very bad boating accident: if you boat...

[queenlives]

the "action" occurs @ ~1:43 - watch the unbelievably violent action this boat driver somehow lives through - UHmazing. (note to self: when driving the whaler, always wear vest and lanyard)

http://www.layoutlocator.com/videos/Bass-Boat-Crash__1UEETjztLqI.html

 

[CL65 Captain]

Darwin's law almost at work. Note to self: Don't attempt to jump boat wakes at 70 mph in a boat that was designed to catch fish.

 

[passline]

I don't know much about boats but I have studied physics. That motor looked way too big and too fast for that size boat. Is that just a large case surrounding the motor or is the motor actually that big? What is the weight of a motor like that and the boat without a motor? There were several uncontrollable forces at work in that stupid experiment. Thank God he is OK.

 

[ChopsJazz]

Yes, awful. It seems that practically any time a camera is rolling, whether it's with a boat, a skateboard, a motorcycle, etc., there is a very real prospect of testosterone getting the better of the subject.

I'm glad he's ok.

 

[Cragar]

I don't know much about boats but I have studied physics. That motor looked way too big and too fast for that size boat. Is that just a large case surrounding the motor or is the motor actually that big? What is the weight of a motor like that and the boat without a motor? There were several uncontrollable forces at work in that stupid experiment. Thank God he is OK.

I don't know for sure but that engine is probably legal (USCG rating) for that boat. A lot of the bigger bass boats are rated for 250-300HP engines. The reason why is tournament fisherman will get their sponsor to get them the fastest and most powerful boat they can. Having the fastest boat will allow you to get to that ' hot spot ' before your competitor , move quickly between areas to fish and allow you to stay out the last minute trying to catch that last fish before zooming in at the last minute before weigh-in time is over.

They do have plenty of bass boats that will do 70-80 mph stock from the factory. There are even custom boat builders that will sell you a bass boat that will go over 100 mph.

However , it is a bass boat. It is not made for W.O.T. jumping wakes under windy conditions.

One other observation , the boat's trim was riding high at the bow. The boat probably did not have the livewells and baitwells full of water to reduce weight for this speed run and this in turn caused it to ride higher than usual.

 

[NemesisX]

I do boat...very often. I can tell you that the size of the motor isnt the issue, like many accidents, its the driver.
1st off, he should have known the way his boat is going to react in most or all conditions. He has a shallow hull bass boat which isnt very stable in the calmest conditions. Its a fishing boat, NOT a speed boat and the biggest difference is HULL DESIGN!
2nd ANY boater that knows anything will THROTTLE back when going over someone elses wake. Just because it was another boat "changing the lake or sea conditions" doesnt make it any safer, whether its one wave or a series, the conditions under his boat changed and he should have throttled back before crossing the wake. There is a reason why the offshore racing boats have a "throttleman" and a driver -speed control.
3rd You dont cross a wake almost parallel to the wave of the wake, you broach the wave with the BOW of your boat. About a minute into the video you can see him wrestling to keep the boat under control and from swaying side to side in CALM waters. When he crossed the first side of the wake his hull became VERY unstable (side to side) and once the hull lost contact with the water, he was just along for the ride.

 

[steveny]

It's a bass boat not a jet ski stupid.

 

[queenlives]

It's a bass boat not a jet ski stupid.

ain't it the truth.

 

[PhiAlpha44]

He has a shallow hull bass boat which isnt very stable in the calmest conditions. Its a fishing boat, NOT a speed boat and the biggest difference is HULL DESIGN!
2nd ANY boater that knows anything will THROTTLE back when going over someone elses wake.
3rd You dont cross a wake almost parallel to the wave of the wake, you broach the wave with the BOW of your boat.

Yep

It's a bass boat not a jet ski stupid.

Yep. That was pretty damn stupid. Why would you throttle across somebody's wake like that?

 

[steveny]

Yep



Yep. That was pretty damn stupid. Why would you throttle across somebody's wake like that?

Because you got enough money to buy a bass boat? :biggrin:

 

[95EagleAWD]

What an idiot.

No sympathy from me.

 

[C-speed]

What an idiot.

No sympathy from me.

Agreed...

 

[paladin]

The video says he was unconscious in the water for 10 minutes. How long does it take the leading boat to circle back and grab him?

 

[passline]

The video says he was unconscious in the water for 10 minutes. How long does it take the leading boat to circle back and grab him?

Maybe the guy in the leading boat was half-bombed too!

 

[Cragar]

The video says he was unconscious in the water for 10 minutes. How long does it take the leading boat to circle back and grab him?

He's just dang lucky he had a PFD or he would have drowned.


Circling the camera boat back only takes a minute. Getting someone who is unconscious and possibly injured lifted out of the water in less than 10 minutes is nearly impossible. The proverbial ' dead weight ' of trying to lift an unconscious person while bending over the gunwales would be quite difficult.

I would not try to move someone like that due to unknown injures. Floating in the water with a PFD until medical help arrived to access injuries or unless the victim regained consciousness and could determine if they were injured might be a better course of action than trying to move the victim.

 

[swbatte]

I don't know much about boats but I have studied physics. That motor looked way too big and too fast for that size boat. Is that just a large case surrounding the motor or is the motor actually that big? What is the weight of a motor like that and the boat without a motor? There were several uncontrollable forces at work in that stupid experiment. Thank God he is OK.

You are exactly right. Every boat is rated for a certain hp engine max. The Coast Guard and the Cops check this regularly. His hull of his boat was way out of the water, and had zero stability. Dumb.