They never thought of a retainer until they got a bunch of complaints about the starter spring breaking. They foolishly thought putting a warning not to let go of the starter rope until it had retracted in the instruction booklet was all the protection the spring needed. we had a warrantee motor in the showroom waiting for a powerhead. I put a spool of rope in place of the defective powerhead and attached a starter handle to the end. A big red sign said "DO NOT PULL HANDLE". A big laugh seeing someone trying to stuff the rope back into the motor. I swear I could put a 12 foot rope on a starter and somebody would grab it with both hands and run to the front of the boat to start the motor. . . . 😆
