Man Overboard off Puerto Rico -- 7-Hour Swim to Shore

[uncle stinkybob]

Well I'll be damned, a little more searching resulted in finding this. This example is rather large and bulky at 22lbs but on a smaller scale? But I'm sure some here will accuse it of being unicorn like?
Looks to me like something a single hander might consider a life saver in rough weather when needing to get out of the cockpit and on deck, or to hoist your over board mate back on deck.

Ultra-Lokâ„¢ Self Retracting Lifeline - Retrieval

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by unclemack

I don't get the Ich Bin ein Sitzpinkler thing or the macho-peepee-in-the-wild thang either.

Aim as good as I can but at my age got to expect the odd miss. That's no reason to hang off the boat with not enough hands to hold everything.
Shrouds are no nearer than the head on my boat...

Nope, don't get it.

I like to wander round the boat and eyeball things.. various parts of the rig, sit up in the bow, check out flotsam from a higher vantage point.. check the horizon..
Theres a lot of lobster and crab pots and stuff down the W and S coasts of Spain and Portugal that go a few miles offshore, Tuna nets.. there's times when its just more convenient.. it may seem a macho thang to you.. but to me.. I just need a pee.
Not saying its what you must do.. some do.. many do not..
your choice.
Also.. I'm not a Big Boy.. one hands adequate..

[goat]

Originally Posted by unclemack

Just finished reading this and one thought about the triggering aspect of a boat-stopping arrangement occurs.

Nothing original about it, just another application for voice recognition.
Seems probable that a shouted word like STOP or HELP or whatever could be made to trigger a number of motor driven control responses.

No need to carry anything = good, need to be conscious and have a spare lungful of air = bad but I see no reason proximity detection device or car remote key fob couldn't also be used.

"Details? Details?
I've done the hard part - the invention - if you people can't fill in a few details what the hell am I paying you for!?"

Yet another use for "The Clapper".....'Fall off, get on; The Clapper.'

goat

[Brewgyver]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

OK for the tiller boats, drag 50' of floating line attached to the tiller, you don't have to pull yourself aboard, just hold on long enough so the boat ends up in Irons, and then climb aboard.
Us wheel guys? Good reason to get a tiller I guess

If you were using a tiller pilot, you'd need to figure a way to lift the drive off the pin on the tiller, otherwise it's not going to deflect. And as I mentioned earlier, a lot more than 50' of drag line.

[CaptTom]

I thought I remembered hearing about a unit that will kill the engine if it loses the signal from a small fob you could carry around with you. By sheer numbers, the biggest market would be small power boats. I assume it could be adapted for a boat under sail, or a power boat without a lanyard kill switch. This link explained the options pretty well...back in 2011:
Boat Engine Kill Switch System for Integrating With RFID Tags or RF Reflectors invention :: PropellerSafety.com

Not to deter anyone with better ideas, but it's not a new problem and there are some solutions out there already.

[bcguy]

... good lifelines or at least beef up the wire ones you have?