[FlyingScot]

Originally Posted by fatlazyless

Did a Google search ...... Flagstaff Lake, Maine, SeaDoo Switch, August 30, 2025, three passengers drown ....... to see what the Maine Warden Service has determined.

So, six of the seven passengers did NOT know how to swim and were NOT wearing pfd's and were caught underneath the pontoon boat for a significant time when it flipped while moving forward. No adult beverage was involved. Eight pfd's were stored onboard the boat but were NOT worn by anyone.

Wearing a pfd on a motor boat is usually not done here on Lake Winnipesaukee because it's too warm to wear one, is too confining, and looks a wee bit wacky.
Basically almost no one wears life jackets excepts for jet-skis which are required, and self-inflating pfd's are not supposed to be used on a jet ski.

Conclusion: Drowning is sometimes your own self-inflicted death for not wearing a pfd.

I agree that if a person can't swim they must wear a pfd. But that's no excuse for selling this wacky "boat". Plus, swimming skill is not much help while trapped underneath the boat