Originally Posted by glassdave

my thoughts exactly. We test our race boat in the St Clair river that has a lot of freighter and large cruiser traffic. I am always on the lookout for wakes and cross chop. If i see ANY traffic we proceed with caution. To run these speeds you need to be hyper aware of your surroundings.

again, hope all come out ok. Its tough to hear about this stuff

Originally Posted by Smarty

This is a pleasure boat failure, not a raceboat. Racer's assume a greater risk than a pleasure when operating their boat. I would want my race boat (if I had one to be well built as you indicate and have first hand observational experience).

Now to give fair balance, my gut feeling is Outerlimits exceeds industry standards when constructing their boats, with respect to new technology and materials.

However, Outerlimits boats are light and fast, what was compromised for safety? I know all the Outerlimits fans and cheerleading section are hating me for saying this, but stand behind your product and responsible for the personal-injuy damage that is caused when it fails. That is what is required. Anything less will cost money when people are injured, I do not make the rules of law, but that is the way it is.

And again, I would love to own an Outerlimits GTX. And I think they build a helluva boat, but the manufacturers in the industry can and should do better for the consumer, if they have the ability to so, and if it is possible. You and I have seat experience (you now with an 180 mph boat), but what about Mr. Big Check Writer who comes in with his $1.5 million dollar check and wants to buy a 120 mph+ (or faster) boat with very little performance boat experience or seat time? Do you take the order (sale)? I say sell they boat, because I am sales oriented, but their is a legal and moral obligation.

I wasn't trying to stir the pot here, or get people to wound up, but my concerns are probably the same as most average boaters. I just want to go out and have a peaceful, and safe day of boating on the weekends.

Originally Posted by Dirty Bird

When you purchase an Outerlimits, it comes with a pre-paid course in Tres Martin Performance Boating School. They insist you take it within 90 days of purchase. In fact when I purchased my boat, they made a big effort to get me hooked up. In fact, to speed the process up, Brad came to me in miami beach, did the course one on one, so it could be done expediantly. The course is a true eye-opener in boating saftety. It explains how all boats get into accidents, as well as going into the specific handling of a stepped hull, and other hull designs. Even with years of performance boating experience, it made a lot of sense to me, and taught me invauluabe safety info. Once taught how to drive my boat, I feel my Outerlimits is as safe as any boat out there. Boats now are built by all manufactures faster than we can drive them, just like cars. When you are on the water, going 80+, 90+, and up, you enter a whole new realm of driving, and safety concerns, and it is up to the driver and to some extent his crew to keep things safe.

Originally Posted by glassdave

What ever happened to personal responsibility and accountability? all you've talked about is how its someone else's fault.

Originally Posted by noyzee

Originally Posted by noyzee

Originally Posted by Smarty

I want to know more about this accident;

1. Why did the top of the boat delaminate? Design defect? Manufacturing defect? This is not an acceptable answer - it is an epoxy boat (or a vinylester resin boat) that hit a wave at 130mph+ and rolled. Design should be made for this type of occurrence, it is not the first roll with an Outerlimits boat.

2. This is not a negative on Outerlimits, I wish I could own one; Skater has had boat-owner operation deaths too, but I think Skater builds the safest and best catamaran in the market place today. I know what a Products Liabiltiy attorney would say, and it isn't pretty, and I am not getting into a legal debate on product design (is there a more feasible safe design?), and assumption of risk.

2. Was the driver trained to operate an boat of this size, power, and speed before purchase? After purchase? Other than writing the big check, what are the qualifications for the purchaser/operator? Safe boating course? Performance boating school? How much seat time prior to the accident? Ect.

These are the questions that will be asked of any manufacturer in the near future, if not right now, that will kill offshore performance boating as we know it due to personal injury lawyers, product liability lawyers --- due to death and injury when operating high-performance boats.

I am a lawyer who will NOT take a personal injury case, but I can clearly see that since boat speeds have increased, the reported cases seem to be appearing more rapidly.

I like boating, I like racing people on the weekend, and I do not want that right to do so taken away by legislation or the courts, due to tragedy(s) like this.

Opinions?

I do not want to see or hear of anyone injured or killed boating, my prayers for those involved.

Originally Posted by animalhouse

The video you have posted is that of My old boat. You are comparing apples and oranges. The thread on OSO immediately after AMF spun out clearly had the driver and throttleman of the Turbine Powered 51 admitting that they went into the turn pretty hot, and could not throttle down the turbines fast enough to slow down.

That being said, it is a testimant to the build of the boat that a high speed spin like that didn't result in any structural damage to the boat at all. It is common when most powerboats spin out at a similar speed to here that a drive was ripped off, or the transom was stressed, but that boat remained perfectly intact, and more importantly upright.