2LaneCruzer
Super Member
I predict this will be the death knell for the duckboats. If they don't make some major mods, they will be relegated to "Mysteries at the Museum".
As long as a vessel can pass the CG inspections they can carry passengers for hire...it seems likely the CG will be changing a few things in the way of safety to passengers etc. after this tragedy....I predict this will be the death knell for the duckboats. If they don't make some major mods, they will be relegated to "Mysteries at the Museum".
You can make a vehicle operate under water without a great deal of technology or expense. How difficult would it be to afford such a duck boat a little protection from the engine (immediately) succumbing to a wave? Having said that. Does anyone know at what point the engine quit?
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I'm still amazed that the boat was out there for 7 MINUTES from the time whitecaps appeared... and nobody thought to put on life jackets. I just can't get that through my head.
As long as a vessel can pass the CG inspections they can carry passengers for hire...it seems likely the CG will be changing a few things in the way of safety to passengers etc. after this tragedy....
Didn't any of you read that on this model, the exhaust is in the front bow of the machine. Water can go into the exhaust and kill the engine if waves get high enough. I think I read that in the safety report by the inspector that the company hired before they bought the business. He warned them of that. So if the engine dies, the bilge dies, the boat takes on more water and down she goes.
I wonder how the bilge alarm wiring is set up.
Is the alarm to announce the pump is running? or to tell U to turn on the pump?
If a warning of high bilge then should it not only quieten only when bilge is dry or low?
Also should a bilge pump not be an automatic device rather than a manual one? Like float or sensor activated. (heck sump pumps in septics and basements are automatic)
You have to wonder if the bilge pump circuitry hasn't been modified from factory settings.
I believe you'll find that getting enough water in the bilge of a duck boat to snuff out the engine by submerging the distributor or air intake with 30 people on board would only happen after buoyancy is lost and the boat is already headed under... The bilge pumps on these boats are engine driven, and capable of moving massive amounts of water when they're working properly...
Duck boats are often operated on land with the the "hood" slightly open to vent the engine compartment, which is in front of the driver. Watching the video, it's obvious that every time the nose goes under, the boat gets lower in the water... I wonder if this one had the hood left open while they were on the water...
As larger waves come over the nose, the open hood would act like a water scoop. Probably not much concern with one or two waves, but add that water to any leaking seals, and then keep dumping water in through the hood, and you can probably overwhelm the bilge pump pretty quickly...
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Seems like the captain would have made for shore immediately after the first alarm, with conditions as they were. I know hindsight is everything, but my philosophy is that any port will do in a storm. Get. Off. The. Water.
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Wait until all of the lawsuits are settled. The CG standards, although relevant, are not the whole story. If I had to guess, I would guess that suing the manufacturers would be futile, since the boats were (1) Made for the government for use in time of war, and (2) seeing as how the standards applicable to manufacturing are those at the time of manufacture and intended use, it doesn't seem like a productive avenue. That basically leaves the company that operates the ducks as the fall guy. Meeting CG standards still doesn't excuse them from negligent operation, and considering the age and design, they have their work cut out for them.