New Federal Law Requires Use Of Emergency Cut-off Lanyard...

MonacoMike

MonacoMike

Well-Known Member
Sep 15, 2009
14,721
Indiana lakes and Lake Michigan
Boat Info
2000 Cruisers 3870
8.2 Mercs
Engines
85 Sea Ray Monaco 197
260hp Alpha 1
Effective today for all boats less than 26 feet.

"On April 1, 2021 a new federal law goes into effect that requires the operator of a boat with an installed Engine Cut-Off Switch (ECOS) to use the ECOS link. The link is usually a coiled bungee cord lanyard clipped onto the operator's person, Personal Floatation Device (PFD) or clothing and the other end attached to the cut-off switch, but there are plenty of variations on the market, including electronic wireless devices. The law applies on all "Navigable Waters of the US".

https://uscgboating.org/recreational-boaters/engine-cut-off-devices.php
 
My 15 year old center console wont start with out it. This will be interesting to follow how the law is applied. If you are pulled over or boarded are you ticketed if the lanyard is not attached to the skipper? Or will they just give the skipper a ticket when his skipper-less vessel mows down someone? Just another unenforceable law to make someone justify their job.
 
I don’t have a problem with this....hell my 10hp dinghy scares me with the thought of getting knocked out by a wave... I don’t need a law though...common sense worked here
 
Keep in mind this may not apply to many of us- "any motorized boat with 3 or more horsepower that is less than 26 feet in length"
 
I don't know why this keeps getting posted with only 30% of the pertinent information included. Even our local news channels ran stories on this recently....with minimal useful information.

This wouldn't even be an interesting headline if it we're stated, as intended, that "all new <26' boats built after January 1, 2020 are required to have included, from the manufacturer, engine cut off devices".

So silly that people are worried about it. These headlines are not nearly as enjoyable as click-baiting with scantily clad ladies. :)

I guess a more useful headline would be "if your boat has a cutoff switch, use it, it's probably the law now". :)
 
Stee6043 said:
This wouldn't even be an interesting headline if it we're stated, as intended, that "all new <26' boats built after January 1, 2020 are required to have included, from the manufacturer, engine cut off devices".
Click to expand...

Right, "smaller" boats and IF equipped,
It's like the seat belt laws, the hope is it will lead to more actual use of the cutoff.
And being enacted as a Federal law the USCG can also enforce/inspect it as part of a safety boarding.
As well as local LEO in states that may not specifically have addressed this in that state.

The other secondary effect will be insurance, if you get hurt and are not wearing your seat belt insurance can use that against you. If your boat falls within these requirements and you get ejected and then your boat injures you or anyone else you violated the law, therefore negligent and this could be used against you.

But it's just common sense if the boat has one use it.
 
hughespat57 said:
Right, "smaller" boats and IF equipped,
It's like the seat belt laws, the hope is it will lead to more actual use of the cutoff.
And being enacted as a Federal law the USCG can also enforce/inspect it as part of a safety boarding.
As well as local LEO in states that may not specifically have addressed this in that state.

The other secondary effect will be insurance, if you get hurt and are not wearing your seat belt insurance can use that against you. If your boat falls within these requirements and you get ejected and then your boat injures you or anyone else you violated the law, therefore negligent and this could be used against you.

But it's just common sense if the boat has one use it.
Click to expand...

I believe "negligence" will only come into play when insurance companies are battling other insurance companies. Zero impact on person liability. Insurance companies cannot reduce/deny your coverage if you're breaking the law.

I chuckled this week reading about this cut-off switch law here in Michigan. Local law enforcement cannot enforce this until the states also adopt the new law. Could be years away? It almost makes this unenforceable here for all but the very small percentage of <26' boats that end up on the big lakes. No impact on inland lakes or rivers, no local law enforcement....seems almost useless at the moment.

That one poor soul in his 2020 Regal 250 that gets pulled over by USCG on Lake Michigan this summer not wearing his lanyard...man he's going to be pissed :)
 
I'm guilty of not wearing the kill switch lanyard except on a rare occasion. Now that this rule/law is being enforced, I think I am going to look into a wireless kills switch like the Fell Marina MOB system. For me, the lanyard seems to always get tangled up and somehow kills the engine at the worst possible time - ie moving to set a line, fender, grab another beer (just kidding). I see it like seatbelts, really no good excuse for not using it - law or no law - especially in a small open boat.
 
I'm taking a USCG course right now and the instructor just touched on this. He says it also applies to older boats if they get re-powered with a new engine that has it ... but I'm not sure on that.
 
BillK2632 said:
I'm guilty of not wearing the kill switch lanyard except on a rare occasion. Now that this rule/law is being enforced, I think I am going to look into a wireless kills switch like the Fell Marina MOB system. For me, the lanyard seems to always get tangled up and somehow kills the engine at the worst possible time - ie moving to set a line, fender, grab another beer (just kidding). I see it like seatbelts, really no good excuse for not using it - law or no law - especially in a small open boat.
Click to expand...

Just remember that the law only applies if you're on plane. If you're trolling around, rumaging through the cooler for that beer, even if you have a kill switch you're not required to use it. Pretty silly actually? Can you imagine if seat belt laws didn't apply below 15mph? We should all love this stuff...
 
Not to argue this "no brainer" but Federal Law has limitations; it is state and local law that has the teeth. The Federal law is applicable to Federally maintained navigable waterways only and possibly US territorial offshore. The law has no authority otherwise.
 
Interesting the way these regulations are written.
If you have an older boat without a cutoff, you do not need to install one.
If you have an older boat with a cutoff, you must use it.
Similar to the radar system regulation which requires us to have it on when underway, only if the boat is equipped with radar.

I have to go check my old ‘89 now to see if it even has one!!
 
BillK2632 said:
Does anyone have the Fell Marine system on their boat?
Click to expand...
I have it on my 34 Regulator. It’s currently unplugged and not used. I haven’t had the boat long enough to mess around with it but the one time I decided to plug it back in, I had issues synching the fobs to it. I’m sure it’s because I didn’t know what I was doing and need to read up on it.
 
@Stee6043, come to Charlevoix sometime. The Coast Guard is all over Lake Charlevoix doing safety inspections all summer long - and tons of boats under 26’. I imagine the same for other ports along the Great Lakes that have lakes and tributaries to the open water. I wouldn’t isolate this to the poor guy in the Regal 250 on Lake Michigan.
 
tc410 said:
@Stee6043, come to Charlevoix sometime. The Coast Guard is all over Lake Charlevoix doing safety inspections all summer long - and tons of boats under 26’. I imagine the same for other ports along the Great Lakes that have lakes and tributaries to the open water. I wouldn’t isolate this to the poor guy in the Regal 250 on Lake Michigan.
Click to expand...

Same thing down at the south end. They typically stop the smaller boats, overloaded, stereos blasting or acting stupid.

I rarely see them stop a larger cruiser unless you're asking for it.
 
tc410 said:
@Stee6043, come to Charlevoix sometime. The Coast Guard is all over Lake Charlevoix doing safety inspections all summer long - and tons of boats under 26’. I imagine the same for other ports along the Great Lakes that have lakes and tributaries to the open water. I wouldn’t isolate this to the poor guy in the Regal 250 on Lake Michigan.
Click to expand...

I was being dramatic. . Based on the ports I’ve visited up and down our side of the lake, nobody has a larger USCG presence than my home port of Grand Haven...
 
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