Indictments in Ethan Allen tragedy

[knottybuoyz]

Owner and captain indicted in 2005 Ethan Allen capsize...

http://www.cnn.com/2007/LAW/02/05/boat.overturned.ap/index.html

What went wrong on the Ethan Allen - Popular Mechanics

What Went Wrong: Lake George Disaster - Popular Mechanics

NTSB Report

http://www.ntsb.gov/publictn/2006/MAR0603.pdf

[mudnut]

Leaving out the legal things,this boat was to small to hold 47 people and maybe the new roof had a lot to do with the accident also.Not a good outcome for anybody in this story.Mudnut.

[ssullivan]

Yes, this story really got me wondering. First, about how you could put a 2000lb structure up that high. Second, about that kind wake-maker that didn't stop to help after capsizing a boat.

[mike d.]

the ethan allen is/was like lobster boat hull design. this prob. was not the first encounter with it rolling violently. the boat was in service in long island sound in the 70s. it was altered then already by raising the deck level, which made it unstable for the same task. the owners in upstate new york raised the deck level with the gunnals which exasberated the prob. then they put on the hard top which caused further destabilzation of the hull. they should be held criminally responsible for stupidity, and greed. the capt. should've had his ticket pulled long before for even going along with the over loading. the fact that the boat became uncontrolable after another boat when by should not be a condemnation of the othwer boat as much as of the owner/'s and capt. of the tour boat because the boat was unseaworthy to begin with the wake proved that beyond a reasonable doubt!!!!!! the understanding i got from the story at the time was that the passing boat wake was negligable and should not have caused a prob. if the boat was used as designed and built. the other culprit in this mess is the agency that gave the cerificate of use without doing stablility test after alterations.

[mike d.]

with people doing things like this it is no wonder the gov. wants to protect us from ourselves. God help us all we are our own worst enemy

[ssullivan]

Right... that is my understanding as well. I know I was looking into piloting a ferry between NJ and NYC this winter for part time work. I didn't do it because I had doubts as to the safety of the vessel. The captain here should have refused as well.

The wake-maker may not have made much of one, but it would seem to me that they should have stopped, having been involved in a marine fatality? Pretty sure that's the law.

[FrankZ]

Originally Posted by ssullivan

The wake-maker may not have made much of one, but it would seem to me that they should have stopped, having been involved in a marine fatality? Pretty sure that's the law.

Law or not, stopping and assisting is the right thing to do.

[ssullivan]

Of course... just making the point that it's also the law. Killing a bunch of people as a result of your wake pretty much warrants a stop.

[44'cruisingcat]

I guess it indicates that boats used for paying passengers need to be surveyed properly, and any modifications should have to undergo some kind of certification. it seems that anyone can buy a perfectly seaworthy boat, then modify it in such a way as to make it a potential death-trap. Difficult to prevent in the private use fleet, but commercial users should have certain standards to observe surely?

[mudnut]

mike d,and 44 sumed it up in a nut shell.Mudnut.

[ssullivan]

Originally Posted by 44'cruisingcat

I guess it indicates that boats used for paying passengers need to be surveyed properly, and any modifications should have to undergo some kind of certification. it seems that anyone can buy a perfectly seaworthy boat, then modify it in such a way as to make it a potential death-trap. Difficult to prevent in the private use fleet, but commercial users should have certain standards to observe surely?

I think I reacall the problem here was that due to the boat's operation on a lake in NY, it fell under the jurisdiction of NY State, rather than the USCG. Typically, for a boat of more than 6 passengers, a vesses must be an "inspected vessel." Inspected vessels are subject to some very stringent rules and (I think) annual inspection. I don't recall the time period of inspecitons.

This boat was not a USCG inspected vessel.