Start In Gear Protection And Kill Switches
Built In engine stop switches.
What is a neutral safety switch/start-in-gear protection,
and why is it different from a Kill Switch? What is a shift
interrupter switch?
Start-In-Gear protection - Neutral Safety Switch:
Outboard Engines developing more than 115 lb. of static thrust must have a
device that prevents the engine from starting when the engine is in
gear. 115 lb. of static thrust is about 3 horsepower. This is
also covered by ABYC standard P-14.
PART 183: BOATS AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT
Subpart L: Start-in-Gear Protection
183.710 - Start-in-gear protection required.
(a) Any outboard motor which is capable of developing a static thrust of
115 pounds or more at any motor operating speed with any propeller or
jet attachment recommended for or shipped with the motor by the
manufacturer, must be equipped with a device to prevent the motor being
started when controls are set so as to attain that thrust level, as
follows.
See
https://newboatbuilders.com/pages/33CFR_startingear.html
This is required because if an
engine starts up suddenly while in gear, a person could be knocked down
or thrown about, or even thrown out of the boat when the boat suddenly
accelerates. This has happened many times in older boats that did not
have start-in-gear protection. This is not required by law in inboard
powered boats, however ABYC (abycinc.org)
has a standard (P-14) that requires this in all boats with mechanical
propulsion.
Although the regulation applies only to
outboards, most inboard and sterndrive boats comply with ABYC P-14 and
have this feature as well. It is usually incorporated into the the
throttle/shift control, and simply cuts off the electrical current to
the ignition.
P-14 MECHANICAL PROPULSION CONTROL
SYSTEMS - JULY 2010
Start-in-Gear Protection - Start-in-Gear protection shall be
installed to prevent starting an engine while in gear.
Because of this standard almost all boats,
outboard powered, inboard, and stern drive powered boats have a neutral
safety switch built into the engine control that prevents the engine
from being started when in gear. Generally this switch is built
into the throttle/shift mechanism and connected to the ignition
electrically, and is in the off position when the engine is in gear.
Thus, no electricity flows through the ignition switch when it is in the
start position and the engine is in gear. However on older boats
this may have been done mechanically in the transmission.
Usually the neutral safety switch is supplied
with the engine and controls so it is not the boat manufacturer's
responsibility to make the mechanism. But it is up to the boat
manufacturer to make sure the controls are installed correctly and
function correctly. If the neutral safety switch does not function
correctly you can be required to recall the boats and fix the problem.
See Defect Notification
http://wboatbuilders.com/pages/defect.html
Kill Switch: See
46USC4312_EngineCutOffSwitch.html
The following new law takes effect on December 4,
2019, so any covered recreational boats manufactured after December 2019
(HINs that end with F020 or later) will be required to have an ABYC A-33
compliant engine cutoff switch installed. See
Coast Guard Boating Safety Circular Spring 2019
While the neutral safety switch prevents people
from being thrown out of the boat, a kill switch stops the engine if you
are thrown out of the operators seat or out of the boat. technically
this is called an emergency engine/propulsion cut off switch, but most
people refer to it as a kill switch.
The U. S. Coast Guard has recently been directed
by statute to require this. ABYC has a standard for the
devices and that standard was adopted by the Coast Guard.
All Personal Watercraft and most outboard engines now have kill
switches. Many new inboard and stern drive boats do too. The boat
building industry has adopted this voluntarily as a safety measure and
as a protection against liability. It is a good safety feature and
you should install an ignition switch that has a built in kill switch.
The following is the USC Code for theses devices.
46 U.S. Code § 4312.Engine cut-off switches (Kill Switches)
(a) Installation Requirement.
—
A manufacturer, distributor, or dealer that installs propulsion machinery, and associated
starting controls on a covered recreational vessel shall equip such vessel with an engine cut-off switch and engine cut-off
switch link that meet American Boat and Yacht Council Standard A-33, as in effect on the date of
the enactment of the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2017.
(b) Education on Cut-off Switches.—
The Commandant of the Coast Guard, through the National Boating
Safety Advisory Committee established under section 15105, may initiate a boating safety
program on the use and benefits of cut-off switches for recreational vessels.
(c)Availability of Standard for Inspection.—
(1)In general.—Not later than 90 days after the date of the
enactment of this section, the Commandant shall
transmit American Boat and Yacht Council
Standard A–33, as in effect on the date of enactment of the Coast
Guard Authorization Act of 2017, to—
(A) the Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure of the House of Representatives;
(B) the Committee on Commerce, Science,
and Transportation of the Senate;
and
(C) the Coast Guard Office of Design and Engineering Standards;
and
(D) the National Archives and Records Administration.
(2)Availability.— The standard submitted under paragraph
(1) shall be kept on file and available
for public inspection at such Coast
Guard office and the National
Archives and Records Administration.
(d) Definitions.—In this section:
(1) Covered recreational vessel.—The
term “ covered recreational vessel” means a recreational
vessel that is—
(A) less than 26 feet overall in length; and
(B) capable of developing 115 pounds or more of static thrust.
(2) Dealer.—The term “dealer”means any person who is engaged in the
sale and distribution of recreational vessels or associated equipment to purchasers
whom the seller in good faith believes to be purchasing any such vessel or associated
equipment for purposes other than resale.
(3) Distributor.—
The term “distributor”
means any person engaged in the sale and distribution of recreationalvessels
and associated equipment for the
purposes of resale.
(4)Manufacturer.—
The term “ equipment manufacturer” means any person
engaged in the manufacture, construction, or assembly of recreational vessels or
associated equipment, or the importation of recreational vessels into the
United States for subsequent sale.
(5)Propulsion machinery.—
The term “propulsion
machinery” means a self-contained
propulsion system, and includes, but is
not limited to, inboard engines,
outboard motors, and sterndrive engines.
(6)Static thrust.—
The term “static thrust” means the forward or
backwards thrust developed by propulsion
machinery while stationary.
(Added Pub.
L. 115–282, title V, § 503(a), Dec.
4, 2018, 132 Stat. 4270.)
A-33 EMERGENCY ENGINE/PROPULSION CUT-OFF DEVICE - JULY 2010
33.1 PURPOSE
This standard is a guide for the design, construction, installation and
performance of a system used to disable the propulsion engine when the
operator is unexpectedly displaced from the boat.
The above is a standard for the switch itself. It does not require
boats to have one, but if the boat does have one it must be built and
installed according to this standard.
What this switch does is shut off the ignition.
Usually there is a lanyard attached to the ignition key, or a separate
key inserted into a socket on the ignition switch, that is also
attached to the operator. If the operator moves too far away from the
operator's position (about three feet) , the key is yanked out and the
engine stops. The key can then be re-inserted and the engine
restarted. Click here for a good article from BoatUS on Kill
Switches;
Keeping Current On Kill Switches
https://www.boatus.org/findings/42/ Also available are
wireless kill switches that sense when a person is thrown overboard or
knocked down, and kills the ignition. These are very convenient
for people who boat alone, need to move around in the boat, or are
on large boats that necessitate moving more than a few feet from
the helm.
Below are some references that show how
ignition switches are wired.
Ignition Switch Wiring
http://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/ignitionSwitch.html
A variety of Kill Switches available from iboats.com
https://www.iboats.com/shop/searchrabbit/result/?q=kill+switches
Shift Interrupter Switch:
This is a separate switch to interrupt the engine when the boat is
being shifted into gear. The reason for this is, when a boat is in
gear there is pressure on the gears and this makes shifting difficult.
To relieve the pressure as the throttle/shift control approaches neutral
the shift interrupter switch momentarily kills the ignition to take the
pressure off the gears. The load is then off the engine making
shifting easier. If it did not do this, when the transmission went
into gear there would be a sudden jerk and a heavy load placed on the
gears, and the engine would accelerate causing it to either die or
suddenly lurch forward or backward. This switch momentarily stalls
the engine to keep it in idle. This is part of the engine package.
But as the boat manufacturer you need to be aware of it. Also, not
all engine transmission packages have or need a shift interrupter
switch. It depends on the package.
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