"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 law applies to "Covered Recreational vessels" which means any motorized boat with 3 or more horsepower that is less than 26 feet in length and takes effect on April 1, 2021."

https://uscgboating.org/recreational-boaters/engine-cut-off-devices.php

 

Seems to not matter if it's a 21' with a 200hp or a 14' Jon with a 10hp tiller...if it was built Jan 1, 2020 or later it must have one installed. Older boats with one installed requires the owner to use it as well, but you don't have to retrofit one in if it wasn't equipped at the factory.

I had thought this was required for quite a while. I don’t remember any of the watercraft I’ve been on since a kid not having one. 
 

Apparently not. 

1 minute ago, 12poundbass said:

I had thought this was required for quite a while. I don’t remember any of the watercraft I’ve been on since a kid not having one. 
 

Apparently not. 

I think the big item is that tiller motors now have to have them...before then, having a cut-off was optional for any boat. I know the 40hp runabout I had years ago didn't have one and a friend's 17'/75hp tri-hull didn't have one either.

That's has been law down here since the late 70s or early 80s.

 

The law states if the big motor is started lifejackets & kill switch are required.

Just now, Catt said:

That's has been law down here since the late 70s or early 80s.

 

The law states if the big motor is started lifejackets & kill switch are required.

Ya - states could have their own requirement, and MN was similar in some respects. Now it's country-wide.

Wonder how they define "use it".  On my Ranger I will wear it on my wrist (Tiller), but on my Malibu I currently use it by leaving it dangle so I can pull it if I need to.  Both are valid uses considering the boat type and size IMO...although one doesn't really do what the main reason for them is.

1 minute ago, Deephaven said:

Wonder how they define "use it".  On my Ranger I will wear it on my wrist (Tiller), but on my Malibu I currently use it by leaving it dangle so I can pull it if I need to.  Both are valid uses considering the boat type and size IMO...although one doesn't really do what the main reason for them is.

They're now saying that if it's a lanyard type, 'use it' means it's attached in a way that if you're tossed overboard it kills the engine. I don't think 'dangling in reach' is valid anymore.

Mine came with one without a clip on it.

 

7 minutes ago, Deephaven said:

Mine came with one without a clip on it.

 

Better check on it then...might need to add a clip to be legal.

13 minutes ago, Deephaven said:

I currently use it by leaving it dangle so I can pull it if I need to. 

 

I can guarantee in an emergency you ain't that fast!

 

I've pulled a guy from the water that had been thrown from his boat & the boat had run over him twice & was headed for a third try.

 

His killswitch was still dangling ?

3 minutes ago, Catt said:

 

I can guarantee in an emergency you ain't that fast!

 

I've pulled a guy from the water that had been thrown from his boat & the boat had run over him twice & was headed for a third try.

 

His killswitch was still dangling ?

I can guarantee it as well.  This boat never get used in situations where it could possibly be that we'd be tossed.  Fair weather only.  The emergency dangle reason for me is to counter things like the throttle cable breaking while running at cruise and such, not for water that is nasty.  If a situation came up where it was at all potentially unsafe that is a different story.

 

A more extreme example.  How about a 30' Sea Ray Sundancer on Lake Minnetonka.  Largest patch of singular water is around 6k acres and a 40mph speed limit.  Rarely drive on plane even as it sucks gas and not so many places to "go".  Can't see the risk or logic in wearing it there either, but totally want a kill button in case the boat malfunctions.

 

Seems to me the law is for the least common denominator and it is sad that we need it.

Just now, Deephaven said:

I can guarantee it as well.  This boat never get used in situations where it could possibly be that we'd be tossed.  Fair weather only.  The emergency dangle reason for me is to counter things like the throttle cable breaking while running at cruise and such, not for water that is nasty.  If a situation came up where it was at all potentially unsafe that is a different story.

Idiot passes by close to you at speed, wake rocks your boat enough to toss you out...almost had that happen to me a couple times on Tonka back in my 14' Runabout. Doesn't have to be bad weather.

2 minutes ago, Deephaven said:

A more extreme example.  How about a 30' Sea Ray Sundancer on Lake Minnetonka.

It's over the 26' limit so it doesn't fall under the new law.

I'm glad this is standard now. A runaway boat can make a bad situation a lot worse.

I saw this in another forum and there seemed to be some gray area about where it’s required. It appears it applies only only federal USCG designated waters. There is a list for each state floating around somewhere too. I saw the list and there’s actually not as many on there as you would think.

 

For my Minnesota friends, Lake Minnetonka was not on that list. Mille Lacs was.

 

Frankly, if you have a tether, you should be using it at any speed higher than non-planing. I hook mine up to my PFD when I get into the drivers chair out of habit.

This will be interesting to see how they make it work on tiller handle motors. It doesn't matter what the law is. There will always be people out there that don't care and do what they want.

Just now, Log Catcher said:

There will always be people out there that don't care and do what they want.

I dunno about other states, but MN has a strong water-patrol presence. I even got 'pulled over' in my canoe one time - they were checking that I had my fishing license and that my watercraft registration was valid...have to have the ID Tag in the 'boat' in addition to the sticker on the craft at all times.

I have been checked by the game wardens many times. They have done boat inspections and I have never had a problem. They have always checked me while I was fishing. Getting pulled over while running on the water is a new one on me. I have met and passed by them when we were meeting each other but never had one turn around to come after me.

16 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

I dunno about other states, but MN has a strong water-patrol presence. I even got 'pulled over' in my canoe one time - they were checking that I had my fishing license and that my watercraft registration was valid...have to have the ID Tag in the 'boat' in addition to the sticker on the craft at all times.

Ha, Minnetonka has multiple active duty all the time.  The rest of the state however is much more lax.  A few times in my 521 after watching the DNR check others licenses, they pulled up to me and asked how the fishing was.  

8 minutes ago, Log Catcher said:

Getting pulled over while running on the water is a new one on me.

Well, it's not just the DNR EOs - Tonka, at least, has county deputies cruising around too.

36 minutes ago, Deephaven said:

Ha, Minnetonka has multiple active duty all the time.  The rest of the state however is much more lax.

This has been my experience too. The only time I have ever encountered any law enforcement on a lake or river I this state in 20 years was on Minnetonka. It was the Hennepin County Water Patrol. They checked registration, PFDs, and a throwable. Never even asked for our angling licenses and told us to slow down in the no wake zone. Out there, I think the biggest issue is drinking while operating a boat. I don’t think they care too much about fishing boats.

 

I run into a fair amount of surveyors and AIS inspectors at public accesses but never a game warden or conservation officer. They are severely under staffed. Enforcement of this new law will be minimal because there simply isn’t enough manpower or resources to do it.

I never “cared” about laws on this. It just makes sense to use it EVERY time.  I don’t even notice that I do it, it’s clipped to my PFD and I insert it into the cutoff switch in one motion so I guess I’m “trained” in at least one good habit.

My '96 tiller Merc 25 has one that I clip to my PFD. I also have an '88 Merc 45 on my bass boat that has one on the control box that goes on my PFD also any time I'm in the driver's seat.  Running the rivers I've hit rocks or stumps that took the tiller out of my hand a couple of times.  It didn't throw me out but easily could have.

I've been using the kill switch correctly since the mid-80's.  A law isn't going to change that.

 

I guess you could say the kill switch and I had a common law marriage, and now it's official! LOL!!

7 hours ago, Glenn said:

I've been using the kill switch correctly since the mid-80's.  A law isn't going to change that.

 

I guess you could say the kill switch and I had a common law marriage, and now it's official! LOL!!

Finally going to reap the tax benefits...