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Woodsy · 10-04-2005, 03:32 PM

Skiman...

Nobody brought up the Speed Limit issue. This thread was originally about a SeaRay that collided with a stationary pontoon boat on LAKE WINNIPESAUKEE. Now it seems we have gotten off course and brought the Lake George tragedy into this thread. Please leave the SPEED LIMIT out of this thread!

That being said, I am sure they are going to find many factors contributed to this tragedy, most of them relatively minor. While speed may yet be a factor, I'll bet when it all comes out in the wash the Ethan Allen was traveling at less than 10mph. If the cruise boat can't go 50mph then I am pretty sure your point is moot!

The Ethan Allen is only 40' long and it was rated to carry 50 people, 48 passengers and 2 crew. We have SeaRays on Lake Winni bigger than this! The capacity of that vessel was set by an old Coast Guard formula that used a weight of 150lbs per person. That in itself is an issue... It has been reported that the boat had a slight list when fully loaded. This indicates that when fully loaded the vessel was top heavy and thus somehwat unstable to begin with.

I am going to wager the accident reconstruction team puts forth the scenario as such: Capt of Ethan Allen notices rogue wake/waves and initiates a hard/emergency turn to avoid the wake striking vessel abeam. Approximate speed 8 knots. (I am surmising this scenario because what other reason would cause a seasoned veteran Capt of 23 years to initiate what was essentially an emergency turn) Ethan Allen is overweight/top heavy from passengers and thier belongings. (See outdated formula above) As the vessel turns sharply, the weight of the passengers shifts, at approximately the same time as rogue wake/waves strike the boat. The combination of the initial instability caused by the top heavy loading of the boat, the hard turn shifting the weight of the passengers, and the wake striking abeam cpasizes the craft. This event could have probably happened without the rogue wakes/waves.

I am guessing the primary cause is going to be the initial overloading of the vessel.

Woodsy

10-04-2005, 03:32 PM	#20
Woodsy Senior Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: Weirs Beach Posts: 1,966 Thanks: 80 Thanked 980 Times in 440 Posts	Skiman... Nobody brought up the Speed Limit issue. This thread was originally about a SeaRay that collided with a stationary pontoon boat on LAKE WINNIPESAUKEE. Now it seems we have gotten off course and brought the Lake George tragedy into this thread. Please leave the SPEED LIMIT out of this thread! That being said, I am sure they are going to find many factors contributed to this tragedy, most of them relatively minor. While speed may yet be a factor, I'll bet when it all comes out in the wash the Ethan Allen was traveling at less than 10mph. If the cruise boat can't go 50mph then I am pretty sure your point is moot! The Ethan Allen is only 40' long and it was rated to carry 50 people, 48 passengers and 2 crew. We have SeaRays on Lake Winni bigger than this! The capacity of that vessel was set by an old Coast Guard formula that used a weight of 150lbs per person. That in itself is an issue... It has been reported that the boat had a slight list when fully loaded. This indicates that when fully loaded the vessel was top heavy and thus somehwat unstable to begin with. I am going to wager the accident reconstruction team puts forth the scenario as such: Capt of Ethan Allen notices rogue wake/waves and initiates a hard/emergency turn to avoid the wake striking vessel abeam. Approximate speed 8 knots. (I am surmising this scenario because what other reason would cause a seasoned veteran Capt of 23 years to initiate what was essentially an emergency turn) Ethan Allen is overweight/top heavy from passengers and thier belongings. (See outdated formula above) As the vessel turns sharply, the weight of the passengers shifts, at approximately the same time as rogue wake/waves strike the boat. The combination of the initial instability caused by the top heavy loading of the boat, the hard turn shifting the weight of the passengers, and the wake striking abeam cpasizes the craft. This event could have probably happened without the rogue wakes/waves. I am guessing the primary cause is going to be the initial overloading of the vessel. Woodsy