenty of irresponsible RIB users, I'm sorry to say. One that comes to mind is the 8m RIB that travelled up the Lymington River at 40kts one night. And during the fleet review, we reprimanded a RIB driver for tearing through moorings at high speed. He later anchored his RIB in a dangerous position and it was towed away buy the RNLI.

I particularly enjoyed firing mackerel guts from a catapult at the skiers

Are you aware how that may not be perceived in the most positive light?

[Nos4r2]

Originally Posted by Richard B

And the sides are somewhat higher!Hmmm, selective blindness perhaps? There a plenty of irresponsible RIB users, I'm sorry to say. One that comes to mind is the 8m RIB that travelled up the Lymington River at 40kts one night. And during the fleet review, we reprimanded a RIB driver for tearing through moorings at high speed. He later anchored his RIB in a dangerous position and it was towed away buy the RNLI.Are you aware how that may not be perceived in the most positive light?

Yep-but then waterski-ing through a speed restricted bathing zone and anchorage while there's people swimming,on windsurfers and in sailing dinghies in very close proximity isn't exactly sensible either, and it did it's job...they left quite fast without killing anyone.


Selective blindness? No... I was 16 at the time and had never been aboard anything that hadn't got a mast...

[Simon Hawkins]

I agree with Richard. Reason why more people get thrown from RIBs is because the seating position is alot higher than on sports boats. How many of you here have had to grip hold of something when the boat lands on the sponson which in turn pushes the body sideways.

With regards to the kill cords yes they should be worn at all times but how many people chech that they actually work. I have been on several boats to carry out RNLI sea safety checks to find that when the kill cord is pulled it doesnt kill the engine.

Next time you get in your boat start the engine and pull the cord just to make sure it works.

[Mark Halliday]

Originally Posted by Simon Hawkins

Next time you get in your boat start the engine and pull the cord just to make sure it works.

Fair point Simon. I usually check mine when I launch.

Rather than pulling the cord, I use the other method, which involves attaching the non-leg end after trying to start the engine for 5 minutes.
Sorry to be flippant, but it is probably the most popular method.

[Simon B]

Compulsory training as Des pointed out isnt a gurantee, nor is some kind of registration scheme which would no doubt cost an arm and a leg. If Phoney Blair and Co thought they could siphon cash from boat users it would be law by now which is the next point, if the person who fell out of the boat was reckless prosecute - he for one may consider fitting a kill cord in the future and it would be a lesson to others as regards a penalty.