Boating is a multi-billion dollar industry that millions of people around the world enjoy, providing people with a means to venture off to spend time on the water and escape everyday life. As would be expected, many boats are used for activities that require people to get into (and get out of) the water while the boat is not docked. Examples of such activities include but are not limited to swimming, tubing, kayaking, and the use of personal watercraft.
Typically, people enter and leave the boat proximate the stern. Unfortunately, many boats utilize outboard (or inboard/outboard) propulsion systems that position the propellers of the boat behind the stern, wherein these propeller are in a position that could potentially pose a danger for people entering and exiting the boat proximate the stern.