Wobble

Indy, I don't get that from it. I think the point was, "you can't blame the boat. Being intoxicated makes even the most simple of tasks more difficult if not dangerous".

jusabum

125 mph? Are you serious?
Have you ever come out of a boat at 70mph? It'll mess you up big time.
Stick your hand out the window at 70, it's also the max speed on many highways.
Just think about it for a minute. 70 MPH is very fast.

sprsptr

This accident has a LOT to do with the boat. The incredible performance it offers is obviously a factor when alcohol is added to the equation. Ya, they could have swamped a 16' skiff going 20 mph in the same conditions, and probably laughed about it the next day at breakfast! A 44' 120+ mph cat brings a level of operator confidence that may allow poor or impaired decisions to have tragic results. The fact remains that this ultra performance boat running at 100 + mph reacted to conditions in a way that the operator was unable to understand or compensate for.

Indy

We'll when he says that "this has nothing to do with the boat" I took it that way.

rak rua

Sorry if this sounds harsh but the driver stuffed up. Whether he would have done things differently without the effects of alcohol, we will never know.
To learn something out of this mess, next time you hit the water, spare a thought for these two guys and the sadness they have left behind and make sure it doesn't happen to you.

Publishing the in depth report can only heighten awareness to the dangers of boating.

In2Deep

To be clear, I'm not a proponent of more government/regulation in our society overall. I also do not support the general idea of requiring a license to drive any boat. However, when it comes to ultra high performance in the "motorsports" category, or with aviation, or with other rolling/floating machinery that exposes the general public to the risk of these specialized machines being operated on public thoroughfares (roads, waterways or airspace) -- it seems reasonable to me to require that the owner/operator possess an appropriate level of special training and certification.

I don't think anyone can argue that operating things of a "specialized" nature requires varying degrees of advanced skill, knowledge and seat-time to a) operate in a safe manner, and b) operate in a way that optimizes the performance or utility of the vehicle or vessel itself. If I wanted to drive a big rig I'd need a commercial driver license, to fly a plane I'd need a pilot's license, to captain a tugboat and barge a load of green beans down the Mississippi I'd need a captain's license, and to compete in a sanctioned car race (NASCAR, F1 etc.) I'd need to complete and pass certification before doing competitive laps with other drivers (imagine the outcry by race car drivers if rookies could just walk on).

As someone with 30 years experience operating recreational boats on many waterways (some more challenging than others), loves being on the water going fast or slow and watching as these beautiful high performance cats and V's have gotten faster and more exotic and are available to anyone with the financial resources to acquire one -- I think the time has arrived to require some type of official and enforced certification to operate a vessel capable of the performance levels we're talking about here. Really pushing it, and since poor judgment can't be "trained out" of a person -- I can also see the time coming when the Water Patrol begins passing out wreckless driving citations for operating a vessel in a manner that "exceeds the safety limits of the conditions at the time". Very subjective.

Just IMO.

I2D.

jusabum

It's not "the" boat, it's NOT the laws and it was most likely not the alcohol.

The boat got out of shape, and sober wouldn't have changed the outcome.

Cat boats are using 2 very unstable surfaces - wind and water. Once a cat packs air underneath it, it needs something to help balance it, it is depending on water first, and then air flow...a wave, or gust of wind can push it off balance, and usually, it's not a big deal.

Skills don't mean anything once the boat tries to take off. Usually, the boat levels itself and the operator gains control and can keep it pointed in a certain direction. The problem is, sometimes the air-flow and water are all out of place and the boat does whatever it wants to do with inertia and the driver has absolutely no control whatsoever. NONE.

Only this time, the boat got out of shape, inertia won.

Remember this, these boats are designed by "guesswork" at best, they have not been developed by an engineer or wind-tunnel tested, and this accident, as well as others, are the result of installing massive horsepower and pushing incredible speeds that exceed common sense.

There is no training, education or experience to prevent these types of accidents - it's pure luck to walk away from a 180mph ride.

Nate5.0

My sonic was uninsurable without a boater safety course by Tres martin or the likes. There are companies that do make this a MUST do but it still can not always prevent an issue. This driver was very skilled at driving a big power car and especially an MTI.

jusabum

I feel the time has come where boaters should be "encouraged" to get some sort of training and/or license to operate a boat that planes. I know this is a sensitive area, but the water ways are more crowded and PC has taken over. BUT, and AGAIN, there is no training, education or experience to prevent these types of accidents that are being discussed in this thread.

Hook'em

Doesn't this support the facts here? None of the captains were newbies. More than half of the ones lost/ Sydwayz listed were NOT DRINKING ALCOHOL. Two incidents happened on a close course. The rest arguably were results of the crashed boat interacting with traffic and or resulting conditions on a busy weekend on a public waterway. And all of them in a cat in excess of 100 mph.

The 80,000 pound big rig is a good analogy. They are everywhere and accidents happen. But in the interest of public safety they have a very different "set of rules" to be allowed to share the road with a suburban full of families. There are task force teams here that do nothing but harass commercial heavy vehicles. Full mechanical inspections on the road side along with weighing axles etc... As well the operator has a different skill set/license requirements, increased training and a ZERO tolerance policy where alcohol (or other drugs) is concerned.

It's not always the same cause when tragedy strikes...poor maintenance, excessive speed, operator in attention, other drivers etc. But the fact remains, the risk of death or injury when an 80,000 pound vehicle rolling 70-75 mph is clear and present and unfortunately it's usually the family/private vehicle that gets crushed and folks lost. So the rules/laws are in place and the heavy burden is on the "big rig" because he's the one that's risks catastrophe if every single thing isn't in order and operated with a high level of attention all the way around. Especially in heavy traffic.