PropellerSafety.com

Preventing Propeller Accidents – Page 2

RYA Kill Switch lanyard wear PSA 2019

Royal Yachting Association (RYA) of the United Kingdom (UK) released a great “wear your kill switch lanyard / kill cord” Public Service Announcement (PSA) August 6, 2019. In the UK kill switch lanyards are referred to as “kill cords”. RYA’s PSA is titled A Kill Cord Could Save Your Life. While the PSA is supported […]

Broussard bass boat kill switch ejection video

Michael Broussard was bass fishing on Toledo Bend Reservoir with his father in 2018. Michael was operating the boat and failed to connect his kill switch lanyard. In April 2019 he posted an on vessel video of the event in multiple resolutions on YouTube.

Bass angler ejected: Table Rock

Skeet Reese, well known professional bass angler, shared a video on his Facebook page with some great coverage of a bass boat ejection that occurred right in front of him, and the ensuing rescue of the boat operator. [facebook url=”https://www.facebook.com/skeetreese/videos/288705872018065/”] Skeet reports the accident happened shortly after takeoff of the MLF Bass Pro Tour Tournament […]

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 […]

Pontoon Boat propeller warning from Aiden Mckitrick’s mother

Back on May 5, 2016, three year old Aiden McKitrick fell from the front of a pontoon boat and was entrapped on the propeller. We posted coverage of his accident at that time. Now (early March 2017) about ten months after Aiden’s accident on Lake Ray Hubbard in Texas, his mother is speaking out with […]

Worst Boat Propeller Warning Ever: nausea category

Over the years we have seen many boat propeller warnings that were not as effective as they should have been for all kinds of reasons. Over the last 40 plus years I have looked at thousands of warnings on many kinds of equipment and none of them have ever made me sick. All that changed […]

Circle of Death Warning

It has long been known that if you take you hand off the tiller or steering wheel, many outboard powered boats will circle hard to the right due to propeller torque. The boating industry has had various name for it through the yeaers. In the 1980’s some called it the “Circling Phenomenon”. Some call it […]

Preventing Pontoon Boat “Over the Bow” Propeller Accidents

Children and adults have been falling off the bow of pontoon boats and being stuck by the propeller for decades. A typical scenario involves children sitting on the bow, outside the fence, with their feet dangling in the water as the boat moves forward. They hit a larger wake or wave and are pulled overboard […]