17 dead after duck boat sinks at Table Rock Lake near Branson, Missouri

So now we’re taking the word of some random “inspector” from a for profit company in a news article? Not that I am defending these “boats” at all, but it appears that since he agrees with the sentiment, we’re all just supposed to take his word without any background of who he is or how he got his qualifications? Seeing how the “designer” of the stretch DUKW didn’t have an qualifications, I don’t think taking the word of a DUKW industry “inspector” is prudent.

Department of Transportation regulations prohibit exhausts forward of the passenger compartment, Paul said. To comply with those standards, the exhaust should have been higher than or behind the passengers, he added.

This is undoubtedly a concern about monoxide poisoning, wouldn’t you say?

Here’s a story with a bit more content: Branson duck boat operator was warned in 2017 of dangers, inspector says

But hold on a minute here…nobody has mentioned flubber yet. If the bottles were filled with gaseous flubber it could likely fly and if the hull were made from solid flubber you could fill it with lead pigs and battleship armor and it’d never sink!

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Note that unlike in Branson also here, like in other places, everybody had to wear life jackets.

The exhausts of the Ducks in Dublin, Ireland are also in a more acceptable location. With the exhausts placed forward, with no height, exhaust gasses are indeed bound to enter the interior with the driver and passengers.

However, like I said earlier it probably had nothing to do with the sinking. As far as I can see in the pictures and videos the motor kept running until the end. Otherwise the Duck would have veered off course and ended up with the broadside in the waves and surely gotten rolled. Therefore it is imperative that the motor in such weather conditions always keeps running as otherwise the results, by lack of reserve buoyancy, will be disastrous.

The issue of the boats not being in compliance was raised in the Seattle crash as well:

From the Seattle PI

The Missouri firm — which refurbishes two varieties of the World War II-era amphibious Duck vehicles — claimed it has long followed U.S. Coast Guard and state and local regulations but didn’t know that it also was subject to U.S. Department of Transportation regulation under the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act.

The NTSB is obviously a teethless tiger which should be ignored as much as possible. An uphill battle which they will always lose…

The agreement did not include a recommendation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to require that all 57 Stretch Ducks manufactured by RTDI and that are now operational nationwide be suspended from roadways until an independent third-party certified that their axles are safe.

A spokesman for Ride the Ducks International did not immediately have a comment about the agreement Tuesday. But in a statement posted on its website last month, the company said that the NTSB recommendation wasn’t necessary because the axle issue had been addressed.

Clearly a case of no strangers in Da House!

I prefer and propose to fill the voids not with flubber but with pressurized helium. True the boat has then to be heavily ballasted to hold it down in the water but that only helps to improve the stability. Clearly a win win situation…:ok_hand:

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And what precisely is the regulation not met?

Doodle_2018-08-18T09_26_32Z already quoted it before. The information about the regulation originated from an article on Fox News that mentioned the reason, according to an inspector, why the regulation is not met. That is all I know.

Department of Transportation regulations prohibit exhausts forward of the passenger compartment, Paul said. To comply with those standards, the exhaust should have been higher than or behind the passengers, he added.

A post accident photo of Stretch Duck Seven.

In the mean time a fourth lawsuit has been filed over the fatal Branson duck boat sinking.

The petition states that the company was negligent for not implementing previously recommended safety changes to the vessels, and for not heeding storm warnings from the National Weather Service.

5 posts were split to a new topic: Weather at Branson Area Duck Boat Sinking

The Dutch does not only produce amphibious buses but fast ferries that can move on land (not hover crafts):
http://www.maritimejournal.com/news101/vessel-build-and-maintenance/ship-and-boatbuilding/amphibious-ferry-for-west-wales

The Singapore Duck Tours change ownership, but continue operations as normal:
https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/homegrown-tour-company-duck-hippo-acquired-international-operator
Nothing to do with the Branson accident apparently.

Duck tour Belgian coast, thus at sea for a change. The website states: “Wie wat lef heeft gaat mee als de zee wat ruwer is!” which translates to: “Those who have some guts will join if the sea is rougher!”. Unbelievable…

In the Netherlands Duckw’s are not allowed as they fail elementary ship building requirements. Therefore we resort to busses which have passed all necessary tests and ruling.

Duck tours are everywhere, here in Iceland with a bizarre ice sculpture in the background. Two exhausts mounted aft with in the middle a life raft capsule and no canopy. Also here are life vests compulsory.

The competition with a bus tour is another possibility.

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2 posts were split to a new topic: MV Nyerere Capsize

Maybe school buses would be a good replacement for DUKW’s judging by this video…

https://foxsanantonio.com/news/local/dashcam-video-released-of-leander-isd-bus-driving-into-low-water-crossing

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That bus driver surely was no boat man. He had no idea that at a certain point the hydrodynamics would kick in. I think that the sheriff’s arithmetic is somewhat flawed, it would be a very small bus, but okay the principle still stands.

According to police, for each foot of water that rises up the side of a vehicle, the vehicle displaces 1,500 pounds of water. This means the vehicle effectively weighs 1,500 pounds less for each foot the water rises, and just two feet of water can carry away most vehicles.

Driver likely watched too many “Insane truck river crossing” videos. He should have watched this one at 4:33.

https://katv.com/news/local/powerful-water-pump-removed-from-duck-boat-that-sank

2 posts were split to a new topic: Captain of Deadly Missouri Duck Boat Charged in Federal Court