Boat U.S. - January 2008 - (Page 46) who chaired the NSBAC committee, said the “logical conclusion” of the council was in favor of a potential rulemaking focusing on kill-switch lanyards because it would apply to many more boats and could potentially prevent more injuries or deaths. Since about 80% of all boating fatalities are due to drownings from falls overboard, an engine cut-off switch could mitigate many of those accidents. To that end, Adey said that ABYC is in the midst of developing standards for engine cut-off devices which could be out as soon as July. Among the people who took the recent news the hardest was Marion Irving De Cruz of Los Osos, CA, who has attended every meeting of NBSAC for 15 years, following the death of her son, Emilio, on a houseboat in 1993. He was hit by a propeller while out on a rental houseboat on Lake Havasu, AZ. Mrs. Cruz and other victims’ families formed SPIN (Stop Propeller Injuries Now). Photo courtesy of Forever Resorts, LLC “SPIN is extremely disappointed,” she said. “We felt a regulation would have proCouncil to develop such a standard. This A long and often contentious effort to would be essential for evaluating devices and vided maximum safety for propeller strikes enact some sort of federal requirement for and we’d have a showplace for the technolpropeller guards is over — for now. It ended products already on the market, or future ogy.” inventions, as being safe and effective for quietly on October 18 when the U.S. Coast Early on, victims’ families were advised recreational boats. It would also give invenGuard formally withdrew its proposed rulemaking for propeller guards on houseboats. tors and product manufacturers the data they to limit their lobbying efforts to houseboats where speed and performance were need to create an acceptable device. While the efficacy of propeller guards impacted less than on planing powerboats. The other factor that led to the prohas been debated for decades, the proposed Unfortunately, that strategy seems to have posed regulation being dropped was the regulation by the Coast Guard on Dec. 10, backfired, since another reason for dropping cost-benefit analysis. A requirement such 2001, was the closest the devices have ever the rulemaking was the very few numbers of as this has to meet a “willingness to pay” come to being considered as a boatbuildfatalities, overall, caused by houseboat prothreshold, set by each agency, in which the ing or after-market requirement. This latest peller strikes. cost of implementaeffort was aimed only at In 2006, the Coast Guard accident tion to the public is non-planing recreational statistics show five fatalities on houseboats, weighed against the houseboats. dollar value of the lives all of them drownings, not propeller strikes, Like many ideas that out of a total of 710 boating fatalities. In saved. For the Coast sound good, propeller Guard, one life is equal 2005, there were five fatalities on houseboats guards ultimately failed to $3 million. The cost caused by a motor or propeller strike. On to gain favor because the of installing equipment non-houseboat motorized vessels, eight boatCoast Guard concluded ers were killed in motor or propeller strikes on 100,000 housethere are still too many in 2006, or 4% of all fatalities. boats was estimated design and operational “We’re very encouraged with the killto be $150 million, or questions to create a fedswitch proposal,” said Cruz, who said she $1,500 per boat, mainly eral regulation. plans to continue attending the Coast Guard because it’s not a sim“There are no perOne device currently made by MariTech. meetings. “If they require operators to use ple, do-it-yourself job. formance standards for The analysis did not include costs of reduced them and it’s broadly worded to include all propeller guards or even a definition of powerboats and wireless technology, this fuel efficiency or periodic maintenance. what they should be,” said Jeffrey Ludwig, would be a win-win.” The withdrawal of the houseboat regulatory development manager for the — By Elaine Dickinson rulemaking was also the consensus of the Coast Guard’s Boating Safety Division. “It’s To view the Coast Guard comments docket hard to make it a requirement with so many National Boating Safety Advisory Council (NBSAC) which formed a standing commiton this issue, go to www.Regulations.gov and unknowns.” tee on propeller strike injuries and advised enter USCG-2001-10163 under “search docuLudwig said the “book isn’t closed” the agency over a year ago that a houseboat ments” and hit “submit.” on prop guards but for the present, the In 2007, the BoatU.S. Foundation conagency doesn’t have enough data to support regulation was not going to fly. The council is made up of representatives of the boating ducted on-the-water tests of engine cut-off a requirement. But propeller guard perforpublic, the boating industry and state boatdevices, with the assistance of John Adey of mance standards are still very much on the ing officials. ABYC. To see the full report, go to: BoatUS.com/ table and the Coast Guard has an ongoing John Adey, technical director of ABYC foundation/findings/findings42/. project with the American Boat & Yacht Prop Guards Not Required 46 BoatU.S. Magazine January 2008 http://www.Regulations.gov http://www.boatus.com/foundation/findings/findings42/ http://www.boatus.com/foundation/findings/findings42/
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