§4312 Engine Cut-off Switches

Summary

Manufacturers, distributors, and dealers who put engines and starting controls on small recreational boats must install an engine cut-off switch and a safety lanyard that meet American Boat and Yacht Council Standard A–33 as it existed on the day Public Law 115–282 was passed. A person driving one of these boats must use the lanyard when the boat is on plane or going faster than displacement speed, unless the main helm is inside an enclosed cabin or the boat does not have and was not required to have a cut-off switch. The Coast Guard may run a safety campaign about cut-off switches through the National Boating Safety Advisory Committee. Within 90 days, the Coast Guard must send the A–33 standard (as of that law’s enactment) to certain congressional committees, the Coast Guard design office, and the National Archives, and keep it on file for public inspection. Short definitions: covered recreational vessel = under 26 feet overall and able to make 115 pounds or more of static thrust; dealer = sells to end buyers; distributor = sells for resale; manufacturer = makes or imports boats; propulsion machinery = self-contained engines like inboard, outboard, or sterndrive; static thrust = push made while the boat is not moving.