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Author Topic:   Safety Lanyard

jimh posted 09-28-2008 11:40 PM ET (US)
Most of the time I am boating I do not attach the safety lanyard from my engine remote controls to my clothing. It's a bad habit, but I tell myself that my boating partner is along. I use the fact there are two of us as a rationalization for not attaching the safety lanyard.
Saturday I was out boating with only me aboard, no crew. I put on my PFD, and clipped the safety lanyard on. I had only made about 100-yards from the launch ramp channel into the lake when I got a thought to check the position of the battery switch. Not being accustomed to wearing the safety lanyard, I left the helm and walked to the stern. The engine shut down as I got three feet from the helm and pulled the safety lanyard off the throttle control base.
I've had this boat for four years, and that is the first time the safety lanyard has ever been removed from its normal position, accidently or intentionally. My first thought was, "Oh, it does work." I had considered testing it a few times before, but I always applied the if-not-broken-don't-fiddle-with-it logic and deferred testing. I was glad to find out the KILL circuit worked like it should.
After checking the battery switch--it was not where I wanted it--I returned to the helm and clipped the actuator part of the lanyard back in place. I could see right away something was wrong. The actuator clip is made of plastic, and when I pulled it off a part of it had broken off--the part that really holds the switch stem down and prevents it from killing the motor. Even with the lanyard back in place, the motor was not going to start or run.
Now I was in a pickle. The boat was dead in the water, and the wind was blowing me on-shore, into shallow water. I looked around for something to use to make a fast repair. I have a little bottle opener on the engine key ring--it's there intentionally so you can't open any bottles while underway--and it looked like it would make a perfect temporary lever and hold-down for the KILL switch. A few pieces of duct tape made everything work. I was able to restart the engine. About a mile later the engine died again, and again it was the KILL switch. More duct tape solved that problem. The temporary repair lasted for the rest of the day.
I am mentioning this because I now realize that I am probably not alone in having had a safety lanyard mechanism that was made of plastic, was 16 years old, and had spent a lot of time in the sun. I don't think they're designed as one-time-only items, but mine turned out to be just that. I bet there are a few more out there that won't survive their next release from the safety switch.
Next time I visit Lockeman's Hardware and Boat (my local Evinrude dealer) I am going to buy a new safety lanyard. Lockeman's has them on display right in the front of the store, along with the oil, fuel additive, grease, and other commonly replaced items.
elaelap posted 09-29-2008 12:26 AM ET (US)
I always keep an extra one on my car key ring, along with that well-used 'watermelon' Apex salmon lure for good luck.
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b309/elaelap/Apexkeychain003.jpg
Nylon or poly marline or other small stuff like any kind of twine or mono fishing line, wound around the kill switch after pulling out the spring loaded cap, will work just fine in a pinch.
Tony
andygere posted 09-29-2008 02:16 AM ET (US)
Jim,
The new BRP kill switch does not need the lanyard to be installed to re-start the engine. This is a much better design, and worth considering for an upgrade.
WT posted 09-29-2008 02:22 AM ET (US)
My Mercury kill switch does not need the safety lanyard to start the motor either.
erik selis posted 09-29-2008 05:51 AM ET (US)
I always wear my safety lanyard when I'm making any kind of speed in my boat. When trolling I don't wear it. I would probably get excited and forget to remove the lanyard from my wrist (that's where I attach mine), unintentionally releasing the mechanism.
With me it comes natural to wear my safety lanyard. If I'm not attached to it I feel like somethings missing. It's just like the putting on my seat-belts when driving my car. It's a good habit that becomes a second nature.
You bring up a good point concerning keeping a spare handy. I don't have a spare either.
Tony, thanks for the tip about using the fishing line in case of an emergency.
Erik
jimh posted 09-29-2008 06:52 AM ET (US)
Andy--Your mention of a new design in the KILL switch is interesting.
When the engine shut off the first time, I went back to the helm, reinstalled the lanyard clip, and turned the key. Of course, there was no cranking because the shift was still in forward. Then I put the shift back into NEUTRAL, and tried again. My recollection is there was still no cranking. That's when I began to inspect the KILL switch and the clip.
That behavior was different than I suspect I would have gotten from the old 1992 engine. The old engine should have cranked over, but it wouldn't have started (due to the spark primary voltage being shorted to ground by the KILL circuit). I suspect the difference is in the control circuitry on the E-TEC. I believe that in the engine management module (EMM) of the E-TEC there is control over the starter solenoid. I think the ground side of the starter solenoid, instead of going directly to ground, runs through the EMM. In that way the EMM can prevent the starter motor from engaging. At least that is the only way I can figure how the engine stopped the starter motor from cranking.
gnr posted 09-29-2008 09:06 AM ET (US)
My kill switch is currently being held in run position by a #2 copper needlefish and a few wraps of electrical tape.
andygere posted 09-29-2008 06:23 PM ET (US)
Jim,
It's not clear to me if you are using a current or older kill switch, I assumed it was older (1992). My 2007 E-TEC kill switch works like a momentary ignition interruption. When the lanyard pulls the clip out of the switch, the motor shuts down, but can be immediately restarted without replacing the lanyard clip. Similarly, the motor can be started and run with no lanyard clip installed at all. Note that I have the console mounted stand-alone ignition switch, which is not integrated into the binnacle control. As I recall, it plugged directly into the engine wiring harness with some flavor of Deutsch connector. Since I am using a non-OEM binnacle control, I had to cut off the attached connectors for this function and wire the neutral safety switch with spliced connections.
jimh posted 09-29-2008 06:34 PM ET (US)
My safety lanyard is attached to the KILL switch on the c.1992 remote throttle control. So it's the "old" one. I will have to investigate how the new circuit operates and is able to perform as you described.
Peter posted 09-29-2008 06:57 PM ET (US)
Hmmm..I need to investigate the kill switch safety lanyard operation on my 18 Outrage. I rerigged the 18 Outrage last year when I put the Johnson 150 on it but I reused the old OMC ignition/kill switch that was there. I had to splice into it to make the old switch work with the System Check harness. About a month ago I was putting through a harbor when I looked down toward the stern of the 18 Outrage near the splashwall to see the lanyard just laying there disconnected from the ignition/kill switch. I suspect it had been laying there all day including when I first started the boat up. I was a bit surprised when I saw it and the motor was running and thought that the kill switch was simply not functioning. I now suspect that it may operate as Andy suggests.
andygere posted 09-29-2008 07:53 PM ET (US)
I'm sure Dave at Lockeman's will have the answer. Might be a good excuse to upgrade to a new BRP control, I understand they are quite nice.
jimh posted 10-01-2008 09:27 PM ET (US)
I got a new lanyard from Lockeman's Hardware and Boat. They cost $12.
I forgot to ask Dave about the new versus old KILL switch set up.
I believe that on the older V6 motors the KILL switch was a normally-open switch that closes when the lanyard is removed. When the switch is closed it actually shorts to ground the voltage on a capacitor in the capacitor-discharge ignition system. The voltage that is normally stored on this capacitor can be as much as 300-volts DC. This is a relatively high voltage, and it accounts for the elevated terminal on the ignition switch to which the circuit is wired. According to Dave, you can feel an electrical tingle on some old throttle controls when the insulation of the KILL circuit wiring becomes old and allows current to leak. The KILL circuit is a brute-force approach to killing the ignition. As long as the switch is actuated it throws a short across the capacitor, and no voltage can build up for generating a spark.
My guess is that on newer motors with more sophisticated controllers the KILL circuit is wired into someplace in the engine management module (EMM), and the switch just signals the EMM to take some appropriate action. The brute-force short-circuit approach is not used. That would allow for features like the motor being able to re-start and run even with the switch actuated by a missing lanyard.
an86carrera posted 10-01-2008 10:16 PM ET (US)
Never hooked it up never will...Alwaaaays thought I would die driving off a cliff but now, I am flippin over;o] It's a whaler thing
seahorse posted 10-02-2008 07:26 AM ET (US)

quote:
I believe that on the older V6 motors the KILL switch was a normally-open switch that closes when the lanyard is removed. When the switch is closed it actually shorts to ground the voltage [as much as 300-volts DC] on a capacitor in the capacitor-discharge ignition system.
My guess is that on newer motors with more sophisticated controllers the KILL circuit is wired into someplace in the engine management module (EMM), and the switch just signals the EMM to take some appropriate action.
Actually the kill switch wiring carries the ignition capacitor voltage of around 250V at cranking speeds which rises to about 450V at full rpm depending on the model of carbureted engine.
The E-TEC engine EMM has an internal circuitry monitoring the black/yellow wire which will result in an immediate engine shutdown if it senses a completed ground circuit. The voltage in the black/yellow wire is only around 55V.
The FICHT engines are a bit more complicated. The power to the engine computer travels through the normally-closed contacts of a relay. Depending on the model there will be 12, 24 or 40 volts at the relay’s actuator windings and through the black-yellow wire. When the black-yellow wire is grounded, the relay actuates and the normally-closed contacts open, breaking the current flow to the EMM or ECU and stopping the motor.
capnrik posted 10-03-2008 08:47 AM ET (US)
Jim, Thanks for the heads-up, and shame on me for needing it, with my background. I was required to use the kill switch on my boats for many years, but the 17 year old switch on my Outrage is on board alone. Thanks to your note, I will have a spare by sunset.
frontier posted 10-03-2008 10:21 AM ET (US)
I agree. Thanks to this post, I just threw a spare lanyard in our 12 year old Dauntless.
I grew up with outboard motors, and when they started being equipped with safety lanyards, I never used one.
Until a friend of mine was nearly killed.
He was testing a just restored boat, the steering broke, and threw him out of the tight circling boat.
He was in the "circle of death" - the boat was going too fast to swim out. No life jacket on.
Just as he was about to go under from exhaustion, the boat ran out of gas.
Ever since then, he and I wear a lanyard.
Peter posted 10-03-2008 11:43 AM ET (US)
Seahorse -- What about restarting without the lanyard attached to the kill switch?
seahorse posted 10-03-2008 03:09 PM ET (US)
Seahorse -- What about restarting without the lanyard attached to the kill switch?

That's easy! If you have a 1996 or later keyswitch, it doesn't matter as the lanyard clip when pulled, manually turns the key to the OFF position. Just turn the key and go, that way a passenger can start the boat and render assistance to the driver who fell out.
If you have the older style kill switch that depresses a switch plunger, then you are SOL unless you have a spare lanyard handy.
Perry posted 10-03-2008 04:52 PM ET (US)
"If you have the older style kill switch that depresses a switch plunger, then you are SOL unless you have a spare lanyard handy."
What about using your finger to press the plunger, start the motor, then go back and retreive the driver who fell out?
A spare lanyard is handy but I don't think you are SOL without one.
Peter posted 10-03-2008 06:35 PM ET (US)
Thanks. I guess I must have a 1996 or newer key switch otherwise I'm not sure how I would have been able to start the motor with the lanyard on the cockpit sole.

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Author	Topic: Safety Lanyard
jimh	posted 09-28-2008 11:40 PM ET (US) Most of the time I am boating I do not attach the safety lanyard from my engine remote controls to my clothing. It's a bad habit, but I tell myself that my boating partner is along. I use the fact there are two of us as a rationalization for not attaching the safety lanyard. Saturday I was out boating with only me aboard, no crew. I put on my PFD, and clipped the safety lanyard on. I had only made about 100-yards from the launch ramp channel into the lake when I got a thought to check the position of the battery switch. Not being accustomed to wearing the safety lanyard, I left the helm and walked to the stern. The engine shut down as I got three feet from the helm and pulled the safety lanyard off the throttle control base. I've had this boat for four years, and that is the first time the safety lanyard has ever been removed from its normal position, accidently or intentionally. My first thought was, "Oh, it does work." I had considered testing it a few times before, but I always applied the if-not-broken-don't-fiddle-with-it logic and deferred testing. I was glad to find out the KILL circuit worked like it should. After checking the battery switch--it was not where I wanted it--I returned to the helm and clipped the actuator part of the lanyard back in place. I could see right away something was wrong. The actuator clip is made of plastic, and when I pulled it off a part of it had broken off--the part that really holds the switch stem down and prevents it from killing the motor. Even with the lanyard back in place, the motor was not going to start or run. Now I was in a pickle. The boat was dead in the water, and the wind was blowing me on-shore, into shallow water. I looked around for something to use to make a fast repair. I have a little bottle opener on the engine key ring--it's there intentionally so you can't open any bottles while underway--and it looked like it would make a perfect temporary lever and hold-down for the KILL switch. A few pieces of duct tape made everything work. I was able to restart the engine. About a mile later the engine died again, and again it was the KILL switch. More duct tape solved that problem. The temporary repair lasted for the rest of the day. I am mentioning this because I now realize that I am probably not alone in having had a safety lanyard mechanism that was made of plastic, was 16 years old, and had spent a lot of time in the sun. I don't think they're designed as one-time-only items, but mine turned out to be just that. I bet there are a few more out there that won't survive their next release from the safety switch. Next time I visit Lockeman's Hardware and Boat (my local Evinrude dealer) I am going to buy a new safety lanyard. Lockeman's has them on display right in the front of the store, along with the oil, fuel additive, grease, and other commonly replaced items.
elaelap	posted 09-29-2008 12:26 AM ET (US) I always keep an extra one on my car key ring, along with that well-used 'watermelon' Apex salmon lure for good luck. http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b309/elaelap/Apexkeychain003.jpg Nylon or poly marline or other small stuff like any kind of twine or mono fishing line, wound around the kill switch after pulling out the spring loaded cap, will work just fine in a pinch. Tony
andygere	posted 09-29-2008 02:16 AM ET (US) Jim, The new BRP kill switch does not need the lanyard to be installed to re-start the engine. This is a much better design, and worth considering for an upgrade.
WT	posted 09-29-2008 02:22 AM ET (US) My Mercury kill switch does not need the safety lanyard to start the motor either.
erik selis	posted 09-29-2008 05:51 AM ET (US) I always wear my safety lanyard when I'm making any kind of speed in my boat. When trolling I don't wear it. I would probably get excited and forget to remove the lanyard from my wrist (that's where I attach mine), unintentionally releasing the mechanism. With me it comes natural to wear my safety lanyard. If I'm not attached to it I feel like somethings missing. It's just like the putting on my seat-belts when driving my car. It's a good habit that becomes a second nature. You bring up a good point concerning keeping a spare handy. I don't have a spare either. Tony, thanks for the tip about using the fishing line in case of an emergency. Erik
jimh	posted 09-29-2008 06:52 AM ET (US) Andy--Your mention of a new design in the KILL switch is interesting. When the engine shut off the first time, I went back to the helm, reinstalled the lanyard clip, and turned the key. Of course, there was no cranking because the shift was still in forward. Then I put the shift back into NEUTRAL, and tried again. My recollection is there was still no cranking. That's when I began to inspect the KILL switch and the clip. That behavior was different than I suspect I would have gotten from the old 1992 engine. The old engine should have cranked over, but it wouldn't have started (due to the spark primary voltage being shorted to ground by the KILL circuit). I suspect the difference is in the control circuitry on the E-TEC. I believe that in the engine management module (EMM) of the E-TEC there is control over the starter solenoid. I think the ground side of the starter solenoid, instead of going directly to ground, runs through the EMM. In that way the EMM can prevent the starter motor from engaging. At least that is the only way I can figure how the engine stopped the starter motor from cranking.
gnr	posted 09-29-2008 09:06 AM ET (US) My kill switch is currently being held in run position by a #2 copper needlefish and a few wraps of electrical tape.
andygere	posted 09-29-2008 06:23 PM ET (US) Jim, It's not clear to me if you are using a current or older kill switch, I assumed it was older (1992). My 2007 E-TEC kill switch works like a momentary ignition interruption. When the lanyard pulls the clip out of the switch, the motor shuts down, but can be immediately restarted without replacing the lanyard clip. Similarly, the motor can be started and run with no lanyard clip installed at all. Note that I have the console mounted stand-alone ignition switch, which is not integrated into the binnacle control. As I recall, it plugged directly into the engine wiring harness with some flavor of Deutsch connector. Since I am using a non-OEM binnacle control, I had to cut off the attached connectors for this function and wire the neutral safety switch with spliced connections.
jimh	posted 09-29-2008 06:34 PM ET (US) My safety lanyard is attached to the KILL switch on the c.1992 remote throttle control. So it's the "old" one. I will have to investigate how the new circuit operates and is able to perform as you described.
Peter	posted 09-29-2008 06:57 PM ET (US) Hmmm..I need to investigate the kill switch safety lanyard operation on my 18 Outrage. I rerigged the 18 Outrage last year when I put the Johnson 150 on it but I reused the old OMC ignition/kill switch that was there. I had to splice into it to make the old switch work with the System Check harness. About a month ago I was putting through a harbor when I looked down toward the stern of the 18 Outrage near the splashwall to see the lanyard just laying there disconnected from the ignition/kill switch. I suspect it had been laying there all day including when I first started the boat up. I was a bit surprised when I saw it and the motor was running and thought that the kill switch was simply not functioning. I now suspect that it may operate as Andy suggests.
andygere	posted 09-29-2008 07:53 PM ET (US) I'm sure Dave at Lockeman's will have the answer. Might be a good excuse to upgrade to a new BRP control, I understand they are quite nice.
jimh	posted 10-01-2008 09:27 PM ET (US) I got a new lanyard from Lockeman's Hardware and Boat. They cost $12. I forgot to ask Dave about the new versus old KILL switch set up. I believe that on the older V6 motors the KILL switch was a normally-open switch that closes when the lanyard is removed. When the switch is closed it actually shorts to ground the voltage on a capacitor in the capacitor-discharge ignition system. The voltage that is normally stored on this capacitor can be as much as 300-volts DC. This is a relatively high voltage, and it accounts for the elevated terminal on the ignition switch to which the circuit is wired. According to Dave, you can feel an electrical tingle on some old throttle controls when the insulation of the KILL circuit wiring becomes old and allows current to leak. The KILL circuit is a brute-force approach to killing the ignition. As long as the switch is actuated it throws a short across the capacitor, and no voltage can build up for generating a spark. My guess is that on newer motors with more sophisticated controllers the KILL circuit is wired into someplace in the engine management module (EMM), and the switch just signals the EMM to take some appropriate action. The brute-force short-circuit approach is not used. That would allow for features like the motor being able to re-start and run even with the switch actuated by a missing lanyard.
an86carrera	posted 10-01-2008 10:16 PM ET (US) Never hooked it up never will...Alwaaaays thought I would die driving off a cliff but now, I am flippin over;o] It's a whaler thing
seahorse	posted 10-02-2008 07:26 AM ET (US) quote: I believe that on the older V6 motors the KILL switch was a normally-open switch that closes when the lanyard is removed. When the switch is closed it actually shorts to ground the voltage [as much as 300-volts DC] on a capacitor in the capacitor-discharge ignition system. My guess is that on newer motors with more sophisticated controllers the KILL circuit is wired into someplace in the engine management module (EMM), and the switch just signals the EMM to take some appropriate action. Actually the kill switch wiring carries the ignition capacitor voltage of around 250V at cranking speeds which rises to about 450V at full rpm depending on the model of carbureted engine. The E-TEC engine EMM has an internal circuitry monitoring the black/yellow wire which will result in an immediate engine shutdown if it senses a completed ground circuit. The voltage in the black/yellow wire is only around 55V. The FICHT engines are a bit more complicated. The power to the engine computer travels through the normally-closed contacts of a relay. Depending on the model there will be 12, 24 or 40 volts at the relay’s actuator windings and through the black-yellow wire. When the black-yellow wire is grounded, the relay actuates and the normally-closed contacts open, breaking the current flow to the EMM or ECU and stopping the motor.
capnrik	posted 10-03-2008 08:47 AM ET (US) Jim, Thanks for the heads-up, and shame on me for needing it, with my background. I was required to use the kill switch on my boats for many years, but the 17 year old switch on my Outrage is on board alone. Thanks to your note, I will have a spare by sunset.
frontier	posted 10-03-2008 10:21 AM ET (US) I agree. Thanks to this post, I just threw a spare lanyard in our 12 year old Dauntless. I grew up with outboard motors, and when they started being equipped with safety lanyards, I never used one. Until a friend of mine was nearly killed. He was testing a just restored boat, the steering broke, and threw him out of the tight circling boat. He was in the "circle of death" - the boat was going too fast to swim out. No life jacket on. Just as he was about to go under from exhaustion, the boat ran out of gas. Ever since then, he and I wear a lanyard.
Peter	posted 10-03-2008 11:43 AM ET (US) Seahorse -- What about restarting without the lanyard attached to the kill switch?
seahorse	posted 10-03-2008 03:09 PM ET (US) Seahorse -- What about restarting without the lanyard attached to the kill switch? That's easy! If you have a 1996 or later keyswitch, it doesn't matter as the lanyard clip when pulled, manually turns the key to the OFF position. Just turn the key and go, that way a passenger can start the boat and render assistance to the driver who fell out. If you have the older style kill switch that depresses a switch plunger, then you are SOL unless you have a spare lanyard handy.
Perry	posted 10-03-2008 04:52 PM ET (US) "If you have the older style kill switch that depresses a switch plunger, then you are SOL unless you have a spare lanyard handy." What about using your finger to press the plunger, start the motor, then go back and retreive the driver who fell out? A spare lanyard is handy but I don't think you are SOL without one.
Peter	posted 10-03-2008 06:35 PM ET (US) Thanks. I guess I must have a 1996 or newer key switch otherwise I'm not sure how I would have been able to start the motor with the lanyard on the cockpit sole.