Boat Propeller Strike Injuries

For more than 35 years of employment, I (Keith Jackson) have been directly involved in product development, testing and manufacturing. Prior to entering the marine safety industry, I was employed by Professional Technologies located in Redding, California for 12 years (1979 – 1991). During the last six of those years, I was the Manager of the Research and Development Department. My responsibilities included all aspects of product concept/design, testing and evaluation, and finally, the introduction of the product into manufacturing. 

The company was multi-dimensional and had expanded into the aeronautics industry with the development and manufacture of “experimental” aircraft. As part of this expansion, the company designed all of the components of the aircraft which included the cockpit structure, wings, bulk heads, and other sub-assemblies of the plane. Again, my department was responsible for the full spectrum of design, testing from static to destruction, and accountable for all documentation and reporting of the test results. 

Professional Technologies was acquired by an outside company and was relocated to another city at which time I became an independent consultant in program and/or product development and marketing.

The interest in propeller safety came upon us when a friend was houseboating with his family in Texas. During his vacation, a propeller strike fatality occurred on the lake on which he was boating. When he returned home, we started designing a “cage type” propeller guard that could be mounted around a propeller.

We began to run out of enthusiasm until one day, on a typical summer afternoon in 1995, on the popular Shasta Lake in northern California, a houseboat renter by the name of Shirley Jones was attempting to board the ladder on the stern of their idling rental houseboat, floating in the middle of the lake when someone put the engine into reverse and backed over her, which caused devastating propeller injuries that she succumbed to a week later. 

That tragic event prompted me to rejuvenate my enthusiasm by putting my background in product concept and design into something that I believed could become a life-saving device. I founded Propeller Guard Technologies, Inc. with a focus on preventing boat propeller related injuries and fatalities. In September 1995, the “SwimGuard” ‘cage-type’ propeller guard was introduced to the marine marketplace and my company’s journey began. 

Over the next several years, my involvement with United States Coast Guard (USCG) and their desire to reduce propeller strikes combined with my interest in the marine industry, the company developed and introduced other propeller safety alternatives along with the SwimGuard. 

I have been an avid boater most of my life and started driving our family boat at 16 years of age. Our family had owned multiple types of boats from runabouts and pontoon boats to 56 foot houseboats. Most of our boating was done on Shasta Lake, CA. As a family, we were always concerned about the inherent hazards associated with a boat’s design. 

Once our cage-type guard was designed and tested, we immediately installed it on our personal houseboat to protect our family, especially our young children. Soon thereafter, our boating friends and families became interested and equipped their boats as well with no complaints. Even though we were all ‘experienced’ boaters it gave us an extra layer of peace of mind.