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Archive for The Leash

The Leash Saves Bass Angler From Outboard Motor

A bass angler was fishing on Santee Cooper Lake in South Carolina. His Mercury Pro XS outboard motor struck a floating log at about 55 miles per hour. The outboard motor broke off at the swivel bracket during the October 2023 accident. Several large Mercury outboard motor swivel brackets have failed, allowing the outboard to […]

Preventing Outboards Flipping in Boats: Supplement 1

We previously published, Approaches to Prevent Outboard Motors From Flipping Into Boats After Striking Floating or Submerged Objects, and twice updated this extensive list of approaches. Our last update was published in 2018. This time we published a separate 2020 supplement to the 2018 third edition of the report. Many new methods have come on […]

Suzuki patents outboard tether in Japan in 1992

In January 2016 The Leash was released as a means of preventing bass boat outboard motors striking submerged objects from breaking off and flipping into boats. Previous to The Leash we saw examples of individuals and one state government agency creating their own tethers. We found the Coast Guard recommending home built tethers on bass […]

The Leash awarded 2nd U.S. Patent

The Leash was awarded U.S. Patent 10,435,128 “Outboard Motor Tether” on October 8, 2019. This new patent enhances their patent portfolio increasing their level of patent protection beyond their earlier patent, U.S. Patent 9,771,136. The Leash, a tether to prevent outboard motors from breaking off and flipping into boats, continues to be a popular accessory […]

The Leash: Bassmaster Tournament: ACA outboard flipped into boat accident

American Christian Academy (ACA) of Tuscaloosa Alabama’s bass fishing team was fishing the 2019 Bassmaster Southern High School Open on Lake Guntersville (Alabama). Mike Wilkins tells the story on video above of how 295 boats took off that morning. Mike, his son Hunter Williams, and another high school angler, Jackson Elder, ran out about 45 […]

Mercury patented outboard motor tether in 1969

With all the chatter about The Leash we thought we would point out the first commercially available outboard tether for larger outboards was invented and sold by Mercury Marine. Mercury’s efforts preceded The Leash by nearly 50 years. This post is best viewed on a laptop or desktop computer. This post in no way belittles […]

Rex Chambers speaks on The Leash: video

Rex Chambers, well known professional bass angler and his fishing partner were injured 3 May 2014 on Wheeler Lake in Alabama when they struck a submerged log, the 250 horsepower Mercury outboard motor broke off, and flipped into the boat still under power. His fishing buddy was struck in the head by the skeg. Rex […]

Stages of grief: boating industry resists proposed safety devices

The recreational boating industry has long used a series of objections in their efforts to resist proposed safety devices, including propeller safety devices. The industry raises different objections during different stages of the process. Overall the process resembles the 5 stages of grief people pass though when a loved one dies. The five stages of […]

Randy Howell runs The Leash: video

Randy Howell and The Leash recently posted a video of Randy explaining why he runs The Leash, a tether to prevent large outboard motors from breaking off and flipping into boats after striking submerged objects or when running in rough water. Several outboard motors have flipped into boats while the outboard motor is still under […]

The Leash receives U.S. Patent

We just noticed The Leash, a tether to prevent outboard motors from flipping into boats when striking submerged objects, received U.S Patent 9,771,136 back on 26 September 2017. Some of our work in this field was cited in the patent references as well. Roy John Grohler is listed as the inventor and the patent is […]