# PSA for other new boaters.



## jay.bush1434 (Dec 27, 2014)

Good tips. Glad your buddy is ok.
Keep an extra key and kill switch onboard. Tell others onboard where it is. Years ago, I had some friends on the boat out for a ride and going into a turn, I got bumped, lost my balance and fell out of the boat. I took the kill switch with me so the motor stopped and the boat settled to a stop in the water about 20' away. Problem was, the key float had wrapped around the kill switch lanyard and pulled the key out. The little bead chain broke and the float fell into the boat while the key fell in the water. Had to call a neighbor to bring my spare key from the house so we could get home...


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## Gervais (Nov 28, 2016)

There was a similar incident recently in SC and the guy didn’t make it. Even in my cooler caddy it can still tip a from side to side a few degrees so I added a tie down towards the rear just in case.


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## Viking1 (May 23, 2010)

Thanks for sharing.


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## Cam (Apr 5, 2017)

I got bucked in a similar situation when I was a kid. In a relatively new to us boat, my dads hat flew off as he let go to try and catch it the tiller caught a very small passing wake and threw the tiller hard right. Out I went as the boat spun. 

I didn't normally wear a life jacket back then but this being a boat we didn't know well, I did. I am a crazy good swimmer but I was thrown so far and down that without a life jacket I am not sure I would have come up in time as the impact completely knocked the wind out of me and I was in momentary shock.

I know now when running at speed that getting thrown from a boat is a very real danger and a person is lucky if they don't get run over by a running prop and don't drown.


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## SomaliPirate (Feb 5, 2016)

When you're in a true micro, you learn to take wakes seriously! I'm really guilty of not wearing my kill switch most of the time. It's something I really need to get better about. 
Funny Story: After those kids disappeared on the east coast a couple of years ago my mom got on this kick that I needed a Epirb. She had not been in a boat with me or my dad since the early 90's when we would run 30 miles into the open Caribbean in a 22' Mako. I kept trying to tell her that I didn't really need a Epirb since I fished back creeks and flats in the gulf coast now-and I carry safety gear and a VHF. She was in full mom mode and was not hearing it. Finally she desperately asks "Well what are you going to do if your boat sinks?!!" Me: "Mom, I'm fishing in 14 inches of water, I'll freaking walk back to the ramp"


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## Cam (Apr 5, 2017)

We are bad with the kill switch as well. I consider picking up one of the electronic ones from time to time. Something like the MOB+. 

https://www.westmarine.com/buy/fell...-wireless-engine-cutoff-switch-gray--18736249



SomaliPirate said:


> Finally she desperately asks "Well what are you going to do if your boat sinks?!!" Me: "Mom, I'm fishing in 14 inches of water, I'll freaking walk back to the ramp"


In the shallow waters we fish now, I am guessing a helmet is about as good as a life jacket if we were to get bucked out of a skiff.


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## nautilott (Oct 29, 2017)

I've had the Cayo for about a month and a half now and had it out only twice...mainly because of the heat and installing addons to make it my own. Anyway, I swore an oath what if the engine was running, I'd be clipped in to the kill switch.
This Thursday, I was solo fishing the St. Johns and headed North into Lake Washington...and just forgot to clip in. The lake's surface was like glass, but I did notice the skiff was trying to pull a little too much to starboard and I made a mental note to adjust the trim tab went I got back. Just then, the boat started pulling HARD to the right and then snapped hard to the right. I tried to reduce speed but it was too late.

It happened sooo fast, I remember the wall of water and the next thing I knew, I was looking up though tannin waters. When I came up(wearing PFD) the boat was stopped, upright and about 30 yards away. Between was the engine cowl floating upside down and sinking fast. I didn't inflate my PFD because I had to get to the cowl fast and felt it was giving me enough floatation. I grabbed it just in time and now I've got a water anchor in hand with about 25 more yards to go.
When I got to the boat, a 'year' later, I got the cowl back on the boat after some real effort and had to rest and gather myself. No way did I have the gas to hoist my 71 year old butt back on the boat. I did have about 10 minutes to contemplate Lake Washington's alligator population and the odds of one of them hungry for 230 lbs. of man meat. Can't say it was easy, but with the 10 minutes and those thoughts, along with the help of the cavitation plate and the polling platform stanchion, my tired butt was back on board.
Looking around at the carnage, I found the tiller extension gone(T&T wiring hanging out of the engine tiller end), the engine tiller broken and hanging low and the ignition key bent at a 45 degree angle. Also I realized my glasses, hat, and my brand new BG and rod were missing as well. Cell was toast, wallet and 9mm soaked in my pouch and my pride and confidence severely diminished...could have been much worse.
I try not to tell on myself too much when I screw up really badly, but if this post helps someone to be more aware of their safety equipment and the need to use them constantly, so be it.
Baby is in covered storage awaiting for me to find a Tohatsu repair station and I'm still trying to figure out what the ____ happened. Still, I'm a lucky dude


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## devrep (Feb 22, 2009)

wow, just wow. You need to figure this out. Just needing to adjust the torque tab would not have caused this. When I first put the new motor on my tiller waterman it was pulling so hard to one side it was exhausting but I ran it that way for weeks before I tried adjusting the tab. I ended up with the tab at almost 45 degrees to get most of the torque out. But it never did anything weird. Do you think the tiller got knocked out of you hand? I suspect your extension failed from the torque and snapped off. If that happened the boat would do exactly what you describe when the motor would slam over hard to the stop. What extension were you using at the time?


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## GullsGoneWild (Dec 16, 2014)

I'm running a tohat tiller and I've never had an issue with torque. Set up from ECC was perfect and no adjustments have been needed. I use my steering friction lock and keep it locked up all the time. Same with throttle lock so its vital for me to wear my switch.

Was the boat pulling to the right when you took it out the first time? What are the differences between first and second time using the boat?


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## nautilott (Oct 29, 2017)

The first outing was with the wife and we never went faster than just on plane. The second time, the pull to the right wasn't very strong but annoying. When the incident happened, I felt the boat strongly pull to starboard and before I could reduce speed, the built in spray rails may have dug in and spun the boat out...I'm guessing here. 
My thoughts are that the tiller extension may have vibrated loose(could be why I couldn't reduce rpm in time???) That's when the tab may have helped to move the tiller to the right until the torque forces slammed the bow hard to the right. Again, I'm just guessing here. At the time, I was probably going faster than necessary, but not WOT. Great fun til the sheet hit the fan.
The other mystery is how the engine's tiller got broken. Snapped just aft of the twist handle. There is no indication that the tiller hit the polling platform or anything else for that matter, well, other than my head or body as I was thrown out. Again, just a guess. The really strange thing was the ignition key was bent almost 45 degrees and still in the switch. That's probably why the boat shut down??? Very lucky.


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## Net 30 (Mar 24, 2012)

Someone up above was looking out for you....crazy story. Can't imagine how hard it must have been to get back onboard after that kind of trauma.

If I were you I'd bring the skiff to Cayo and have them retrofit and install a small side console and change the engine to remote steering. 

Peace of mind for you and your wife _(my wife would be busting my balls mercilessly about my buying such a small tippy boat in the first place)._


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## nautilott (Oct 29, 2017)

devrep, from your and others description, I'm thinking it was a Carbon Marine. Their website pics look identical. Thinking back, I did lube the extension thumb wheel screws so it was easier to tighten down for a snugger fit to the engine tiller. They were sticky and hard to tighten. You thinking that I'm thinking?


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## nautilott (Oct 29, 2017)

Net 30... Very glad I was solo, she's pretty nervous about boating anyway. I may have screwed the pooch on this one. We'll see. A trip to Cayo is probably a good idea...this is too important to be guessing, and that's exactly what I'm doing. Thanks


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## GullsGoneWild (Dec 16, 2014)

hopefully you have insurance. Something else is happening here.... Boats just don't all of a sudden turn by themselves without some external forces. Have you checked the hull? the lower unit? Wondering if something was fouled on the prop, lower unit, hull, or possibly if you could have accidently hit the trim tab switch and dug one tab in while trimmed up.

The only time I get torque on my tiller is when I'm trimmed up


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## nautilott (Oct 29, 2017)

Gulls, no I haven't checked anything in real detail...other than what's still there and what isn't. Honestly, I think I'm still a little in shock at this point but I'm about ready to face and figure this thing out. Boat's in storage right now...just needed a couple of days away from it all. 
BTW, the trim tabs were up, and yes it's insured.


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## EvanHammer (Aug 14, 2015)

GullsGoneWild said:


> hopefully you have insurance. Something else is happening here.... Boats just don't all of a sudden turn by themselves without some external forces. Have you checked the hull? the lower unit? Wondering if something was fouled on the prop, lower unit, hull, or possibly if you could have accidently hit the trim tab switch and dug one tab in while trimmed up.
> 
> The only time I get torque on my tiller is when I'm trimmed up


Actually, boats turn themselves all the time. If the tiller extension or tiller handle broke the boat would generally turn itself to the right from the torque of the motor. Speaking from experience as I (and many others) have fallen off skiffs before and they tend to run clockwise circles.

Lesson learned, I wear a kill switch now.


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## Indoman (Jul 25, 2013)

“2. I think the best way to take those wakes must be like you learned to do with a bicycle taking a curb. Attack it at something close to 90 degrees. Don't try to take it at a shallow angle.”

In my experience every boat is a bit different. You gotta play around a bit and figure out what works best for your particular hull and load at the time. I’ve seen both a shallow angle approach and closer to 90 work equally well.


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## GullsGoneWild (Dec 16, 2014)

EvanHammer said:


> Actually, boats turn themselves all the time. If the tiller extension or tiller handle broke the boat would generally turn itself to the right from the torque of the motor. Speaking from experience as I (and many others) have fallen off skiffs before and they tend to run clockwise circles.
> 
> Lesson learned, I wear a kill switch now.


I guess I'm a fan of using the steering friction lock and the throttle lock. But I don't use an extension.


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## jmrodandgun (Sep 20, 2013)

Wouldn't prop toque list the boat to port not starboard?


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## nautilott (Oct 29, 2017)

Indoman, completely agree with taking wakes close to 90 deg. but in my case, no wakes and glass like water surface. Which makes me believe that the tiller extension probably separated.


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## EvanHammer (Aug 14, 2015)

jmrodandgun said:


> Wouldn't prop toque list the boat to port not starboard?


I suck at spatial orientation. But, if the prop is spinning righthand it pushes the motor left? Which makes the boat turn right?

All I know is when you fall off one they run a clockwise circle and smart people get the F out of the way while slower people try to catch the boat as it goes by.


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## EvanHammer (Aug 14, 2015)

EvanHammer said:


> I suck at spatial orientation. But, if the prop is spinning righthand it pushes the motor left? Which makes the boat turn right?
> 
> All I know is when you fall off one they run a clockwise circle and smart people get the F out of the way while slower people try to catch the boat as it goes by.


Guess that would make the boat turn left but the one I fell off made big right hand circles gettting wider as it went until it finally plowed up the bank once it spiraled far enough out.


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## EvanHammer (Aug 14, 2015)

GullsGoneWild said:


> I guess I'm a fan of using the steering friction lock and the throttle lock. But I don't use an extension.


I haven't had a tiller in a couple years and had an older motor on that one. Especially when you mount the motor pretty high (either on a manual jackplate or just by raising the boat holes) it seems like it's harder to eliminate all the torque.


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## GullsGoneWild (Dec 16, 2014)

I know the further I trim up the more torque I feel till I even it out with my tabs.


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## jmrodandgun (Sep 20, 2013)

nautilott said:


> Indoman, completely agree with taking wakes close to 90 deg. but in my case, no wakes and glass like water surface. Which makes me believe that the tiller extension probably separated.


Go take a picture of your trim anode, if it's still there, and the tiller damage.


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## nautilott (Oct 29, 2017)

^^^Yeah, going to bring it home for a closer look tomorrow. I need to get my new cell phone up and running as well as how to post pics. Man, I miss my old flip phone.


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## devrep (Feb 22, 2009)

nautilott said:


> devrep, from your and others description, I'm thinking it was a Carbon Marine. Their website pics look identical. *Thinking back, I did lube the extension thumb wheel screws so it was easier to tighten down for a snugger fit to the engine tiller. They were sticky and hard to tighten.* You thinking that I'm thinking?


If you took the tiller extension tightening nuts off or loosened them up to lube them, my guess would be that you didn't put it back right. Would be nice to know if the extension was made for that motor or if it was reused from another brand or model. Mine fits very well but I had it made for my specific motor.


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## nautilott (Oct 29, 2017)

devrep said:


> If you took the tiller extension tightening nuts off or loosened them up to lube them, my guess would be that you didn't put it back right. Would be nice to know if the extension was made for that motor or if it was reused from another brand or model. Mine fits very well but I had it made for my specific motor.


I'm not sure...no idea if the extension was made for the Tohatsu. It seemed to fit well and figured the Fl. guide that ordered the boat had Cayo equip it with the extension...even had some fancy rope work on the grip.

I'm now pretty sure it was one of Carbon Marine's extensions. I guess I may have missed a detent of some sort??...I'll take a closer look tomorrow at the engine's tiller.


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## nautilott (Oct 29, 2017)

Just wanted to take a minute to thank everyone and to let you all know I really appreciate all the great input.


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## Backcountry 16 (Mar 15, 2016)

Did you throw Mark out of the shadowcast hopefully you had on yoyr kill switch remember what I said when I sold you the boat always wear the kill switch. Hope you'r enjoying the boat and catching fish.


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## paulrad (May 10, 2016)

Yup! You told me and I listened. My rule is that the kill switch strap goes on before the motor goes into gear! Always. 

Ya, Loving the boat! I put a gps on with that FMT charts. So that really helped me a lot. I feel way more free to explore now. One big thing is that I'm comfortable going out by myself now. Took a little bit before I was down with that. Haven't dared to do a solo night outing yet, but I want to.


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## nautilott (Oct 29, 2017)

Contacted Cayo and they have a Tohatsu black tiller in stock, so for now I'm going back with the tiller and tiller extension(Carbon Marine). They said the side console could be done easily, but it would take a couple of months to get to it...very busy. I really don't want to miss the cooler weather coming up, so for now I'll take the boat over to them to replace the tiller. Still a couple weeks lag time.
I'm still thinking side console though...that may change sometime down the road if my tiller confidence improves with the new one's use. 
I did take a couple pics of the busted tiller casting but there's really no revelations in them...just broke behind the throttle twist grip. Also, the steering friction level doesn't seem to be operating as it should...they will check that out as well.


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## jmrodandgun (Sep 20, 2013)

Is the throttle shaft also broken? Or just the handle. At a glance it looks like the the shaft, twist grip, and the tiller body itself are all busted but you may be able to fix it without too much effort if the body of the tiller is still intact. 

That's crazy. I've never seen carnage that bad. What a weird mystery. 



nautilott said:


> I'm still thinking side console


Test drive both if you can. Especially if you're close to the shop. I went back and forth between a center and side console. JB did an awesome job setting up the center console. It's very comfortable. Even at 6'3'' I have plenty of room. It's nice to be able to stand in rough water. it's not too cramped if you need to sit side by side for whatever reason. 

Both have their advantages and disadvantages.


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## nautilott (Oct 29, 2017)

jmrodandgun said:


> Is the throttle shaft also broken? Or just the handle.
> 
> That's crazy. I've never seen carnage that bad. What a weird mystery..


Yes, afraid so. The tiller body is made of cast aluminum and snapped just behind the throttle grip. I guess 230 lbs. and G-forces will do that. If there's a solid shaft to the throttle grip, it's broke too as it just hangs there. There is some sort of tapered fillers inside the grip and they're loose fitting. I left everything alone for fear of loosing the guts that might be used in the repair. I'm just sick over this...I know it coulda been a lot worse. Thankful, but still, I hurt my skiff.


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## nautilott (Oct 29, 2017)

jm, thanks for the console tips. It would be at least a 2 month wait for a console retro. I'm really hoping that I can build some tiller confidence with the repairs at Cayo. I do plan on checking out some boats there with different console layouts.


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## Bruce J (Mar 4, 2018)

Just as another safety tip or warning, one of my partners at work lost his 15 year old son to a boating accident this summer. He fell off the front of the boat when they hit a wave, and he was struck by the prop and died almost instantly. I can't possibly imagine how horrible that was when he pulled his own son from the water after hitting him. A kill switch didn't matter in this case, but of course we should all wear them every single time. But when operating small boats, other things happen too as many of you have shared on this post - and they happen very quickly. Please take extra care when you have others on board and consider the severe consequences.


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## SomaliPirate (Feb 5, 2016)

Bruce J said:


> Just as another safety tip or warning, one of my partners at work lost his 15 year old son to a boating accident this summer. He fell off the front of the boat when they hit a wave, and he was struck by the prop and died almost instantly. I can't possibly imagine how horrible that was when he pulled his own son from the water after hitting him. A kill switch didn't matter in this case, but of course we should all wear them every single time. But when operating small boats, other things happen too as many of you have shared on this post - and they happen very quickly. Please take extra care when you have others on board and consider the severe consequences.


Jesus, that's horrible.


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## flyclimber (May 22, 2016)

Bruce J said:


> Just as another safety tip or warning, one of my partners at work lost his 15 year old son to a boating accident this summer. He fell off the front of the boat when they hit a wave, and he was struck by the prop and died almost instantly. I can't possibly imagine how horrible that was when he pulled his own son from the water after hitting him. A kill switch didn't matter in this case, but of course we should all wear them every single time. But when operating small boats, other things happen too as many of you have shared on this post - and they happen very quickly. Please take extra care when you have others on board and consider the severe consequences.


Yikes. After reading this thread I fixed my kill-switch and tied up a new kill switch leash that would be quicker to kill the engine.


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## nautilott (Oct 29, 2017)

freeclimber said:


> Yikes. After reading this thread I fixed my kill-switch and tied up a new kill switch leash that would be quicker to kill the engine.


 Good on you, free.


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## sjrobin (Jul 13, 2015)

nautilott said:


> Contacted Cayo and they have a Tohatsu black tiller in stock, so for now I'm going back with the tiller and tiller extension(Carbon Marine). They said the side console could be done easily, but it would take a couple of months to get to it...very busy. I really don't want to miss the cooler weather coming up, so for now I'll take the boat over to them to replace the tiller. Still a couple weeks lag time.
> I'm still thinking side console though...that may change sometime down the road if my tiller confidence improves with the new one's use.
> I did take a couple pics of the busted tiller casting but there's really no revelations in them...just broke behind the throttle twist grip. Also, the steering friction level doesn't seem to be operating as it should...they will check that out as well.
> 
> ...


The tiller handle could have been damaged(cracked) by the previous owner. Also does not look as sturdy as the Yamaha or ETEC tillers.


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## nautilott (Oct 29, 2017)

^^^Quite possible, but from casual observation, the extension looked good. But then again, really wasn't looking for defects. Definite area of concern in the future though. Calling Cayo tomorrow to set up the fix


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## sjrobin (Jul 13, 2015)

nautilott said:


> ^^^Quite possible, but from casual observation, the extension looked good. But then again, really wasn't looking for defects. Definite area of concern in the future though. Calling Cayo tomorrow to set up the fix


Referring to the OE tiller handle, not Carbon Marine extension. The CM is much stronger than the OE tiller handle.


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## nautilott (Oct 29, 2017)

sjrobin said:


> Referring to the OE tiller handle, not Carbon Marine extension. The CM is much stronger than the OE tiller handle.


Ok, got it. The break just aft of the throttle twist grip looked clean, which leads me to believe I probably snapped it on my way out. It's too bad I couldn't retrieve the extension...probably will never know, for sure, what really caused this.


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## Backcountry 16 (Mar 15, 2016)

A seasoned boater was killed yesterday in Ft Myers FL when his boat struck another boaters wake and he was ejected from the boat. He was an employee of a marina and according to the news was familiar with boating it goes to show you that you never know.


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## SomaliPirate (Feb 5, 2016)

Backcountry 16 said:


> A seasoned boater was killed yesterday in Ft Myers FL when his boat struck another boaters wake and he was ejected from the boat. He was an employee of a marina and according to the news was familiar with boating it goes to show you that you never know.


That really sucks. It's a good reminder to never get complacent.


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## nautilott (Oct 29, 2017)

SomaliPirate said:


> That really sucks. It's a good reminder to never get complacent.


Yes^^^….and sometimes complacency isn't a factor. These boats are sooo light, it just seems that it doesn't take much for the sheet to hit the fan...and damn quick.


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## dranrab (Oct 9, 2016)

Bruce J said:


> Just as another safety tip or warning, one of my partners at work lost his 15 year old son to a boating accident this summer. He fell off the front of the boat when they hit a wave, and he was struck by the prop and died almost instantly. I can't possibly imagine how horrible that was when he pulled his own son from the water after hitting him. A kill switch didn't matter in this case, but of course we should all wear them every single time. But when operating small boats, other things happen too as many of you have shared on this post - and they happen very quickly. Please take extra care when you have others on board and consider the severe consequences.


That has to be so incredibly hard to deal with. Where did that happen and what kind of boat was it?


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## hipshot (Sep 29, 2018)

In my boat the kill switch stays attached to my PFD. At any speed over idle EVERYONE wears a PFD. Properly fastened.

Many years ago a friend refurbished a boat and outboard that had been sitting up for years. He, his son, and I took it out for a shakedown cruise on a local lake. The boat didn't have a kill switch, and (my personal choice, not necessarily a recommendation to anyone else) I don't wear a PFD in a small boat without a kill switch. The pin in the steering drag link broke when the lower unit hit something (we think it was a submerged stump) and the boat, which was on plane, spun into a hard left turn. My friend and I were thrown out immediately. His son was thrown into the starboard gunwale; he panicked and jumped out.

I hit the water hard. When I came up the boat was right on top of me. I pushed off the hull with my arms. As the boat ran over me I pushed my head and torso down, and my legs rose. My left leg took several prop strikes. The prop's blades were damaged; the cuts were bone deep, but could have been worse. If I had been wearing a PFD I'm sure I would have been unable to avoid that prop with my torso. My buddy took the skeg to his hip. As he rolled under the lower unit he took a bunch of prop cuts to his hip, and the shock of the impact rendered him temporarily paralyzed from the waist down. His son's foot was run over and mangled by the prop. We nearly drowned; a family out in their new boat saw our boat turning high speed circles, came to investigate, and pulled us out. We would never have made shore in the condition we were in.

Use that kill switch!!!


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## devrep (Feb 22, 2009)

wow. any kind of steering failure on any boat at speed is not going to end well.


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## Bruce J (Mar 4, 2018)

dranrab said:


> That has to be so incredibly hard to deal with. Where did that happen and what kind of boat was it?


It happened on a rental boat in Greece. It was about a 20 foot RIB style boat (fiberglass hull but Zodiac like inflated gunwale) with a 150 horse motor. Even though I see my friend, the father, at work every day, I can’t ask him any details about the incident. This info was in the media at the time.


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## jsnipes (May 1, 2011)

this thread is scary af. i got thrown out of an 11ft zodiac with a 15hp when I was ~12 yo kid by myself. cut my head on either the prop or the oyster bar. was v lucky.

have a tiller now and am damn sure to wear the kill switch at all times. good reminder reading this thread.


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## devrep (Feb 22, 2009)

another thought. I fish alone quite a bit, stand on the cooler on the bow running the trolling motor. the thought has entered my mind that if I fell over board for whatever reason the boat would keep going and I would be left in the water. not a fuzzy at all.


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## Backcountry 16 (Mar 15, 2016)

devrep said:


> another thought. I fish alone quite a bit, stand on the cooler on the bow running the trolling motor. the thought has entered my mind that if I fell over board for whatever reason the boat would keep going and I would be left in the water. not a fuzzy at all.


Get a remote control trolling motor you can be floating and bring the boat back to you.


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## devrep (Feb 22, 2009)

sweet.


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## Cut Runner (Jan 25, 2017)

Unfortunately this is one of those life lessons that alot of people dont take seriously until it happens to them. I've been thrown as a passenger, thankfully the driver was wearing his kill switch!
This really does scare me
What's worse is when I'm offshore solo fishing... (trolling) even if I lose my balance and fall out of the boat, I'm going to pop my head up and watch my boat troll away from me out towards the abyss as I'm left treading water..
Inshore, offshore, fast, slow.... 
WEAR IT


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## Bruce J (Mar 4, 2018)

Cut Runner said:


> Unfortunately this is one of those life lessons that alot of people dont take seriously until it happens to them. I've been thrown as a passenger, thankfully the driver was wearing his kill switch!
> This really does scare me
> What's worse is when I'm offshore solo fishing... (trolling) even if I lose my balance and fall out of the boat, I'm going to pop my head up and watch my boat troll away from me out towards the abyss as I'm left treading water..
> Inshore, offshore, fast, slow....
> WEAR IT


I have a wireless kill switch I can use on my larger boat (Pathfinder 2400) when I go offshore. It kills the engine if I hit the water or move more than X feet from the boat. I'd still have to be able to swim to it, but at least it won't be motoring to the horizon. You can also get a guest fob for it that sets off an alarm if they fall overboard. I can't remember the name of it at the moment, but I'm sure Google could turn it up.


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## Cut Runner (Jan 25, 2017)

Yes I've seen them before. I remember theres a thread on the hull truth website where there was a bad batch or recall on the wireless kill switches. So make sure it works as intended before rely on just to be on the safe side


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## hipshot (Sep 29, 2018)

Something many people overlook is ensuring at the beginning of the trip that someone (or ones) aboard knows how to operate the vessel if you are injured, become ill, fall overboard, or are kidnapped by extraterrestrial beings. Some guests or clients are experienced boaters. Some aren’t.....


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## nautilott (Oct 29, 2017)

Holy crap, hipshot! Reading your post #49 made me think my little episode was a walk in the park in comparison. Very scary stuff, and I'm starting to think it's one of the reasons I've not pushed very hard on getting my tiller/tiller extension fixed. Being thrown out of a boat works on your(my) psyche and does nothing for your confidence. I would imagine those factors are ramped up when injuries are involved. 

So, did you have any trouble getting back in the saddle? For me, I'm finding that not knowing exactly why my boat acted the way it did has made me a little gun shy. Still, now with the cooler weather we're having, I'm feeling a little quilty about the boat in storage sitting idle.​


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## Backcountry 16 (Mar 15, 2016)

nautilott said:


> Holy crap, hipshot! Reading your post #49 made me think my little episode was a walk in the park in comparison. Very scary stuff, and I'm starting to think it's one of the reasons I've not pushed very hard on getting my tiller/tiller extension fixed. Being thrown out of a boat works on your(my) psyche and does nothing for your confidence. I would imagine those factors are ramped up when injuries are involved.
> 
> So, did you have any trouble getting back in the saddle? For me, I'm finding that not knowing exactly why my boat acted the way it did has made me a little gun shy. Still, now with the cooler weather we're having, I'm feeling a little quilty about the boat in storage sitting idle.​


Sounds like a freak deal with your tiller handle get back in the saddle even if it is slowly. You gotta enjoy life and if I happen to kick off on the water at least it won't be in some hospital bed life is too short go enjoy your boat.


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## nautilott (Oct 29, 2017)

^^^Thanks, BC Another call to Cayo tomorrow.


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## hipshot (Sep 29, 2018)

nautilott, not really. I grew up in boats. But, although I wasn't aware at the time what had caused the spinout, I knew that those things can happen. I thought I was a goner when the boat passed over me; I was lucky to get my head and torso below the lower unit. And I knew we weren't going to make it to shore; I was holding up two people, I figured my left leg was history, and I ran out of steam quickly when the adrenaline dump wore off. I even told my buddy that we weren't going to make it, and he said that he knew that..... All three of us were extremely fortunate to have survived. We would not have survived but for the young family that saved us.

I doubt I'll be that fortunate again. But I love fishing and hunting, as well as boats, and I can't imagine giving them up until I'm just physically incapable of participation any more. I do try to learn from my experiences though, and I have the benefit of having worked in a boat in law enforcement for several years. I worked a lot of fatality accidents, and traumatic scenes tend to stick to one's memory. We can learn from them or we can let them scare us away. I have made more than my share of stupid mistakes, and have made many stupid decisions over my nearly seventy years. I've been fortunate enough to experience positive outcomes from all of them, and to have learned some valuable lessons from most of them. Some folks I've known, and many folks whose sad demise I have investigated, weren't so fortunate. I could relate many heart-wrenching stories of situations where a moment of inattention, or apathy, or just plain ignorance, has caused a tragic outcome. I once assisted a game warden on a boat wreck where a young man in a bass boat was following another bass boat too closely, while not paying attention. The lead boat's engine died and the trailing boat drove over the top pf the first one. The stainless prop on the trailing boat did a number on the lead driver's head. The ambulance crew said that it was a miracle that the guy was still alive, and that he wouldn't make it to the hospital. I heard several months later that the driver actually survived. He was a vegetable. The driver of boat #1 was the driver of boat #2's best friend........

Life can go all to sh!t in a hurry; usually when we least expect it. We shouldn't hide in a closet and refuse to enjoy life, but we should take basic common sense precautions. 

nautilott, now you know that you can lose control without warning. So take a few precautions, but get back out there and enjoy life. You only go around once; you might as well get dizzy!


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## nautilott (Oct 29, 2017)

Well said hipshot... at 71 yoa, I'm realizing that I'm not as invincible as I once was, but not ready to lay down, yet. These type of things sure bring it home.


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