It look likes that the canopy is split in the middle and that the halves remain attached to the sides of the DUKW. The lifebelts are a mess one could get easily entangled in when trying to escape with a split canopy.
Why not use fixed sponsons as in the picture? They donot increase the water resistance that probably will be the case with the inflatable bladders. Furthermore there is not the possibility that the electric air pump will fail due to for instance poor maintenance, undetected malfunctions and the danger that the electricity is cut off in an emergency situation.
If the beam is extended by sponsons with 1 meter, from the Duckās beam of 2,51 m to 3.51 m, the longitudinal moment of inertia that is the āresistance to heelingā is increased by a factor 2.7 which is considerable. That is because in the formula B is to the third power or B cubed.
Hereās another account of a survior from the Guardian:
When that water came over the boat I didnāt know what happened,ā she said from her hospital bed at the Cox Medical Center in Branson. āI had my son next to me. But when the water filled up the boat ā¦ I couldnāt feel anybody, I couldnāt see. I just remember, 'Iāve got to get out, Iāve got to get outā.ā
She added her sister-in-law had shouted to āgrab the babyā as the boat began to submerge but that it hit her head as she tried to find an escape in the darkness.
ā¦ and why not ejection seats coupled with rocket motors to fly back passengers safely ashore?
Ā«Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move in the opposite directionĀ». Albert Einstein
Ā«Simplicity is the ultimate sophisticationĀ». Leonardo da Vinci
Stoopidly simple idea to avoid of being trapped, that has at least the merit to be practicable and affordable in terms of construction, installation, maintenance and could, in very rare occasion, save livesā¦
well that sure is a flippant BULLSHIT cheap gratuitous response
a flotation bladder around the hull of these vessels would be doable and inexpensiveā¦had the captain on this one which went down had that to deploy can you tell me that 17 persons who are dead today would not still be alive?
sheeshā¦where do you people come from anyway? Outer Slobovia?
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Are you making a psychological projection of your own origin, in which an oversized alpha male ego defends itself against unconscious impulses or qualities (both positive and negative) by denying their existence in themselves while attributing them to others? 
how about just answering my question that if fitted with an inflatable bladder the passengers on this craft would not have died? Why on earth do you need to argue with me over this? are you some sycophant supporter of Ride the Ducks or something?
Good idea ā¦ but very expensive in terms of fabrication, installation and maintenance. Thence, I would be surprise that this small industry could survive such an extraordinary expense. Not really an enthusiast but at least, I think that I could myself master a Duck ā¦
It takes a rare breed of sailor to master these craft. Years of training and sacrifice.
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I donāt think youād need to get all fancy, that yellow Viking Splash duck pictured above looks like it would work just fine. Permanantly inflated bladders are simple, easy to install and easy to check.
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Hereās a thoughtā¦ every helo that flies offshore has emergency floatation. Who said anything about an electric air pump? A CO2 cylinder works fine for helos and life rafts, why not some similar floats on a DUKW?
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Sometimes this forum shows all the reasoned debate of a good old bar just outside the wharf gates after the participants have had about 4 hours training. Still it gives me a good laugh over breakfast.
Unfortunately helicopters float upside down in a seaway with their floatation bags. It was succinctly described over the radio on one occasion as being āballs upā.
During the early HUET courses that I did we were required to wear an eye mask for the final exercise to simulate a crash at night but this was discontinued due to panic attacks by some students. Even as an experienced once navy trained diver and recreational scuba diver I doubt whether it would be as easy to escape where the sea state was more than a metre.
From g Captain
NTSBās Initial Review of Video Recordings Reveal Duck Boat Captain Was Monitoring Storm
The boat must have been taking on water somewhere besides into the passenger area? Maybe the waves coming over the bow were going through the engine compartment into the bllge? Maybe the first warning of flooding was the bilge alarm going off.
About 19:04:15. An electronic tone associated with the bilge alarm activated.
About 19:05:21. The captain reached downward with his right hand and the bilge alarm ceases.
About 19:05:40. The captain made a handheld radio call, the content of which is currently unintelligible.
In the final minutes of the recording. Water occasionally splashes inside the vehicleās passenger compartment. (The low frame rate and relatively low resolution make it very difficult to be more precise in the preliminary review.)
About 19:07:26. An electronic tone associated with the bilge alarm activated.
Those floats on the Viking Splash DUKW are probably foam filled and not pneumatic.
Using the right kind of foam they will stay buoyant even if the outer shell is punctured:
http://www.anchormarinehouston.com/foam-filled-fenders/
Yeah no shit, that would be because the float bags are on the bottom of the helicopter. Thatās kinda basic stability knowledge there bub. CG way above CB is going to make anybody have a bad day if it tips far enough.
I was talking more along the lines of in lieu of the permanent floats like in dutchieās picture. Up by the waterline. Not on the bottom like an offshore helo. 
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I never have seen these Ducks in operation. The mortal street accidents seem to prove, that they ācruiseā on normal public streets. I do not know if this operation mode is current or even essential.
With a beam of 3.51 m, they would certainly not be allowed on open city streets.
I ask this with all sensitivity to the victims, survivors and their familiesā¦but was their a weight capacity limit for the boat and if so has anyone read anything about that being a factor?
I have seen, in person, a CG passenger rating test on a charter boat (100 passenger). I saw the weight tests. Would these boats also had weight tests for CG approval?
I am a pleasure boat sailor, not one of you all. I know all too well about capacity on all the boats I have owned and others I have sailed on. Weight is a huge factor in my experience, even on the larger boats I have sailed on, 50ā give or take 5ā and weighing 20,000-40,000 lbs, but obviously sailboats are more sensitive, especially multihulls.
Demographic wise that area has a high ratio of obese populationā¦I canāt help but wonder if that was a factor?
We know sailors who have improved watertight bouyancy chambers also with empty water bottled. In fact, we did that with a fiberglass dinghy to enable more capacity/higher freeboard when weighted down.
Huh? How did you do that? Did you glue empty water bottles below the waterline or did you somehow glue them to the gunwales in some watertight fashion?
You might make ābouyancy chambersā out of water bottles but if they are anyplace other than below the waterline all they do is add weight and reduce freeboard ā¦ at least until the boat downfloods.
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