Re: no speculation on why but bad wreck
 

I also run my bullet on the chain and trailer it to lk michigan. The chain is not that bad and besides that there are idiots everywhere. mark

Re: no speculation on why but bad wreck
 

this guy is screwed , pictures and comments over the internet . spraying pontoon boats way to close to a sled admitting to speeding etc. just makes me want to be even more careful and keep on covering my ass when i'm using mine

Re: no speculation on why but bad wreck
 

Oh boy the season has even started... I SURE CAN'T WAIT to see NEXT YEARS RATES...... :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Re: no speculation on why but bad wreck
 

WOULD NOT PUT MY BOAT ON THE CHAIN FOR ALL THE $$$$ IN THE WORLD......give me lake michigan any day....

I go to both places, the Chain and Lake Michigan. The Chain offers more party atmosphere, with sheltered raft area's and lots of restaurants / watering holes. Weekends are crazy and over populated, yes, but the weekdays are fantastic.

Lake Michigan is for running truly offshore and using these boats for what they where meant for. Lake Michigan is not boated friendly in the Chicagoland area though. Very few restaurants / watering holes, and some have long up-river idle times to get to.

Re: no speculation on why but bad wreck
 

I am just glad no one was killed. I used to race dragboats at Blarney Island about twenty five years ago. Lots of good memories from partying on the chain. I realize that this kind of damage could happen to any performance boat and the manufacturer name is really not the issue. Many of us have pushed the envelope in boats and got away with it. This guy got bit and it makes big news. If we meet someone stepping up to a performance boat we should offer what we know and educate newbies to the sport. It benefits all of us. My two cents worth...

Re: no speculation on why but bad wreck
 

I live on the chain. Lots of eye candy, many places to stop and the lakes are much, much more than a 1/2 mile across. Fact is there are 488 miles of shoreline on the chain with 7110 acres of water and 29 miles channels. The no wake zones are where you see cool boats and bikinis. I do not mind at all. Lake Michigan is a lot of fun for pure offshore boating, but no where to stop. One of the biggest cities in the world and very few places to stop. Problem is the waterfront is so valuable as condos and mansions.

Re: no speculation on why but bad wreck
 

what is the longest stretch of water that you can safely run wide open on the chain???? have you ever seen at boat on the chain that isn't missing part of the skeg????

Re: no speculation on why but bad wreck
 

I am shocked as heck that guywas out there this early in the season , the bass boats just started coming out , the water level is not quite what it should be yet. I heard the boater knew the guys on the sleds, my buddy was at the broaken soar on his harley and said he was making high speed runs blasting his horn , its guys like him that give us performance boaters a bad name. Hey Klaw do you take your boat to Keith Brommelkamp? I think iv'e seen your boat there, he's awesome he's the only one that touches my boat! Ive been boating on the chain since i was 10 its close to home offers alot , yea its shallow in spots but MY SKEG AIN'T BROKEN, you gotta know where to go. I have a 25' sunsation and on most days my boat is a perfect size chain boat , it can get pretty choppy on a busy weekend lake catherine is 25 ' deep , i have a slip at blarneys for thurs. nite boat drags thats a a good time! you just can't get chit faced and drive home , i am a member and a director of the Northern IL. Offshore Club and most of try to set an example of good sea man ship on the water! By the way we are looking for new members we have a few runs on the chain , we also go up to lake erie pib , LOTO, Oshkosh, and the IL. river! I heard the 2 owners of sunsation came down to check the boat out and pay a vist to the injured, now thats a class act and thats why my next boat will most likely be another sunsation, we go up to their rally every year and boat on Lake st clair , very nice up there, A LITTLE CHOPPY ! Happy and safe boating!

Re: no speculation on why but bad wreck
 

It took a couple of days to research the rumors, speculations and facts about this unfortunate incident and the following are our findings that we believe to be true;

First the condition of the three (3) people who were on board; no one was air lifted or medi-vac from the scene due to “critical” injuries, all three we’re thrown from the boat when the boat hooked while attempting a turn. One individual broke two ribs and is doing well while the other two escaped without any serious injuries, some minor scraps and bruises and quite a scare.

As we reported, Wayne Schaldenbrand (President & CEO) and Dave Moriaty (Sr. Engineer) drove over to Chicago to met with the owner of the boat to investigate whether anything mechanical or structural contributed to this accident. Nothing was found to be out of place that would’ve caused or forced the action of the boat. The motors we’re still soundly secured to their mounts as was all external hardware attached to the boat. The position of the drives we’re still at their last settings which we’re found to be trimmed all the way up.

The owner, who was in his second Sunsation has no ill-will towards Sunsation and asked Wayne to build him another boat. We feel while the incident was indeed very unfortunate and fortunate no one was hurt more, that it was indeed a lesson well learned by the operator and more respect due these caliber of boats.

The damage to the boat was caused when the boat hooked coupled with the sudden deceleration causing massive hydraulic force. When the boat hooked, it also tipped slightly allowing the water to grab the boat about where the fairing tails towards the rear of the boat. You can imagine how much force the sudden stop placed on the boat by the damage. Wayne said the boat actually faired well even though visually it looks pretty well beat up and is very secure with our current laminate schedule and structural integrity.

Once again, we’re certainly glad the operator and passengers are doing well and think this incident can teach us something. If any one would like further information regarding this or other Sunsation news and facts, please do not hesitate to contact us.

DaveSunsation
810-794-4888
[email protected]