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Archive for Boating Safety

Batchelder vs. Malibu: Monitoring Post Sale Safety

The $200 million dollar verdict in Batchelder vs. Malibu Boats was reaffirmed July 18, 2022. One reason for such a large verdict was Malibu’s lack of a Post Sale Safety Monitoring system in which they actively sought out accidents involving their boats and addressed Post Sale safety issues. An order by the Judge denied the […]

Yamaha Patent Application: Propeller Status Indicator Lights

Back in April 2014, Brunswick was issued U.S. Patent 8,803,711 for what eventually became Mercury’s Moving Propeller Alert device. It uses several LED lights to display a rotating pattern when the propeller is turning and the boat is stationary or barely underway. Mercury has on online brochure. Now, in 2022, Yamaha’s U.S. Patent for a […]

Ethan’s Story: Importance of engine cut-off switches

Ethan Issacs’ family created a great video about their wonderful son, Ethan, who is no longer with us. Ethan lost his life because a youth sailing coach failed to attach their boat engine kill switch lanyard. In the video, the local Sarasota Florida police department recounts that day. (See our initial coverage of the accident.) […]

Prevent Unauthorized Operation of Rental Boats Invention

Our invention eliminates / stops / prevents unauthorized individuals from operating rental boats during the rental period, sometimes called nonauthorized operation The disclosure below of our invention to Prevent Non-Authorized Operation of Rental Boats was posted on February 8, 2022. We will make no changes to the text below the line following this paragraph except […]

Fell Marine wins Sea Tow National Boating Industry Safety Award

Fell Marine, manufacturer of the MOB+ wireless lanyard kill switch, received the National Boating Industry Safety Award sponsored by Sea Tow Foundation in the Top Gear & Equipment Manufacturer category for 2020. PropellerSafety would like to thank Sea Tow for sponsoring these awards and especially for recognizing the impact a for profit firm, such as […]

OSCAR detects floating debris: avoid log strikes

The origins of OSCAR, a collision avoidance system for boats from Austria, unfolded when Raphael Biancale, a European automotive engineer and founder of the BSB Group, was returning from a 6 month sailing trip in 2013. He searched for ways a sailor could safely navigate at night. His work on intelligent systems for automobiles led […]

Brunswick launches BoatClass on water training

Brunswick Corporation announced their new BoatClass on water boating training program to assist boaters in gaining confidence on the water and to teach proper boating safety practices. Brenna Preisser, Brunswick Corporation President – Business Acceleration & Chief People and Strategy Officer said, “Safety is the number one priority for all boaters on the water and […]

Updated list of over the bow Pontoon Boat propeller accidents 2021

Its been over 3 years since we updated the List of Over the Bow Pontoon Boat Propeller Accidents, many of which result from bow riding / bowriding. We tried to limit the list to only over the bow prop accidents on pontoon boats. There are numerous other ways to get struck by the propeller of […]

Safety is our number one priority????

We have all seen and heard countless businesses tell us one or more of the phrases below: Safety is our number one priority Safety is our #1 priority

Boat Builder / Boatbuilder Product Safety Program

The Beginnings of a Product Safety Program for Boat Builders / Boatbuilders Boat builders range in size from very small to very large operations with multiple well known brands. Consolidation of the industry, explosive growth in certain segments, legacy products, international sales, industry and government regulations, product liability issues, new on water activities, increasing participation […]