Federal law requires engine cut-off switch for small crafts

NATIONWIDE—Boat manufacturers will now be required to install an engine cut-off switch for recreational vessels measuring 26 feet or smaller and capable of developing at least 115 pounds of static thrust, thanks to a piece of federal legislation recently signed into law by Pres. Donald J. Trump. The engine cut-off switch requirement for small recreational vessels was a major provision of the Frank LoBiondo Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2018, which was signed into law by Trump on Dec. 4. Manufacturers installing these engine cut-off switches under the new federal mandate must also meet American Boat and Yacht Council Standards, according to the Coast Guard Act. The engine cut-off switch requirement will kick in by December 2019 and applies to vessels with inboard engines, outboard motors and sterndrive engines. “Cutoff switches save lives,” Dave Kennedy, BoatUS’s manager of government affairs, said in a released statement. Kennedy added the Coast Guard Act also extended the vessel documentation term from one year to five years. Anyone renewing his or her vessel documentation through the Coast Guard’s National Vessel will receive a five-year certificate – instead of the usual one-year renewal – thanks to the new law. “Making recreational-vessel documentation renewal easier by now requiring it only once...