Is it the boat or is it the driver?

[boscoe99]

The Dangers of Texas Flats Boats | Houston Press

[fairdeal]

its always someone else's fault.



personally, just seeing one screams "recklessly unstable and overpowered"

[pstephens46]

1475 lbs, max hp 225.

[99yam40]

I had heard stories of them taking off while running into the wind with a little chop, but never heard about this.

I never understood the need to be doing 50+ MPH on the water.
It makes it hard to even think about taking a drink of beer in all of that wind blowing by you.

[robert graham]

I understand some tunnel hull boats have very quick turning and maneuvering characteristics....to the point that they can throw folks clear of the vessel during turns. It's the reason I decided to just buy a modified V Jon boat rather than the tunnel model....Too bad about that young fellow's hand....lucky to be alive!

[Jason2tpa]

John Doe, at the age of 30, drove to his local boat dealer today. He dropped 100k down for a 37 footer with twin 300s. He drives the boat off the lot and heads towards the closest boat ramp. Motors out into bay waters and opens up the throttle, twin 300 beasts roaring.

Along the way he cuts off other boaters, overturns a nearby kayaker by driving too close, barely missed running a ground because he doesn't know the meaning of markers...but he's enjoying himself. He barrels through the no wake boat ramp zone at half throttle, kicking up a wake so big that your tied up boat slams into the dock resulting in a fracture line along the cap-transom joint. And now because of his inexperience you've got a serious problem. But hey, it's just operating a powered vessel. What bad could come of it?

Individuals under the age of 28 must complete a USCG boater safety course to legally operate a vessel. However, if a passenger on the boat is 28 or older, no certification is required for the 27 and under person to operate vessel. Important to note here that this course teaches the boater nothing about the water, the weather, or least of all how to operate a boat.

My point in mentioning the above is the stark difference of federal law and regulation between operating an automobile and vessel. At 15 years old you can get your auto learners permit to drive with a licensed passenger. A training period on the roadways for 1 year, at which point you TEST to gain a drivers license.

Recreational boats are NOT certified or approved by the USCG, or any other federal agency. This is a myth. It is the boat manufacturer who certifies that the hull meets federal regulations, such as flotation, weight capacity, power capacity, fuel vapor, etc.

It's very unfortunate the young man in the article was involved in a boating accident. It was only a few months ago the miami marlins pitcher died in a boating accident. As a lifetime mariner, it disturbs me hearing about boating accidents. 99% of these accidents are due to operator related errors, whether that be a single vessel accident or an accident involving 2 or more vessels.

But to file a lawsuit against the boat manufacturer for negligence...man, that's like filing a lawsuit against the manufacturer of a merry-go-round because you fell off.

But hey it's America, sue everyone.

[rodbolt17]

you are wildly wrong on the certification.
all hulls must meet certain specifications for retail sales.

however the HP rating has nothing to do with hull strength.\
look on the rating label.
you will seer it states that it meets all USCG and ABYC rules at the date of manufacture.

[pstephens46]

I would hope the HP rating would apply to the stability of the hull. The last part of the article Boscoe posted above told of some testing where the boats were remotely con*****ed. Put a couple of these designs through their paces and duplicated some of the wild handling. Not at WOT throttle either. The spin-out was worse with additional weight at front of boat.

[panasonic]

Too much motor. Too little boat. Too little draft. Too high center of gravity. Too bad people are getting killed/injured in these things....no need.

[99yam40]

I remember driving a Corvair (car) once that swapped ends on me in a turn on wet road.
I believe it was too heavy in the back end with the motor/transmission hanging in the very back like that.

[fairdeal]

I remember driving a Corvair (car) once that swapped ends on me in a turn on wet road.
I believe it was too heavy in the back end with the motor/transmission hanging in the very back like that.

I did the same thing with Fiat 850 Spyder - also rear engine.

Just like the Corvair, you had to watch the tire pressure:

same tires all around, but you had to air the fronts to 16 and the rear to 26

[Jason2tpa]

you are wildly wrong on the certification.
all hulls must meet certain specifications for retail sales.

however the HP rating has nothing to do with hull strength.\
look on the rating label.
you will seer it states that it meets all USCG and ABYC rules at the date of manufacture.

Re-read my words:

Recreational boats are NOT certified or approved by the USCG, or any other federal agency. This is a myth. It is the boat manufacturer who certifies that the hull meets federal regulations..., weight capacity, power capacity, fuel vapor, etc.

USCG does not certify or approve hulls. They will send a representative upon request by the manufacturer to provide guidance with regulation. Once again, it is the manufacturer who certifies the hull meets USCG standards.

[Jason2tpa]

I would hope the HP rating would apply to the stability of the hull.

Awhile back I did some research to discover how hull manufacturers determined the max rated hp. What I discovered was a formula they used to calculate the max hp. The manufacturer can rate the hull for a lower hp, and most do, for safety and to reduce their risk of lawsuit.

This max rated hp is only required by the USCG for hulls 20ft and under. However, the majority of hull manufacturers still rate their hulls over 20ft, i reckon for the same reasons mentioned above.

If you curious and want to read the USCG code, it's here:https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CFR-20...-sec183-53.xml

Using the max hp rating formula you'll be surprised to learn that your boat can probably have a larger engine than what the max rated hp plate stipulates. For example, my hull is max rated for a 130hp. However, when I apply the calculation its max rate is 150hp. So obviously, in 1976, Aquasport decided to rate the hull with a lower hp.

So coming back full circle, as long as the engine hp mounted to that texas tunnel hull meets the hull manufacturers max rated hp....who is really at fault? The operator or manufacturer? The answer is sad because of the trauma that boy endured.

Which makes me recall my most favorite quote by an historical figure:
"The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it. But in the end, there it is."--Winston Churchill

[rodbolt17]

I have not looked it up in years but last I looked the HP rating was set at the speed that a 180* turn of the helm would not eject the operator.\
had noting to do with any other hull stability factors or hull strength.\
but that big yellow ta that has been a requirement on retail sale hulls states the manufacture certifies that the hull is in compliance with all USCG and ABYC rules in effect on the date of manufacture.
go read it.

[99yam40]

I would guess if that is true, then they would have to set how large of a 180 deg turn it would be.

A 180 with in a 1/4 mile would be different than 20 or 50 feet.

or was this 180 turn of the wheel not the boat?
if so how fast? less than a second?

interesting any way you look at it