I'm sure there are anglers out there who question why their boat even came with a boarding ladder. They have no plans to go swimming and the stern ladder is probably viewed as something that just gets in the way of their casting. However, for the majority of boat owners, those ladders see plenty of good use. Water sports are a huge part of boating and that's why a lot of pontoons come standard today with a ski/tow bar or a pylon. We do plenty of tubing in my family and even though I'm a little past my expiration date when it comes to being pulled around on a tube, at some point on almost every trip, I find myself in the water cooling off. It's often the highlight of my day, just to float and swim around the boat.
When anchored or beached of course the engine is turned off; there's no reason to keep it running. But what about for quick stops when picking someone up after they've fallen off the tube? Do you shut the engine off then? Apparently what to do in this situation is up for debate, but good luck convincing me that it's not better to turn your engine off when swimmers are in the water.
As a guest on another pontoon last summer, I was surprised when the captain didn't turn off the engine when retrieving his kiddos after tossing them off the tube we had been pulling. Not wanting to come across as a “know-it-all expert” but more concerned for the safety of the kids, I decided to speak up and risk embarrassing the driver who clearly had just forgotten to kill the engine, right?
I casually suggested he should turn off the outboard since the kids were about to climb up the ladder. In my mind I was just reminding him of an obvious safety precaution, but turns out not everyone agrees that you should turn the engine off in this situation. With a puzzled look on his face he responded to my suggestion to turn off the engine with, “Why would I do that?” In his mind this was overkill and not necessary.
Technically speaking, as long as the boat is in neutral (not in gear), the propeller will not spin when the engine is running. Some boaters feel it's not necessary to turn off the engine when you have people in the water and near the ladder as long as the captain is trusted and is paying attention.
Call me paranoid, but I have nightmares about the throttle being accidentally bumped and the engine going into gear with people in the water. I know the odds of this happening aren't great, but is it too unrealistic to think the throttle could be bumped accidentally by the captain? Or maybe the helm chair could swing around and knock it into gear? What if an unsupervised child grabbed the throttle when all the focus was in the stern of the boat? Not likely, but why risk it?
Some boaters when asked said they worry the engine might not start up again, so turning it off is not even a consideration. If you're far from where you began your day or even just far from the shore, it's a valid concern. If you're in a strong current or near pilings, bridges or maybe even another boat, you may feel you have to keep the engine on, but again, I question the unnecessary risk.
Have you ever pulled up to the dock and thought your boat was out of gear but quickly realized it wasn't? It happens, right? Your arm was nearly pulled off by the person on the dock trying to help you before you realized you weren't in neutral. However, a sore shoulder or a bruised ego is nothing compared to what could happen if you were still in gear but didn't realize it when picking up a swimmer. Shutting the engine off is the only sure way to know you're truly clear.
Whatever reason motivates you, if you're not already convinced on why you should turn off your engine when swimmers are in the water, maybe it's time you give it some more thought. There are a lot of great debates out there, but in my opinion this shouldn't be one of them.
