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When Anthony Viggiano’s friend nearly lost his life in a boating accident, the Connecticut businessman, who is also a boat owner and avid boater, was inspired to create a device that makes boating safer. The product, called AUTOTETHER™, is a wireless lanyard that shuts off a boat’s engine in the event that the boat operator falls into the water. Additionally, AUTOTETHER sets off an alarm in the event that passengers or pets wearing the AUTOTETHER sensors on the boat fall into the water. The passenger sensors also have the ability to shut off the boat’s engine by pushing the red alert button in the event that you have a runaway boat.
“Boating is one of the world’s most pleasurable activities,” Viggiano said. “But it’s also a dangerous sport that requires diligence on the part of boat operators to ensure their safety and the safety of others onboard.” The U.S. Coast Guard estimates there are 77 million boaters nationwide. Also, according to U.S. Coast Guard statistics, in 2006, boating accidents resulted in 710 fatalities, up from 697 in 2005.
Unlike traditional lanyards that come standard with boats and require the operator to be tethered to the boat, the AUTOTETHER boating safety device is an unobtrusive wireless unit. It operates via a transmitter that sends radio waves to a receiver connected to the boat’s ignition. When the sensor is submerged in water, the signal between the transmitter and the receiver is instantly broken because radio waves do not travel through water, and AUTOTETHER activates the ignition kill switch. “When talking with boaters, the reasons they tell me they don’t wear their tethered lanyard kill switches is because they are a hassle, they restrict movement, they are prone to tangle or that they simply forget,” Viggiano said. “With AUTOTETHER there is no lanyard because it is a wireless device. It offers safety and enhanced freedom to the boat operator. AUTOTETHER also prevents the occurrence of dangerous accidental-disconnects since the operator is not directly tied to the ignition switch,” he said.
AUTOTETHER can accommodate a total of four wireless sensors – one for the boat operator and three for additional passengers- including small children and pets. Any passenger wearing the sensor who falls overboard will signal the boat to stop with the sound of an alarm. And because the system accommodates the passengers as well as the operator, they can also play an active role in ensuring that the safety device is in place before setting off on a boating trip.
Connecticut cardiologist Dr. Charlie Primiano said he did everything wrong on the picture-perfect, calm-water day he fell overboard his Hydra-Sports fishing boat in summer 2005. He was not wearing a life preserver or the kill switch tether that came standard with his boat. “About a mile from shore, my hat fell off. I went to retrieve it. Making the turn too sharply, I went right out of the boat, like at the end of a seesaw,” Dr. Primiano said. “Because of my boat’s mechanical steering, the rotation of the engine caused the boat to go in circles around me, rather than just take off.” “Boating alone, Charlie decided his only chance of getting back on the boat was to grab the bow ring of the moving boat and drag the rail down so he would be washed into the boat with the waves, an extremely dangerous option,” Viggiano said. “It took him several attempts, and finally he was able to carry himself back into the boat with a lot of water. Shivering and very cold, he returned to port and safety as fast as he could.” “After hearing his story, I asked him why he wasn’t wearing his lanyard, which would have stopped the boat,” Viggiano said. “He asked me if I always wear mine. Unfortunately, my answer was the same as his.”
HOW IT WORKS
Inside the AUTOTETHER sensor is a transmitter that sends radio waves to a receiver connected to the boat’s ignition. Should the boat operator wearing the AUTOTETHER sensor fall overboard, the signal between the transmitter and the receiver is broken because radio waves do not travel through water. The engine stops and a loud alarm sounds, alerting everyone on board to the danger of a boat operator. For added safety, should the operator or a passenger notice a potential danger, he or she can push the red alert button located on the sensor to sound an alarm and stop the boat.
HOW TO INSTALL IT
AUTOTETHER is easy to install. It clips right to the boat’s ignition switch. The clip is connected via a short, coiled wire to a receiver that is mounted on the boat’s dashboard, next to the ignition switch, using “peel and stick” adhesive strips. No wiring or tools are required. The system is self-powered via inexpensive AAA batteries, which are supplied with the kit. They can provide up to 150 hours of service. An indicator light on the transmitter illuminates when it is time to change the batteries. (Battery life is dependent upon individual boater system usage.)
OTHER BENEFITS
AUTOTETHER has other benefits over existing wireless devices. It is completely portable. It can be transferred from boat to boat with the proper clip. It also can be used to monitor a water skier or a tuber with the alarm only and not shut off the boat if he or she goes in the water. Other benefits include:
• More freedom than a hard-wired kill switch which requires the operator to be chained to boat’s ignition.
• Less hassle than old-fashioned kill switch cords that can get tangled or caught. An operator does not need to hook and unhook from the boat’s ignition.
• Hard-wired kill switches protect only the operator. AUTOTETHER protects others onboard, with one transmitter serving up to a maximum of four sensors.
• AUTOTETHER is portable and can be used on any boat or taken to the beach or pool.
THE AUTOTETHER KIT The AUTOTETHER kit includes one ignition switch clip, one transmitter, one personal sensor and AAA batteries. When ordering the AUTOTETHER kit, boat operators indicate the type of engine and AUTOTETHER supplies the corresponding ignition switch clip. Clips are available for OMC #1, OMC #2, OMC #3, Yamaha, Mercury, Honda, and Suzuki motors. The cost for an AUTOTETHER start at $235. Each kit can also accommodate up to four personal sensors. The cost for any additional personal sensor is $69. AUTOTETHER is patented and trademarked. It is available online at www.autotether.com or by calling 1-888-593-4181.
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