§4312 Engine cut-off switches

Summary

Manufacturers, distributors, or dealers who put engines and starting controls on covered recreational boats must fit the boat with an engine cut-off switch and a matching link. The switch and link must meet American Boat and Yacht Council Standard A–33 that was in effect on the day the Frank LoBiondo Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2018 (Public Law 115–282) became law. A person driving a covered recreational boat must use the cut-off switch link when the boat is on plane or going faster than displacement speed. That rule does not apply if the main helm is inside an enclosed cabin or if the boat does not have, and is not required to have, a cut-off switch. The Coast Guard Commandant, through the National Boating Safety Advisory Committee, may run a safety program about using these switches. Within 90 days after this law took effect, the Commandant must send the ABYC A–33 standard to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure; the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation; the Coast Guard Office of Design and Engineering Standards; and the National Archives and Records Administration. The Coast Guard office and the National Archives must keep the standard on file and open to the public. Definitions (one line each): covered recreational vessel = under 26 feet overall and able to produce 115 pounds or more of static thrust; dealer = sells boats or equipment to final buyers; distributor = sells for resale; equipment manufacturer = builds or imports boats or equipment; propulsion machinery = engines such as inboards, outboards, or sterndrives; static thrust = thrust made while the boat is not moving.