By Bob Currie, Recreational Boating Safety Specialist
U. S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Base Galveston Flotilla
Each year, the Coast Guard receives reports of recreational vessel operators who fall off or are suddenly and unexpectedly thrown out of their boat. These events have led to injuries and deaths. During these incidents the boat continues to operate with no one in control of the vessel, leaving the operator stranded in the water as the boat continues on course, or the boat begins to circle the person in the water eventually striking them, often with the propeller. These dangerous runaway vessel situations put the ejected operator, other users of the waterway, marine law enforcement officers, and other first responders in danger.

Yes, Texas has had an engine cutoff switch link (ECOSL) law in effect for a year, as have a few other states, but the feds are taking over with our own regulation, and you need to know a little more about it.

The Base Galveston Flotilla of the US Coast Guard Auxiliary operates out of the US Coast Guard base on Galveston Island. They aid the Coast Guard by providing maritime observation patrols in Galveston Bay; by providing recreational boating vessel safety checks; and by working alongside Coast Guard members in maritime accident investigation, small boat training, providing a safety zone, Aids to Navigation verification, cooking in base and station galleys and aboard cutters; and on the Coast Guard Drone Team.

In our area (upper Texas Gulf Coast) we have had two deaths in recent years due to runaway boats. In one case a fisherman was run over and killed by his own boat. In the other case the boat continued on without the operator and he died from exposure before being found. Runaway boats are indeed a pertinent topic for our area. Many of our friends and neighbors go out in their boats alone, and it is these boaters who are most likely to become statistics if they don’t follow the engine cutoff switch regulation.

Terminology: ECOS and ECOSL
ECOS stands for Engine Cutoff Switch. Not all boats have them, but the new regulation makes it a requirement for boats less than 26 feet in length built January 1, 2020, or after to have an ECOS, and the ECOS must be maintained in working order for the life of the boat. There are a couple of exceptions: if the boat’s primary helm is inside an enclosed cabin an ECOS is not required, and if your engine produces less than 115 pounds of static thrust (about 3 hp), an ECOS is not required.

ECOSL stands for Engine Cutoff Switch Link. It is the lanyard (above) that is required to be connected between the boat operator and the ECOS. If the lanyard is stretched out to its full length, it will pull loose from the ECOS and the engine will die. Once you hook it back up the engine can be restarted.

Requirements for ECOSL Use
The good news is you don’t always have to have the ECOSL attached. You are only required to use it when your boat is on plane. For a boat, “on plane” means the boat has reached a speed that moves the boat from a “displacement” mode to a “planing” mode. As more power (and speed) is applied, lift increases, and the boat, in effect, rides over its bow wave, reducing wetted area of the hull and thus reducing drag. At this point, the boat is said to be “on a plane” or simply “planing.” Sailing vessels are generally not capable of getting “on plane” because of their displacement hull, whereas a ski boat, center console fishing boat or runabout can usually achieve planing with little effort. Except for the two exceptions above, if an ECOS is present, it must be used, even if it was installed by other than the manufacturer.

ECOSL Option: Electronic ECOSLs
The standard manufacturer-included ECOS is a mechanical device that cuts the engine off if the ECOSL (lanyard) is disconnected. Yes, there are electronic versions of the ECOSL, and they may be used instead of the ECOS provided by the manufacturer. There is now a wireless system that you can legally use to replace the lanyard. I have a friend who installed one by himself on his boat. It simply wires into the ignition line in place of the emergency kill switch. It serves two functions. First, if you are properly wearing the red fob (see picture), if you fall overboard the electronic device senses that and kills the engine. But wait- there’s more. It has an emergency override so a passenger can crank the engine and come back and pick you up. Second, you can buy up to three extra fobs for your passengers to wear. If a person wearing an extra fob falls overboard, you, the operator, get a loud alarm, but the engine is not killed. You can then decide whether it is someone you want to go back and pick up or not. No, that’s not why it doesn’t kill the engine. It’s so you can go back and pick the passenger up but still have primary man overboard protection.

Direct Request from the USCG Galveston Boarding Teams
Please learn and follow the Rules of the Road, otherwise known as the Navigation Rules. Most of the accidents in our area are due to someone not following those rules.

Summary
Although we have been under a Texas law that has required us to use an Engine Cutoff Switch Link (lanyard), the Coast Guard has a new set of regulations that went into effect on April 1, 2021. The bottom line is, if your boat has an engine cutoff switch, it must be used when operating on plane.

For more information on boating safety, please visit the Official Website of the U.S. Coast Guard’s Boating Safety Division at www.uscgboating.org. Questions about the US Coast Guard Auxiliary or our free Vessel Safety Check program may be directed to me at [email protected]. I am available to perform free Vessel Safety Checks, and I will come to your location to perform them. SAFE BOATING!

[April-19-2021]