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Drunk boater had 16 kids on 22-foot boat

4K views 25 replies 21 participants last post by  chrisncate 
#1 ·
#6 ·
I think you left of the SOME, "Some people are stupid"! You and I as well as most here are people and I don't think we are all stupid.:rolleyes:
 
#4 ·
While I never did it, but for the grace of god, I was never tempted to put 16 of my closest friends as a teenager aboard a small boat. Many other drunk and immature decisions were made.

However, zero temptation long before reaching 47. This guy doesn't seem to have grown up. Many don't.
 
#5 ·
You also have to wonder about the kids parents. I would never have let 1 of my kids go boating with someone I didn't know well, and of the people I do know, I know who likes to drink when they think its an occasion to.

I lost a great friend to a drunk boater, I hope this guy gets locked up and his boat taken from him before he kills someone.
 
#10 ·
Not to defend the guy, but the article was big on accusations, and low on facts. The word drunk is a broad term.

Let's go back a few hours to the steps leading up to this incident. The night before he tells his kids, let's go boating, invite some friends, the next morning 16 of their closest friends show up. (Mistake 1: not limiting invitations to size of boat). (Mistake 2: not wanting to disappoint, he lets them ALL aboard,... after all their small), (Mistake 3: the kids drain the soda in seconds, leaving him to tap the beer), hot day and 3 beers lator the Sherriff pulls up, asks about the floating "bait shop", and tells him to blow into the tube.

This isn't an acedemic excercise because a small boat overloaded like this one flipped about a year ago leading to the drowning of a couple of youngsters.

We all know the danger of a child slipping overboard with apparently only one "adult" to watch them, (who is going to do the MOB?)

Something to perhaps spend a little more time on when selling a boat is to emphasize the capacity limits. Because there are aparently more than a few NOOB boat owners that haven't gotten the message.

I personally wouldn't take someone else's child boating unless the parent was also there.

One has to wonder about a parent that drops a child off at the dock, with apparently no interest in spending a day on the water with their child, or the childs safety.
 
#11 · (Edited)
I know you're not defending him Bill. But ...

This guy has no defense...zero, nada..ugatz. A month ago 3 children drowned when a 34 ft silverton went down with 27 people on board, in nearby waters. It made national headlines.

He would have to have been on a different planet after that, to not be aware the dangers of overloading a boat.

Additionally, there was no reason, whatsoever, for alcohol to be onboard.

And yes, I'd be questioning the parents of these kids to see what the hell was on their minds...
 
#13 ·
Ok....let's take the boat above:

It says Capacity 15 passengers

Then it says Capacity 2100 lbs. Is that total capacity, including passengers, engine and gear?

Let's assume for a minute the total capacity is 2100 lbs.

The weight of a new Yamaha 350 HP outboard is 804 lbs. Yamaha 350 Horsepower V-8 Outboard: The World's Most Powerful Outboard Motor Ever

Leaving 1300 lbs for persons, gear, fuel etc.

Divide 1300 by the NEW CG assumed weight per person of 185 lbs and you have a capacity of 7 persons ...excluding gear and fuel...

Let's assume they meant just persons..in the 2100 lbs... 2100/185 = 11 persons.

So either way..the number of advertised persons would be incorrect.

I can't believe that a 3800 lb boat is going to carry...2100 lbs of people...800 lbs of motor plus fuel and gear.
 
#15 ·
Those boats have pumps to take on 1500 pounds of water as ballast - makes for bigger wakes. The engine is an inboard V8 so I assume thats not included. Anyway, my point was that it would be nice if there was much more information in the article.

I should add that I also think it is pretty irresponsible to be drinking when you are responsible for 16 minors, even if you are on land or anywhere.
 
#16 · (Edited)
Personally, I think it is false and misleading to advertise that a 22' boat has a 15 passenger capacity, and then only allow for a total weight carrying capacity of 2100 lbs. An inexperienced newbie might think he can buy the boat and then throw a veritable "block party" on his boat, with a mix of 15 adults and children, when any experienced boater would understand that the gunwales would be awash.

In this case, 16 children plus however many adults were present was even beyond the extremely optimistic estimate of the marketing department of the very popular Wakeboard boats. IMO, only a well-paid expert witness would conclude that the boat wasn't overloaded with 16 children plus adults, irrespective of whether the operator was drunk. I think this case is indefensible on the issue of negligence based on overloading. The question of whether the operator was drunk only exacerbates his culpability.
 
#19 ·
Many times I invited people to go fishing. They always seemed to show up with 2 cases of beer.I had to explain there was no room for all that beer as fishing and drunks make poor companions. As the Captain I refrained and didn't allow more than a 6 pack per person on board. For some reason people seem to combine boats and booze. And not being adverse to the sundowner or 4 at anchor myself I can relate but all that sun and waves combined with motion sickness issue reduce tolerance a lot.
 
#21 ·
Worst part is the harsh DWI laws when children are passengers do NOT count on boat BWI YET

And remember in Suffolk the field test is ONLY probable cause to be taken to the machine at which time you have had perhaps two hours to lower you BAC

As it would be a felony like a DWI
 
#23 ·
Video and story here: Man arrested for driving boat packed full of children drunk | 7online.com

Great to see the police stepping up enforcement in the wake of the July 4th tragedy. The reality is there is a lot of money very little sense in the New York area. There was also another recent accident where a high performance boat hit a sportfish and a passenger on the sportfish died. The owner of the speedboat was intoxicated.

Sad end: Searchers find man's body after drunken boat crash - NYPOST.com

I hope that Suffolk and Nassau counties will start prosecuting to the fullest extent they can. The reality is that very few of these charges ever end in convictions. If we could actually hold people responsible it will hopefully increase awareness and make people think twice before doing stupid things.

New York law prohibits reckless operation of a vessel. Reckless operation of a vessel is that which unreasonably interferes with the free and proper use of the navigable waters of the state or unreasonably endangers any other vessel or person. The following are some examples of reckless operation.
◆ Failure to Regulate Speed is going faster than is reasonable and prudent under the conditions (vessel traffic, weather, closeness to shore, etc.) or not having regard for actual or potential hazards. Some examples are:
• Operating at an excessive speed in the vicinity of other vessels or in
Remember ...
As the owner of a vessel, you may be held liable for the unlawful operation of your vessel by others.
dangerous waters
• Operating at greater than "slow, no wake speed" in any posted "no wake" zone
• Operating at greater than the posted speed limit on any body of water • Operating at a speed that causes damage from the wake of your vessel
◆ Improper Distance is operating a vessel at greater than five miles per hour when operating within 100 feet of:
• The shore
• A dock or pier
• A raft or float
• An anchored or moored vessel
◆ Riding on the Bow, Deck, or Gunwale is allowing passengers to ride on the
bow, gunwale, transom, seat backs, seats on raised decks, or any other place
that is not equipped with fixed seating and there may be a chance of falling overboard. This does not apply to persons involved with mooring, anchoring, or handling the sails of a vessel.
◆ Reckless Operation are other acts which disregard the safety of yourself and/or others:
• Jumping the wake of another vessel too close to that vessel
• Weaving through congested traffic
• Swerving at the last minute to avoid a collision
• Overloading the vessel beyond the recommended capacity shown on the
capacity plate installed by the vessel manufacturer
◆ Unsafe Condition is operating a vessel in a condition that causes a hazard
to the occupants or others on the waterways. Law enforcement officers
may instruct the operator to immediately return to the nearest dock or safe anchorage, and the operator may not continue operating until the condition is corrected. Examples of conditions that are considered unsafe operation include: • There are insufficient personal flotation devices, fire extinguishers, backfire
flame arrestors, ventilation systems, or navigation lights.
• The boat is overloaded or overpowered.
• The operator is intoxicated.
 
#25 ·
I am sure this will NOT go well for the accused if convicted BUT they can only stack misdemeanor charges for two years

And sadly as the LAW stands a car would be a Leandra's Law Class E Felony BUT a boat is a misdemeanor charge
 
#26 ·
Mmm... childhood experiences

Lets see:

9 kids who will never set foot on a boat again..
1 kid who will now become a DNR officer..
3 kids who will set foot on a boat again, but not ever with anyone intoxicated..
2 kids who will get into sailing because even though it was what it was, they got a taste of the water and became hooked..

And one kid who will become an alcoholic L/A on a Hunter 27 that never leaves the slip..
 
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