PropellerSafety.com

Archive for July 2017

The Leash patent application was published by USPTO

The Leash, a tether for large outboard motors, entered the market in early 2016. They especially focus on preventing bass boat outboard motors from entering the boat after striking a floating, submerged, or fixed object. Their patent application was filed 22 December 2015 and published 18 months later on 22 June 2017 by the U.S. […]

Brunswick follows our lead, patents active trim cylinder US Patent 9,290,252

In December 2013 we published a report, Approaches to Prevent Outboard Motors From Flipping Into Boats After Striking Floating or Submerged Objects in which we identified several ways to prevent outboard motors from breaking off and flipping into boats after striking submerged objects. One of those was was active trim control (see pages 33-34 of […]

Designing a Log Strike Test Stand to Verify Durability of Outboard Motor Prototypes

We have previously written extensively on log strike testing, the variables involved, and more specifically on trying to prevent outboard motors from breaking off and entering boats after striking floating or submerged objects. This installment focuses purely on durability testing of prototype outboards. It does NOT address the issue of outboard motors breaking off and […]

12 year-old New York boy killed by boat propeller during sailing lesson

Three boys in a sailing class at Centerport Yacht Club on the north side of Long Island, New York were out sailing in Northport Harbor Tuesday afternoon 18 July, 2017. Their boat was capsized on purpose as part of a man overboard exercise. Two of the boys stayed with the sailboat. The third boy was […]

10 ejected from boat in Lake Gage IN Circle of Death accident VIDEO

Ten people were onboard a 21 foot Ski Nautique on Lake Gage in Steuben County Indiana about 7:15pm Saturday July 15, 2017. Dominique Effinger a 20 year old female was operating the boat. The boat took a hard turn and all ten people on board were ejected. The unmanned boat went into the Circle of […]

USCG Kopytko boat kill switch PSA

U.S Coast Guard has released a Public Service Announcement (PSA) reenacting the June 1994 accident on Table Rock Lake in Missouri that maimed Phyllis Kopyto and claimed the lives of her husband Bob Kopytko and of their fishing guide, Paul Brundridge. Phyllis speaks over the reenactment video. The video is very forceful.

Get Connected NSBC kill switch campaign image of a hand

The National Safe Boating Council (NSBC) “Get Connected” campaign, funded by a U.S. Coast Guard grant, encourages boat operators to connect the kill switch / engine stop switch. The purpose of connecting the kill switch lanyard / engine stop switch or using a virtual lanyard is to cause the boat to stop if the operator […]

Kill Switch Public Service Announcement : Hunter Bland of U.F. bass fishing team

Hunter Bland and Conner Young of the University of Florida Bass Fishing team were ejected from their bass boat at speed during a Collegiate tournament in January 2017. A steering system failure caused the boat to abruptly turn to the right. Hunter was operating the boat and had the kill switch lanyard attached. Both young […]

Patrick Oliver dies from propeller wounds from trying to rescue his daughter Katlyn

Earlier, we covered the accident in which Patrick and his daughter Katlyn Oliver were swimming behind a houseboat on their way back to shore. Katlyn Oliver, 4, killed by houseboat propeller on Lake Belton in Texas. They were returning to shore after Katyln’s first boat ride. The house boat engines were started and reversed, Katyln […]