'Duck boat' design flaw flagged years ago

Were there no survivors?
Difficult to understand why an agile 12 year old aboard was unable to dive out a window.
As another life-long sailor I agree it's a dangerous design.

BUT !!

However much I may personally disfavor it, such cat. fails as this are apparently rare for this design. It seems to favor calm water.

I suspect in this case the skipper could have saved vessel & passengers by reversing course. The video I saw showed the vessel directly into the wind.
I deduce the bilge pump/s if any couldn't keep up with the flood over the gunwale.

Not one survivor?
 
sear said:
Were there no survivors?
Difficult to understand why an agile 12 year old aboard was unable to dive out a window.
As another life-long sailor I agree it's a dangerous design.

BUT !!

However much I may personally disfavor it, such cat. fails as this are apparently rare for this design. It seems to favor calm water.

I suspect in this case the skipper could have saved vessel & passengers by reversing course. The video I saw showed the vessel directly into the wind.
I deduce the bilge pump/s if any couldn't keep up with the flood over the gunwale.

Not one survivor?
Click to expand...

14 survivors. Still not good. I wasn’t there but will speculate the error in judgment is on the part of the skipper. In Branson the Duck Boats have operated for 40 years without incident until now. In the US overall there have been maybe 4 incidents since the mid 90’s.
 
ThatOwlWoman said:
I definitely agree with that.
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Ride The Ducks demonstrated a callous disregard for the safety of their passengers.
Weather service reports gave the warnings at 11:00 AM, accurately projecting the path and the intensity of the system by doppler radar and computer models, and updated every 20 minutes.
Ride The Ducks owner said the storm "came out of nowhere".
In 1890 he could have said that. In 2018, not so much.
 
hh #144

That's fine.
BUT !!

The video I saw made it look like a tour vessel. You know. The kind with WINDOWS !!
They got in. If there's a way in, shouldn't there be a way out?
I'm retired.
But if that thing nosed under, I think I could scramble out a window, and maybe drag a little old lady to safety with me.

Lc #145

Thanks. I didn't get the head count.
But since you've mentioned math, that looks like less than half survived. That's not so good.

S #146

Do you suppose some abandoning the vessel may have gotten tangled in the jettisoned canopy / lines, etc.?
 
Rune said:
Actually t is you who is arguing from a point of ignorance.
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My argument is this:

This is the first incident in 40+ years at Branson with the boats. I’m not willing to shut down a job providing business over one incident that likely could have been avoided if the skipper used good judgment (my speculation...I wasn’t there). They’re going to have a very tough time going forward anyway. Make them remove the canopies and the people can wear sunscreen and life jackets.

But I don’t see much difference in this and when a shooting occurs and people want to ban firearms or regulate them of the hands of the people.
 
Stretch said:
There was a forecast of incoming weather. They should never have left the dock that day.
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One couple there had tickets and when they heard the weather warnings they got a refund rather than risk it.
The weather threat had lots of advance warnings in plenty of time.
Everyone should have gotten a refund that day. Ride The Ducks was too negligent, callous and greedy.
 
leaningright said:
My argument is this:

This is the first incident in 40+ years at Branson with the boats. I’m not willing to shut down a job providing business over one incident that likely could have been avoided if the skipper used good judgment (my speculation...I wasn’t there). They’re going to have a very tough time going forward anyway. Make them remove the canopies and the people can wear sunscreen and life jackets.

But I don’t see much difference in this and when a shooting occurs and people want to ban firearms or regulate them of the hands of the people.
Click to expand...

Your argument is a poor one.
When two people were killed at Ride The Ducks Philadelphia, they had to close up shop because their insurance went up over 300% .
Legislation will not be needed to put unsafe, callous and greedy companies out of business.

Ride the Ducks is done.
 
hvilleherb said:
Those things should not have canopies. That's what makes it a death trap.
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It was concluded by the NTSB that the canopies are what contributed to the deaths in Philadelphia in the 2010 incident on the Delaware River.
No changes were ever made to the craft. Philadelphia Ducks went out of business.

When I worked with the Boston Duck Tours years ago, all the craft were open topped. They all since have installed canopies so they can tour in any weather.
 
"This is the first incident in 40+ years at Branson with the boats. I’m not willing to shut down a job providing business over one incident that likely could have been avoided if the skipper used good judgment (my speculation...I wasn’t there)." lr #152
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:hand:

Sharp point, well stated.
None of that makes these death-traps any safer. But candidly, neither are kitchen knives. So as a society we've resolved to handle them safely. I think this one's on the skipper. And if he was following SOP, then update the SOP !!
 
leaningright said:
My argument is this:

This is the first incident in 40+ years at Branson with the boats. I’m not willing to shut down a job providing business over one incident that likely could have been avoided if the skipper used good judgment (my speculation...I wasn’t there). They’re going to have a very tough time going forward anyway. Make them remove the canopies and the people can wear sunscreen and life jackets.

But I don’t see much difference in this and when a shooting occurs and people want to ban firearms or regulate them of the hands of the people.
Click to expand...

A Duck sank in the Albert Dock in Liverpool in 2013.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...iverpools-Albert-Dock-SECOND-time-months.html
 
Leonthecat said:
Ride The Ducks demonstrated a callous disregard for the safety of their passengers.
Weather service reports gave the warnings at 11:00 AM, accurately projecting the path and the intensity of the system by doppler radar and computer models, and updated every 20 minutes.
Ride The Ducks owner said the storm "came out of nowhere".
In 1890 he could have said that. In 2018, not so much.
Click to expand...

I'm sure any number of lawyers are rubbing their hands together in anticipation right now, while Ride the Ducks' has left for Mexico.
 
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