Where do you hook lanyard?

[Vankaye]

Re: Where do you hook lanyard?

I also don't believe the lanyard is in my best interest on my particular boat.
I have a large deck boat that would stop like a car if the motor was accidentally cut-off by a lanyard, throwing passengers and gear all over the place. This poses far more danger to my passengers AND has a much greater likelihood of happening than me driving so crazy that I get myself thrown from the boat.

Now, on a PWC I would absolutely not ride without a functioning lanyard. Just my .02

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Where do you hook lanyard?

I know the lanyard is a good idea as is wearing a PFD while operating. I don't do either I am afraid that if I forget and stand up to drive or move to far away from the controls while reaching for something there is more chance of injuring someone. I never go out alone or in bad conditions and if it gets bad while out I slow down accordingly. Everyone on the boat knows basic operation and where the other safety devices are located.

in that case you need a slightly longer lanyard, so you can stand up, but consider this: you are using it if you are the driver. You should not move away from the helm while driving. If you are reaching for something far enough away to shut off the motor, at a speed that might hurt someone, then have that someone hand you that something.

At low speeds, when it is safe (in some boat designs like a center console) to move away from the console to grab a line or boat hook, you don't need to be hooked up. The lanyard is protection from you being thrown out of the boat. If the conditions aren't such that you won't get thrown out, don't use it.

Mine is clipped in good and tight to the dash fitting so when I forget, I get yanked back to the helm before it comes loose.

 

[haulnazz15]

Re: Where do you hook lanyard?

I never had cause to use the lanyard on the bass boat (the only boat we've owned with a lanyard equipped). I never ran it in much more than 1-2' chop, and never at much over 35mph unless on glass smooth water. The lanyard was always tucked beside the helm seat. I would advice using them when on bad seas, night operations, or high speed runs. I have never been in a situation where a PFD needed to be worn while driving, either, so that limits the locations to attache the clip. I recommend the wrist-style lanyards for the boats anyway, as they offer a bit more freedom of movement being attached to your hand then when the lanyard is running up under your arm.

 

[kfa4303]

Re: Where do you hook lanyard?

I always wear it, especially when I'm alone. I just keep it wrapped around my left wrist at all times while underway. I use a tiller extender so I had to add a bit of rope to the red curly cue factory lanyard, but it works fine. I've added them to all of my vintage motors too. It also adds an extra layer of safety and convenience as you can take the lanyard with you while at the dock and no one can start the boat. Almost like having a key ignition. Best $10 you can spend on a motor. Nothing worse than taking a wave, falling overboard and watching your vessel head off into the wild blue yonder without you, and the other folks on the water don't much appreciate it either. Gethca one and use it

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Where do you hook lanyard?

I never had cause to use the lanyard on the bass boat (the only boat we've owned with a lanyard equipped). I never ran it in much more than 1-2' chop, and never at much over 35mph unless on glass smooth water. The lanyard was always tucked beside the helm seat. I would advice using them when on bad seas, night operations, or high speed runs. I have never been in a situation where a PFD needed to be worn while driving, either, so that limits the locations to attache the clip. I recommend the wrist-style lanyards for the boats anyway, as they offer a bit more freedom of movement being attached to your hand then when the lanyard is running up under your arm.

Isn't that a lot like saying "I've never had cause to wear a seat belt" if you've never been in a wreck? To buy insurance?

Ever run a bass boat over a sunken log or stump at 30 MPH?

A low freeboard slippery boat like a bass boat is what you really need a kill switch and a PFD for.

OK I'll admit I seldom use the kill lanyard in most of my boats and don't always wear a PFD (but I'm getting better). However, I know that I should.

 

[Bondo]

Re: Where do you hook lanyard?

Isn't that a lot like saying "I've never had cause to wear a seat belt" if you've never been in a wreck? To buy insurance?

Ever run a bass boat over a sunken log or stump at 30 MPH?

A low freeboard slippery boat like a bass boat is what you really need a kill switch and a PFD for.

OK I'll admit I seldom use the kill lanyard in most of my boats and don't always wear a PFD (but I'm getting better). However, I know that I should.

Ayuh,.... What's a Kill Lanyard,..?? somethin' on a Jetski ain't it,..??

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Where do you hook lanyard?

If you boat in 'Bama you'll find out real quick what one is if the Marine Police catch you operating your boat without it on, $250 ticket/fine.

 

[coolbri70]

Re: Where do you hook lanyard?

i don't have a kill lanyard, when did they start using them? if my vessel was made before this law wouldn't i be grandfathered?

 

[Downforce6]

Re: Where do you hook lanyard?

If you boat in 'Bama you'll find out real quick what one is if the Marine Police catch you operating your boat without it on, $250 ticket/fine.

I wonder if that's the case here in MO?


I haven't been using mine either, I guess i'd better start. My thought was the same as before mentioned, I'll forget it and try to move and it will come out at the wrong time and something bad will happen. But... I don't get out of my seat while underway, so really there is little chance of this happening I guess. I don't have a cup holder within reach of my seat, so I stretch over to the passenger seat sometimes, where there are two holders, I need to rig up a cup holder within reach, and NO, It isn't a beer I'm reaching for. I will have a couple while anchored, but always eat lunch afterwords, and have never had more than 3. (Off subject a little but we are talking about saftey here)

I also have never worn my PFD at my usual lake, (Mark Twain lake in MO). I always put it under the dash where I can grab it quick if we start taking on water but I know better, I should have it on and I know it. I took the boat to the larger Lake Ozark last week on vacation, and demanded myself and everyone else, (wife and daughter) wore there's. I always make the 10 year old girl wear her's until we anchor, but me and the wife never do with the exception of the lake Ozark trip.

Am I the only one here who will admit they don't were it cause, NO ONE ELSE is wearing there's and they don't want to look like a wuss?

Truth is, this is out of character for me, now that I'm 40, to be honest I don't care much what other people think, I'm well past the "cool" phase. but for some reason I let this affect my decision at the lake. Part of it is I think, because I'm a boating newbie, I'm already trying a bit not to look like an idiot out there. I have only been out a couple times at Mark Twain, and the once at Lake Ozark, but from what I've seen. Less than 10 percent of the adults are wearing PFDs. Most people make their kids where them, but they themselves are not.

Mark Twain is a calm lake, not much big boats making huge wakes, and I guess because I've never been close to anything happening I haven't been wearing it. but I know I should be.

I'm going to break this bad habit.

 

[haulnazz15]

Re: Where do you hook lanyard?

Wearing your pfd while underway as an adult is a personal choice. my decision to wear one is solely dependent on the type of boat and the conditions you are running in. It would take something to occur in order to toss me out of a deep v runabout. If I'm running flat out in a little bass boat, wearing a life jacket makes more sense because as speed increases, so does the rate at which things go wrong.

 

[catfishcarl99]

Re: Where do you hook lanyard?

i hook it around itself making a loop. i stick it on my right wrist when driving. sitting with the motor off it dangles. i wear it when driving at speed and thats it.

 

[catfish58]

Re: Where do you hook lanyard?

Mine is clipped to my pfd. I always wear my pfd whenever I'm going over 'no wake' speed. It's an agreement I made with my wife when I started boating since I'm almost always solo.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Where do you hook lanyard?

Ayuh,.... What's a Kill Lanyard,..?? somethin' on a Jetski ain't it,..??

Ayuh...it's a red plastic cord 'n has a clip a' one en' 'n ayuh a fittin' a' th' other en' ayuh that clips to yer 'nition n' comes aloose ayuh when yer yanks on th' cord real hard 'n shuts off yer motor ayuh ayuh yer sees 'em on boats made after 1985 er so ayuh.

ayuh 'n this ain't a private message so don't DELETE IT ayuh

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Where do you hook lanyard?

The little clip on the end of my lanyard is aggravating/hard to use too, so I put a good sized karabiner through the "D" ring on my PFD and just slip the loop of the lanyard clip on the karabiner... lots easier.

I do forget to unhook my lanyard sometimes and will stand up and kill the motor, but this only happens at idle speed (who stands up and moves away from the controls at WOT?) usually when I'm coming in to the dock and the boat is in neutral anyway so it's no big deal.

I personally feel that the safety advantages of the kill switch and PFD far outweigh the little minor inconveniences they may cause.

 

[Expidia]

Re: Where do you hook lanyard?

Great comment by the poster who pointed out that if you fall overboard the ability for someone to start the motor and drive it back to you is gone!

My lanyard the coil has limped out of it. I'm going to order a new one and use the clip of the old one with a short piece of the old lanyard and fasten it to the throttle cable which goes into the back of my throttle to use as an emergency clip.

I'm on the Hudson River a lot and it has a decent current. If I went in my Wife would be quickly floating down river with no way to start the outboard!

And yes, it is a total pain when you move around it gets tangled or if you forget and walk too far from the throttle the boat stops like you just hit a brick wall. Because of all this I tend to only use it clipped to my vest when I'm alone on the boat.

I checked into wireless last year. Wireless should come with a new boat already as mandatory and should be required on all boats. They are just so damn expensive. Notice anything with boating that can save lives they rip you off on the price until it goes to the mass market. Like those EPIRB units that used to be about $2000! Or even combo GPS units they used to be sky high too. I'd like to see radar units drop down faster.

 

[raymond47]

Re: Where do you hook lanyard?

is that the case with all boats? I have a pontoon I use on Lake Weiss, I had never heard that about he lanyards but then again I haven't been stopped by the Marine police yet either

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Where do you hook lanyard?

Great comment by the poster who pointed out that if you fall overboard the ability for someone to start the motor and drive it back to you is gone!
I'm not sure how all kill switches work, but when mine is activated/tripped all you have to do is flip the little red toggle switch up and it'll start without the lanyard and I think this is the way most boats are. I show all new passengers on my boat how to do this before we leave the dock, along with where the fire extinguishers are and the location of the air horn for distress signals.

is that the case with all boats? I have a pontoon I use on Lake Weiss, I had never heard that about he lanyards but then again I haven't been stopped by the Marine police yet either

The next time you see the Marine police out flag one down and ask him, the fine may even be higher now.

Here's the 5 states that have kill switch/Lanyard laws:


What?s coming next?

The Lanyard Law

Let?s face it, these things are inconvenient, and most people probably don?t use them on boats. And unless you live in one of five states that has a lanyard law then you won?t be fined for not using the lanyard. If your boat is equipped with a lanyard or built after a certain date, then you will be fined if you are operating your boat without using your lanyard in the following states: Nevada, Alabama, New Jersey, Louisiana, and Illinois. And the Coast Guard is trying to make use of cut-off switches a federal law soon, which may make this issue much more important to you if you boat in the other 45 states.

 

[emoney]

Re: Where do you hook lanyard?

I think the conversation and instruction with your passengers is something we all overlook too often. I do try to get every new person to "take the wheel" so-to-speak so they get a feel for the boat and how it operates, but without a specific "what to do in an emergency" conversation, not sure that info will stick. Where I live I think too many people get over confident because the Continental Shelf comes in so far that's its rather shallow. However, weather changes quick and affects the water more because of it, imho. It doesn't take but a very small "quick thunderstorm" to change fate rapidly. And, if the chop gets to as little as 2', you can lose a man overboard very quickly. If I happened to be the MOB, then I'm not so sure the Admiral or any of the normal 1st Mates would be able to react quick enough to truly help. I think this weekend we'll have a MOB drill aboard "Nomoorkidz II" and we'll invite my daughter to participate as well.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Where do you hook lanyard?

"Wireless should come with a new boat already as mandatory and should be required on all boats. "

No way. First we don't need any more mandatory this that and the other to protect people from themselves (primary purpose; an unattended run-away boat is too rare an occurance to matter for publi9c safety reasons; not so however w/ jet skis)

Second I don't want anything that will shut me down when it malfunctions. As a salt water boater, the word is "when" and not "if." I require plain old simple straight line no electronics operating system, with mechanical preferred over electronic. And it has to have at least one by-pass, that can be done in the dark in freezing rain with baling wire. The standard kill switch is risky enough.

I can't think of anything more dangerous. I wouldn't install one if you gave it to me. Luckily product liability laws won't let the manufacturers put them in standard and stay in business.

 

[H20Rat]

Re: Where do you hook lanyard?

If you are alone, and if you are wearing the lanyard, then the engine stops and there is no need for the wireless. If you are wearing the lanyard and you fall overboard then you take the lanyard with you and then how will the "someone" (if they know how to run a boat and don't panic) know how to restart the boat w/o the clip.

So two methods... Either just hold the pin in manually, or my backup plan, there is a replacement lanyard in a dry box in the back of the boat. That is both to protect from the above happening, as well as me losing the lanyard and being out a day of boating.