So the starter control valve is electronically held open. Sometimes the ground start relay would either prematurely deenergize or the centrifugal switch would fail to closed and we wouldn’t be able to start the engine. In order to not get stuck on the boat, we would have a maintainer climb on a ladder a couple of feet from the prop, insert a paper clip with a string tied to it into so that the starter control valve would stay open. Upon start, when we got to 60% we’d give the cut signal and the maintainer would pull on the string and the valve would close. That was our technique... many Air Bosses have watched in sheer disbelief.
This is the most COD thing I've ever heard. Not so much the ingenuity as much as the extreme desire to not spend an extra second on the boat. Props (pun intended-ish).