For everyone's situational awareness, new regulations are going into effect as of April 2021 regarding the use of Engine Cut Off Switch (ECOS) units, commonly known as the "kill switch" lanyards. You can read about them here: Boat engine cutoff switch law takes effect April 1 | Boating Industry
Essentially, if you're operating a boat equipped with a kill switch lanyard, it has to be used when the vessel is underway at speed (docking, fishing, etc. are exempted). There is a provision for pilothouse boats, which will exempt many of us from the regulation. But for the CC guys, this will likely be applicable.
I posted this under my 1700 overhaul thread, but thought I'd break it out here to make it more easily accessible. Independent of this regulation, I wanted a more user-friendly option for an engine kill switch that would allow me to move around the boat and wouldn't get in my way, but would shut off the motor if I fell overboard. Researching a few systems, I came up with two finalists: the ACR OLAS system, and the Fell Marine MOB+ system. Both have their advantages; in the end I settled on the Fell Marine system. It's a simpler install, and I don't have the need for the greater sophistication that the ACR system provides.
The install was fairly straightforward. The wiring harness splices into the corded kill switch module. By wiring them in parallel, you can preserve the function of the corded switch, while adding the wireless ability of the MOB+ unit. The diagrams provided with the unit and available from the manufacturer were nearly perfect; in my case one of the wiring colors was slightly different so I pulled out the corded unit to verify. Other than that, it was an easy splice job and one 2 1/8" hole saw cut.
Pictures of the dash unit install:
In the last picture, you can see the inside portion of the dash unit. It needs about 4" of clearance inside, and in addition to the wiring harness plug there's a small flexible antenna that is used to detect the loss of the signal from the fob. The harness also needs a connection to 12v power.
The fob is small, with a single push button. Once the fob is paired with the dash unit, the engine can be started. If the fob gets far enough away, the engine will shut off and alarm. After 6 seconds, the engine can be restarted, in case a passenger on the boat needs to maneuver back to pick you up. Testing it in my driveway, the shutoff distance was about 50'. I imagine that with the fob submerged in water, it would lose the signal a lot faster. You can also manually shut off the motor by pressing the button on the fob. Pressing it again resets the system and allows the motor to be restarted. The fob is a little bigger than a bottle cap, and they offer wristbands, clips, or lanyards to make carrying it on you easier. Mine lives in the little pocket on my inflatable life jacket. The system also allows you to configure 3 additional fobs as "alarm" fobs for passengers or pets; if one of them gets far enough away the engine will not shut off, but the alarm will sound.
If you're just testing or rinsing the motor, the system can be put into override mode by pressing the dash unit button for 10 seconds, after which the motor can be started; the unit will blink and beep every 30 seconds while in override mode. Should the system fail entirely, there's an emergency cap on the wiring harness; installing the cap makes an electrical connection that will bypass the system and allow the engine to function.
I'm very happy with this installation. It's nice to have the peace of mind that should I get bounced out of the boat, or fall overboard tripping over my own feet while trolling, I won't have too far to swim to get back aboard. Furthermore, it will satisfy these new regulations without the hassle of the cord. While I'd imagine that enforcement of these regulations will be somewhat difficult ("I took it off as soon as I came off plane to stop for the boarding, officer"), having the ability to easily be in compliance with regulations is never a bad thing.
Essentially, if you're operating a boat equipped with a kill switch lanyard, it has to be used when the vessel is underway at speed (docking, fishing, etc. are exempted). There is a provision for pilothouse boats, which will exempt many of us from the regulation. But for the CC guys, this will likely be applicable.
I posted this under my 1700 overhaul thread, but thought I'd break it out here to make it more easily accessible. Independent of this regulation, I wanted a more user-friendly option for an engine kill switch that would allow me to move around the boat and wouldn't get in my way, but would shut off the motor if I fell overboard. Researching a few systems, I came up with two finalists: the ACR OLAS system, and the Fell Marine MOB+ system. Both have their advantages; in the end I settled on the Fell Marine system. It's a simpler install, and I don't have the need for the greater sophistication that the ACR system provides.
The install was fairly straightforward. The wiring harness splices into the corded kill switch module. By wiring them in parallel, you can preserve the function of the corded switch, while adding the wireless ability of the MOB+ unit. The diagrams provided with the unit and available from the manufacturer were nearly perfect; in my case one of the wiring colors was slightly different so I pulled out the corded unit to verify. Other than that, it was an easy splice job and one 2 1/8" hole saw cut.
Pictures of the dash unit install:
In the last picture, you can see the inside portion of the dash unit. It needs about 4" of clearance inside, and in addition to the wiring harness plug there's a small flexible antenna that is used to detect the loss of the signal from the fob. The harness also needs a connection to 12v power.
The fob is small, with a single push button. Once the fob is paired with the dash unit, the engine can be started. If the fob gets far enough away, the engine will shut off and alarm. After 6 seconds, the engine can be restarted, in case a passenger on the boat needs to maneuver back to pick you up. Testing it in my driveway, the shutoff distance was about 50'. I imagine that with the fob submerged in water, it would lose the signal a lot faster. You can also manually shut off the motor by pressing the button on the fob. Pressing it again resets the system and allows the motor to be restarted. The fob is a little bigger than a bottle cap, and they offer wristbands, clips, or lanyards to make carrying it on you easier. Mine lives in the little pocket on my inflatable life jacket. The system also allows you to configure 3 additional fobs as "alarm" fobs for passengers or pets; if one of them gets far enough away the engine will not shut off, but the alarm will sound.
If you're just testing or rinsing the motor, the system can be put into override mode by pressing the dash unit button for 10 seconds, after which the motor can be started; the unit will blink and beep every 30 seconds while in override mode. Should the system fail entirely, there's an emergency cap on the wiring harness; installing the cap makes an electrical connection that will bypass the system and allow the engine to function.
I'm very happy with this installation. It's nice to have the peace of mind that should I get bounced out of the boat, or fall overboard tripping over my own feet while trolling, I won't have too far to swim to get back aboard. Furthermore, it will satisfy these new regulations without the hassle of the cord. While I'd imagine that enforcement of these regulations will be somewhat difficult ("I took it off as soon as I came off plane to stop for the boarding, officer"), having the ability to easily be in compliance with regulations is never a bad thing.
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