MOB Safety Device

[ccflyer]

I went to the Providence RI boat show yesterday. One company was demonstrating an interesting safety device -

http://www.autotether.com/

I've got to say the demonstration was excellent. When the salesman threw the sensor into a bucket of water at the rear of the booth, the clip on the demo board at the front of the booth popped right out. However, even at the show special of $229, it seemed a bit pricey.

Has anyone got any experience with this gizmo?

BTW: The C-Dory had a great location. Rather than being on the show floor with hundreds of other boats it was in the corridor approaching the main hall. So, after coming through the entrance, you couldn't help but walk by them. They had a 22', a 19' and a center console. Y Landing will no longer be selling the C-Ranger Tug. They sold hull #1 but have had issues which I'll not repeat here. PM me if you wish.

[Sea Wolf]

Phil-

I can't see a real big advantage to this system over the conventional lanyard kill switch arrangement for most situations, if I understand it's functions fully.

Most people probably routinely by-pass the lanyard set up for convenience when operating in moderate conditions, then, if they're smart, re-employ it when the weather turns bad, especially when they're alone. And if the situation demands it, a really wise skipper would go to a harness and lifeline tether as well. Other crew should also be following the same modus operandi, and dogs and children should be secured below decks.

Additionally, in boats like the C-Dory, the chances of falling overboard are much lesser than in a raised deck boat or one with a shallow cockpit, such as a sailboat. Chalk one up to the advantages of the pilothouse design!

When going onto the foredeck in rough wx, the motors should be off or in neutral, and all measures taken to maintain contact with the boat, including a lifeline. (Incidentally, that's why we have windlasses, to avoid having to go up there altogether!)

I guess it could give you some protection for very unusual unexpected MOB situations in moderate weather, but a smart, aware skipper should be cognizant of what's going on with the boat, crew, passengers, pets, and themselves at all times unless the rum ration has been exceeded to blinding proportions. (Actually, grog and grogginess are best left to times at anchorage and in port, so to speak.)

That's my story and I'm stickin' to it!

Joe.

[Capn Jack]

I'm with Joe,

This looks like an expensive gadgit that would by it's very function compound a MOB situation. Example: At 15-20 knots how far would you be from a MOB when the device activated? OK, so now you've got someone in the water and a "dead" engine. How do you retrieve them? Row? I looked through the ad and didn't find any mention about re-starting your engine(s)...What about twins? For the solo operator of a small craft, a lanyard works just fine. I used to tell my daughter, "If I ever hear that engine running and you aren't hooked to the kill switch, you'll spend the rest of your life rowing."

[efish]

II have an Autotether and : If I was traveling 15- 20 knots and I fell overboard the unit would take about 1- 1 1/2 sec. to respond, After seeing the demonstration at the show in Newport one thing to be cleared up is that it does NOT get triggered by distance. It works on radio waves and as soon as it is submerged in water it is triggered. So if I fall overboard as soon as I fall in it triggers the kill switch. As for the "dead" engine: If someone else falls in they have a passenger FOB (white unit) which only sounds a MOB alarm, unless of course I choose to have all "yellow" or driver FOBS (shuts off engine), so I can turn around and retrieve them. As the driver I am the only one with the ability to shut the engine off. Now, if I fall off and get back in all I have to do to restart my engine is replace the kill switch that was ejected off. (just like I would for a regular lanyard). In terms of operation it works very similar to a regular lanyard but gives the ability to move around the boat and gives your passengers protection as well. I have used it and LOVE it. My son and I are certainly worth $295.

[Capn Jack]

OK, that helps to clear things up. I like the fact that the secondary units only sound an alarm. On a larger boat where there could be small children (or others) out of sight of the helmsman.

[timflan]

I hadn't heard of this product, but I've given this product category a great deal of thought.

I've assessed several MOB alarm systems for articles I've submitted to Southern Boating and Pacific Yachting, and have concluded that there is only one that really makes sense for Two Lucky Fish: the Maritech Virtual Lifeline.

It sounds an alarm, sets a GPS waypoint, and shuts down the engine if somebody falls overboard. The dash-mounted "Rescue Mode" rocker switch allows you to restart the engine immediately. The sensor/transmitter units are sealed, and will resist tampering by children. They can be left on PFDs all the time, with no need to disengage the system or leave them aboard the boat during trips ashore.

Anyway, that's what I want. I have yet to see the system in person, however. Hoping somebody has one at the boat show, but Maritech won't be there.

Certainly you can IMAGINE some deadly consequence of having the engine shut down automatically, just as you can IMAGINE some deadly consequence of being strapped into an automobile during a collission. But meanwhile, real emergency preparation suggests that you minimize separation between the boat and the MOB, and shutting down the engine accomplishes this. If I'm the only adult aboard, as is often the case, I DEFINITELY want the engine to stop if I go overboard.

On the other hand, in the research for my article I also concluded that there is a market for every one of the products on the market today. Commercial fisherman, offshore sailors, rescue personel...the scenarios are so different that my "perfect choice" might be absurdly ill conceived to somebody else.

[timflan]

OK, I was in a hurry when I wrote the previous. Now I have some more thoughts:

At under $300, it's an absolute bargain.

But you get what you pay for.

In this case, you get a battery-operated "proactive" or "proximity" alarm, which is triggered when a constant signal from a transmitter is interrupted.

It's a fine methodology, but you have to manage the system actively to prevent false alarms while in harbor. Still, this operational model has proven popular. This is how the Raymarine LifeTag and the MOBi-lert 720i systems work. But those systems are integrated with the navigation system and are powered through the vessel's 12V system. They both set a MOB waypoint at the splash point.

Autotether doesn't indicate if it can trigger a waypoint on a separate GPS, but I doubt it. Not for the price they're asking.

Keep in mind that I'm judging it against products that cost at least twice as much, so it's not really a fair comparison. I stand by my earlier statement that there is a market for every system on the market. This might be a great system on a C-Dory.

But in general, I prefer the "reactive" systems, in which the transmitters remain idle UNTIL they hit the water, and THEN they start transmitting. No false alarms here, although there is an increased chance of "false negatives", since transmitter failure results in no alarm with a reactive system, just the opposite of the behavior you get with the proactive systems.

But, and this is the part I like, no system management required. Install the system, attach the transmitters (any number of them...not just four as you are limited to with the Autotether) to the PFDs, and you're done. The crew can keep their PFDs on when they play in the dinghy or walk around the the docks or go ashore, and getting too far from the boat won't set off an alarm.

Reactive systems include MariTech Industries' (www.maritechsafety.com) Virtual Lifeline, Alert2 (www.alert2.com/, assembled right here in Ballard), the Sea Marshall system (www.seamarshall-us.com), and ACR's (www.acrelectronics.com) Vecta2 RDF receiver combined with any number of Mini B 300 water-activated Class B EPIRBs.

[Alyssa Jean]

efish with 1 post sounds like a salesman to me.

[ccflyer]

Yeah Dave, my thought as well. It was his first post and this thread comes up on page two when I google "autotether".

When I saw it demonstrated at the boat show the application which came to my mind was using it with my old water crazy retriever who has been known to jump out of the boat from her perch on the rear seat - even when I'm underway.

[Sea Wolf]

[pcator]

I bought one of these at the Charleston boat show. I am not a salesman or distributer. For me, it seems like a good thing to have. Usually, it is just the wife and me on the boat. If she did fall overboard, I want to know as soon as possible. I also like the freedom of moving around without continually attaching the kill switch.

Patrick

[rogerbum]

I could see a use for this when I'm fishing alone. I have twin 40's and no kicker so if I'm trolling slow, the rods are in the cockpit and the engine controls (and the kill switch) are in the cabin. If I'm in an open area (e.g. no worries about where the boat is going for a few minutes) and I get a hit, I'd rather run back and get the rod in my hand with the motor still engaged than to take it out of gear immediately (slack line=lost fish with the barbless hooks that are required out here). Then I can go back in (with rod in hand) and take it out of gear or depending on situation and fish size, land the fish with the engines still in gear. If I fall out then, I'm in trouble and such a device would be useful.

Also, even when my wife is along, if I'm trolling with me in the cockpit and her at the helm, I sometimes see her dozing off (especially in the super early AM when I just have to be fishing). In that case, I'm effectively single handed again and I think I could fall out of the boat unnoticed and have the boat cruise on at 2-3kts for a mile before she discovered it (as long as my insurance is paid, she might even prefer that ). Hence, this device with an audible alarm might be handy for me.