PROPELLER GUARDS on ALL Recreational Boats

  • by: Teri S
  • recipient: ocean recreation participants, Hawaii

In 2011, Hawaii had the second-worst record of boating-related fatalities in the nation, at a rate of forty-four boating-related deaths per one hundred thousand registered ocean vessels.  Boats, especially those operated for recreational purposes in nearshore waters, frequently come into contact with other ocean users who are engaging in recreational or subsistence activities.  In recent years, several individuals statewide have been critically injured or killed by the boat propellers under these circumstances.
     Most boat propellers are designed as sharp, exposed, spinning blades.  When they come into contact with swimmers, divers, surfers, snorkelers, and paddlers in the water due to operator error, disregard for ocean safety standards, or naturally occurring conditions like strong currents, the result is almost always critical or fatal injury.
     Boat propellers can also cause environmental damage.  While a boat is underway, its propeller may strike and injure marine animals, including protected species such as sharks, dolphins, and sea turtles, even when the boat's operator is aware of hazards and makes efforts to avoid them.  Propellers can also seriously damage aquatic plant life, which is a necessary component of healthy reef ecosystems, a critical food source for herbivorous marine animals, and an important cultural resource for many of Hawaii's people.  Additionally, turbulence and wake caused by propellers can harm small marine species, increase shoreline erosion, and damage critical shoreline habitat.
     Propeller guards mitigate damage to human and marine life and the ocean ecosystem by serving as a barrier surrounding propeller blades and reducing turbulence and wake.  Propeller guards provide additional benefits to boat owners by protecting propeller blades from damage, increasing boat performance, deterring propeller theft, and qualifying boat owners for insurance discounts.
     We request the Hawaiʻi State Legislature to protect ocean users as well as ocean and shoreline ecosystems by requiring all motorized recreational vessels to have propeller guards installed (http://propguard.net).
Please support our petition and the Bill that will be resubmitted this upcoming Legislative Session (January 2018). Here is the link to SB258.

SB258
https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session2018/bills/SB258_.HTM


 
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