Using a kill-chord

[HDAV]

Originally Posted by Allye

Arancia’s do, no others are equipped. They are the heavy duty large multiple vein type, still crack veins semi regularly.

But mitigate the risk of the prop chopping up the crew or public......
I honestly don’t. Know why throttle return slings aren’t standard on tillers!

[Pikey Dave]

Mrs PD is under standing orders to nag me, if she notices I’m not wearing the kill cord. And it does happen, despite having a ruddy great sign stuck by the helm.

[Allye]

Originally Posted by HDAV

But mitigate the risk of the prop chopping up the crew or public......
I honestly don’t. Know why throttle return slings aren’t standard on tillers!

Yes absolutely, I believe they serve as a anti cavitation measure too as we run them in white water extremely often.

Return springs are great but are quite hard on the wrist on the long slog. We always joke we have to get “tiller fit” at the start of a season. What is frightening is the rescue boats I helmed in NZ and Aus ran no return springs and no kill cords.

[Ribtecer]

Originally Posted by ShinyShoe

Solutions:

1. Always remove and clip to wheel when done. Makes it very obvious. Good in say a sailing club with potentially many helms

2. Permenantly attach to life jacket, so can never not have to plug in when return to boat.

Yes I see all that, but you're leaving a pontoon, tide and wind against you everything needs attention and thinking about about in advance. Wife and daughter sit still and watch whilst you do what has to be done. Then warps and fenders need dealing with whilst you're underway. Everything calms down and you're back at the helm. 10 minutes later your doing 25 kts and you see the dangling kill cord.

I like PD have stickers at the helm and on the back of the Helmsmans seat for my passengers to remind me.

This is so important.

[lakelandterrier]

Originally Posted by GuyC

Except that is a commercial vessel

I don't think just being a commercial operator is a valid excuse not to wear a kill cord in a high performance craft.

RNLI and Royal Naval are not "commercial vessels" they are specialist and operate in extreme conditions.

Your argument means that the helm of say a SeaSafari RIB needn't wear a kill cord because it's a commercial vessel- really? In a situation where the helm get disconnected from the power / steering on a fast passenger carrying RIB , I'd want that boat to stop quickly so control can be regained.

You are saying it's OK to have an out of control boat if it's not leisure

[Salty Pete]

This subject has been discussed before. In which I posted a photo of my kill cord setup.

My kill cord is attached as per normal but, I also have a cord attached to the boat that is rolled up and secured with a rubber band.

After the kill cord has been disconnected the cord feeds out and when the boat stops I am still attached to the boat.

Without that, being a RIB it would take off into the breeze.

Also you need to take into consideration that wearing a PFD makes it very difficult to swim efficiently.

I would link to my photo if I new how to do it.

[Daibheid]

I cannot believe someone on here would still question the need to wear a kill cord, much less that having others on board in any way mitigates their benefit. The conditions that send a helm out of a boat are probably going to eject everyone else on board if the engine stays powered up and quickly locks hard to one side and skip or hook. It will then mill everyone into chum.
Is this the same strain of logic that protests the loss of freedom with pandemic defence?
Must be the laziest and/or dumbest post of 2020 because there’s a litany of horror stories a mere click away. Plus anyone with a few years boating behind them will know someone who’s had a near miss -or worse- that a kill cord would have prevented.
Give me fu€king strength!

[GuyC]

Originally Posted by lakelandterrier

I don't think just being a commercial operator is a valid excuse not to wear a kill cord in a high performance craft.

I wasn't trying to justify all commercial operators not wearing a kill cord but just to highlight that the specific example shown might not have been a good example.

If the operator's risk assessment identifies that it is not necessary to wear a kill cord, there would be justification for not wearing one.

I'm not a commercial (or specialist) operator and I always wear a kill cord because I have no reason not to but a significant proportion of leisure boat drivers do not wear kill cords.

Let's try not to have a holier than thou attitude towards it.

[ShinyShoe]

Originally Posted by Ribtecer

Yes I see all that, but you're leaving a pontoon, tide and wind against you everything needs attention and thinking about about in advance. Wife and daughter sit still and watch whilst you do what has to be done. Then warps and fenders need dealing with whilst you're underway. Everything calms down and you're back at the helm. 10 minutes later your doing 25 kts and you see the dangling kill cord.

I like PD have stickers at the helm and on the back of the Helmsmans seat for my passengers to remind me.

This is so important.

When you did PB2, did they teach you it was Ok to drive with KC not connected for short distances?

There are enough people on here who attach KC to life jacket at consider the boat end the only end that EVER gets disconnected that you'd think it should be possible to find a single handed solution to most/all situations that people believe justify running with the cord dangling...?

As for the wife behaviour... No words

Stickers are lovely. But engineering solutions are better. Disconnecting the boat end is THE engineering solution

[Fender]

Originally Posted by GuyC

Except that is a commercial vessel and like the RNLI, the military and I'm sure a few other organisations, they possibly don't wear a kill cord as standard and for a good reason.

https://assets.publishing.service.go...0011/Milly.pdf

Being a little dim the 'and for a good reason' isn't immediately jumping out at me - please elaborate

Originally Posted by GuyC

If the operator's risk assessment identifies that it is not necessary to wear a kill cord, there would be justification for not wearing one.

Any safety device that mitigates risk and saves lives in 99% of cases is justification for wearing one, IMHO

[TimB]

Also you should periodically test your kill switch actually works

[Pikey Dave]

Aaaaaand there goes the annual “Kill Chord” (sic) debate, in case anyone hasn’t seen it before....

[GuyC]

Originally Posted by Fender

Being a little dim the 'and for a good reason' isn't immediately jumping out at me - please elaborate

Any safety device that mitigates risk and saves lives in 99% of cases is justification for wearing one, IMHO

I don't know why you wouldn't wear one as I'm not a member of one of those organisations.

I had a look at the manual for the RNLI Atlantic 85 - the PDF is available online. They do have a MOB cord which looks like a kill cord but operates the MOB functions on SIMS which is short for the snappily entitled Systems and Information Management System. As it says in the attachment, it doesn't stop the engines.

I had a look at some photo's I had of military RIBs and there were some that had kill cords. These could however have been similar to the RNLI set up in that they activate a MOB function.

I did look at the Workboat Code and there is a requirement to fit and wear kill cords so for commercial open boats and others, a kill cord should be fitted and used (in the UK). In the video the helm of the tow boat is helping the other crew to handle the towed boat so I can see why they wouldn't always be wearing a kill cord.

I do agree that you should wear one.

[gpsguru]

Originally Posted by lakelandterrier

If you want to know why the helm should always wear a kill cord
watch this as posted by Lee Argyle

https://www.rib.net/forum/f19/that-red-thing-83473.html

Hmmm .......... to stand off and watch that happen is difficult to watch ...... the stand off boat was close enough to throw a rope bundle into the prop of the runaway ....... job done ...........

[gpsguru]

Originally Posted by Pikey Dave

Mrs PD is under standing orders to nag me, if she notices I’m not wearing the kill cord. And it does happen, despite having a ruddy great sign stuck by the helm.
Attachment 133274

Same here ........... I tend to have 2 connected together which gives me plenty of 'wiggle room' on the boat to move around ............

[Fender]

Originally Posted by GuyC

Except that is a commercial vessel and like the RNLI, the military and I'm sure a few other organisations, they possibly don't wear a kill cord as standard and for a good reason.

Originally Posted by GuyC

I don't know why you wouldn't wear one as I'm not a member of one of those organisations.

OK...............

[willk]

Originally Posted by Pikey Dave

....’cos it’s A# Prop[emoji443]

..and not a String? I'll take a Note of that.

BTW - I can't believe this lot have got so hidebound that they left you hanging with that post!

[willk]

Originally Posted by Stoo

Anyway, I was curious about how you use your kill-chord.

I know there are a number of posts extolling the virtues of ALWAYS using a chord, including a pinned one from our illustrious leader relaying a story where an entire family was tossed and injured or killed. I see that as less likely than just me being tossed because I'm usually standing, straddling a jockey seat, were my better half is sitting and holding on tight. I think I need to be convinced that "always" really means "always"... And that perhaps keeping a spare chord hanging on the helm might not be a bad idea...

Thoughts?

Hi Stoo. I'm struggling to think of a practical reason NOT to use one! Speaking entirely from my own experience, on the couple of occasions where I've been "unseated" at the helm, the rest of the crew got the same slap. I think there is too much focus on the possibility of ejection. IMO the risk is in simply falling within the boat and losing hold of the wheel. What happens after that is my worry. There may be a boat doing 30kts unhelmed - that's going to need a hand back on the helm in a heartbeat before it all goes south. That's when people and boat may be going their owns ways. If I fall out - I want the boat stopped ASAP. Getting back in is secondary. Being visible and possibly in shouting distance with crew is good, IMO. Not meeting the boat returning unhelmed is good. Not having inexperienced PAX returning to get me at speed in a 3 ton boat is good.

I keep a spare killcord under my seat - the crew always know where it is.

I have had a couple of faulty kill switch mechanisms resulting in no-go. I now have a concealed override switch that can be deployed in a couple of seconds fi required - trusted crew know where it is.

Hope that Irish/NA wife of yours is still making your life interesting

[Ribtecer]

Originally Posted by ShinyShoe

When you did PB2, did they teach you it was Ok to drive with KC not connected for short distances?

There are enough people on here who attach KC to life jacket at consider the boat end the only end that EVER gets disconnected that you'd think it should be possible to find a single handed solution to most/all situations that people believe justify running with the cord dangling...?

As for the wife behaviour... No words

Stickers are lovely. But engineering solutions are better. Disconnecting the boat end is THE engineering solution

I have no desire to keep this rumbling on, but I thought I might like to confirm I am in no way an advocate of not wearing a Kill Cord.

I have however once or twice, for whatever reason, forgotten to put it on. Good for you ShinyShoe for never making mistakes.

I wrote to the RYA asking for the stickers they were offering, obviously they see merit in having them on boats with high powered engines, they kindly sent me two sets.

I stuck one sticker next to the gear selector in front of the helmsman, and another on the back of the console so my passengers (I did not use the word crew earlier or here, I see a big difference) can see, and like PD, before we set off I ask them if they see me in control of the vessel without wearing it they should alert (nag) me immediately.

A Kill Cord seems as vital as a Lifejacket and in the same way - useless if not worn.

[brveagle]

My johnson outboard has a kill cord but once it is pulled, the motor is able to be restarted again without one just fine. A nice little feature so that i don't have to carry a spare clip.