Kill Cords

Pigeon Reaper

Report of Investigation into "Man Overboard" from a RIB in Cork Harbour

This is a newly released report on an accident in which severe injuries could have been avoided by use of a functioning kill cord. It makes for interesting reading. I think I'll make all the youths in the Club who want to drive the powerboats read it before they get onto the helm.

fergal.b

I'm just wiring up a kill cord in my build at the moment These are cheep to buy and can easily be wired to any inboard or outboard so there is no reason not to have one. If you need a hand fitting one just ask here and I will try and help or your local auto/marine electrician should be able to fit one in no time.

It's just the small black switch with a pull cord that clips to your lifejacket.

alexlyons

They're unbelievably simple pieces of kit that should be present on all boats.
It's actually got to the stage with me that when driving larger boats which don't have them, it feels weird!

When teaching, I always put a huge amount of emphasis on the use of the kill cord and how important it is.

Two points to note:
I always get people to wrap the cord around their leg and clip it back on itself, rather than on clothing or lifejackets. This is due to the fact that i have experienced clothing ripping instead of the cord coming out. Ideally your leg won't come off! Your arm isn't great as it can easily slip off your wrist. Also, if clipped on improperly to an inflatable lifejacket, it could do more harm than good.

Secondly, always make sure you use a killcord with a metal wire through the middle of it. This will easily be seen if you look down the open end of the cord which has been double backed to create the loop.
Again this is due to cords without the wire breaking and not doing their job correctly.

murphym7

alexlyons wrote: »

They're unbelievably simple pieces of kit that should be present on all boats.
It's actually got to the stage with me that when driving larger boats which don't have them, it feels weird!

When teaching, I always put a huge amount of emphasis on the use of the kill cord and how important it is.

Two points to note:
I always get people to wrap the cord around their leg and clip it back on itself, rather than on clothing or lifejackets. This is due to the fact that i have experienced clothing ripping instead of the cord coming out. Ideally your leg won't come off! Your arm isn't great as it can easily slip off your wrist. Also, if clipped on improperly to an inflatable lifejacket, it could do more harm than good.

Secondly, always make sure you use a killcord with a metal wire through the middle of it. This will easily be seen if you look down the open end of the cord which has been double backed to create the loop.
Again this is due to cords without the wire breaking and not doing their job correctly.

Its always wrapped around my thigh too, its the best way.

fergal.b

It's also handy to keep a spare cord on the boat and tell your passengers where it is and how to use it just incase you go over then they will be able to come back for you and not dirt out to sea




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fergal.b

What type of person doesn't use a kill cord http://vimeo.com/49826484






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breghall

fergal.b wrote: »

What type of person doesn't use a kill cord http://vimeo.com/49826484






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Is it wrong that watching that made me laugh???? :eek:

fergal.b

In light of recent events here is a good post from Stuart McNamara of http://www.powerboat.ie/forums/


Kill Cords Save Lives !
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One of the more sobering aspects of my boating life is the investigation of accidents involving small and fast craft. Generally, I am acting as an expert witness for the courts. Very often, these accidents have left the victims severely injured.

In almost every serious powerboat accident that I have studied over the last twenty years, death or serious injury could have been prevented in nearly every case if the driver had worn a Life Jacket and a Kill Cord.

The benefits of life jackets are fairly apparent to all but it constantly amazes me how few people seem to realise that wearing Kill Cords on fast or open boats does save lives. Even the Department of the Marine here in Ireland seem to have ignored the value of Kill Cords within their recent and welcomed Small and Fast Water Craft Safety legislation.

Check out the ads in many boating magazines today. Glamorous pictures of open boats being driven with not a life jacket in sight and the kill cord flapping loosely from the throttle box.

A Kill Cord or Safety Lanyard is the small red lead that connects the driver to a switch located on the engine or sometimes the dashboard of the boat. The general idea is that if the driver gets knocked overboard, then the lanyard comes with him closing the electric switch that the engine end of the cord was attached to. The closed switch grounds the ignition and immediately stops the engine.

A typical accident happens as follows. The inexperienced or untrained powerboat driver is traveling too fast for the sea conditions. He hits a wave hard and gets flicked out of the boat. With no kill cord connected to the driver and no hand on the wheel, the boat continues under power. The boat then circles around at speed in ever decreasing circles until it invariably hits the driver in the water with horrific results.

If the driver had been wearing a kill cord and life jacket, then the engine would have stalled as soon as he fell out. His life jacket would deploy allowing him to swim the few metres back to reboard the boat and consider some revised driving practices!

I hope that we have convinced you to always wear a kill cord, so how about some Professional Tips!

Connect your Kill Cord around your leg or to your life jacket harness rather than to your wrist. Kill cords have been known to slip off of wet wrists and also, when worn on the wrist can get tangled in throttles etc. It is far better to wear it around you thigh or knee so that there is no way that you are coming out of the boat without the kill cord coming with you. You can also attach it to your lifejacket harness. But be sure that it is attached to secure webbing or a lifting loop rather than a flimsy plastic buckle, which might give way as you are chucked out.

Check your kill cord regularly. Check it for signs of cuts, nicks or fraying and give it a good pull from either end. Check frequently that it is working by removing it while the engine is idling. It should immediately stop the engine. If it doesn’t, have the engine checked by a specialist before using it.

When leaving the boat, bring the kill cord with you. As well as being an anti theft measure, it also ensures that you must refit the kill cord before you can restart the engine. It is common enough for some one climbing aboard a boat with a connected kill cord hanging loose to forget to attach it to them selves before driving away. When training Powerboat Instructors in the past, I’d always advise them to leave the kill cord attached to their leg and shove the engine end into their trouser pocket when going in for lunch. If you have to take off the kill cord while the engine is still running but in neutral, wrap the driver end of the cord around the steering wheel so that there is no way you can accidentally drive off with re-attaching the kill cord to your leg.

Never attach or tie the kill cord to the ignition key. Ignition keys generally cannot be removed while in the on position. I have seen at least one case where a faller was being towed through the water by his kill cord still firmly attached to the ignition switch.

Check that your Kill Cord is genuine. In the past, it has come to my attention that many reputable chandlers have been innocently selling dodgy or spurious kill cords. A true kill cord is made with a strong wire or string core, which is then coated with a red plastic protective cover. Spring clips and fastenings should be strong and made from metal. The dodgy or spurious Kill cords are pure plastic with no core and the spring clips (leg end of cord) are usually made of just plastic. Very often these spurious cords fail or break by merely being pulled off of the engine or throttle box.




Carry a spare kill cord in your toolbox. Kill cords sink so it pays to have a spare aboard just in case. The spare can also be used by another qualified driver to save you a swim back to the boat if you have been silly enough to take a dive. Many of the Professional Boat Squads we have trained equip every qualified Coxswain aboard with a personal kill cord allowing some one else to quickly regain the helm after an accident.
So there you have it. If you want to make your powerboating safer and more enjoyable:

• Get professional training at an Irish Sailing Association or RYA recognised Powerboat School.
• Drive safely and responsibly.
• Always wear a Kill Cord and Life jacket.
• Always drive with one hand on the throttle so that you can you can kill the power before something goes wrong.
• And finally Have Fun !

spynappels

+1000000000

I had a mate who always laughed at me for using it, until the day he hit a wake and was flipped out of the boat himself without it. Luckily for him there was someone else on the boat who was not thrown clear and who had the foresight to knock the engine into neutral, but it could have been so much worse.

It's not as if the kill cord is restrictive or anything, especially if it is attached to the harness of the lifejacket.

alexlyons

It's one aspect of boating when I'm teaching that I drilll into people, you must wear it, end of.

Just a note fergal, that picture is actually of one of the spurious kill cords stuart is on about.

pedroeibar1

And if anyone is doubtful just read this from two days ago
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/padstow-speedboat-crash-father-daughter-1871915

fergal.b

This was a close one :eek: but just goes to show how important kill cords are. If you haven't got one this is one worthwhile and easy job you can do over the winter if you have any questions about fitting one just ask and I will try and help out.

fergal.b

Another sad reminder http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-25948960





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Sh1tbag OToole

@fergal
That is a tidy plate you have in the pic, did you make it yourself?

fergal.b

Sh1tbag OToole wrote: »

@fergal
That is a tidy plate you have in the pic, did you make it yourself?

I think it was ebay "look up push start ignition" some motor factors also have them, the kill cord was separate.



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fergal.b

fergal.b wrote: »

Another sad reminder http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-25948960





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The full report can be seen here http://www.maib.gov.uk/cms_resources.cfm?file=/Milly.pdf a very simple mistake that could happen to anyone






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