Latest Sea-Doo Switch Deaths Happened After Safety Recall Work Was Done

U.S. Coast Guard Issues Safety Alert for Capsizing Hazard

Peter Swanson Oct 16

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The hybrid jetski-pontoon boat accident that killed four women on a Maine lake happened after it had undergone recall repairs intended to improve stability underway, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

The Sea-Doo Switch, subject of numerous Loose Cannon articles, is now the subject of a U.S. Coast Guard Safety Alert due to a “capsizing hazard.”

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Maine Inland Fisheries & Wildlife initiated an investigation after a triple fatality over Labor Day weekend on Flagstaff Lake in Maine. One of the questions to be answered was whether the vessel had undergone safety repair work as part of a factory recall earlier in the year. The purpose of the repair was to make the vessel less like to flip forward.

According to the Coast Guard, the recall repairs had been performed on the vessel in question. “As a result, the Coast Guard is currently evaluating the recall repair procedures to determine if additional action is required to mitigate the hazard,” the Safety Alert said.

The Alert described the Switch “capsizing hazard” in this paragraph entitled “Vessel Design and Unsafe Operating Condition”:

The Switch is designed such that while at rest, its center hull allows water to enter the hull, and while operating on a plane, the entrained water empties. However, until the water fully empties, trim by the bow can occur, especially with passenger weight forward. The dynamics are such that any abrupt change in speed or direction could induce forces sufficient to cause capsizing, especially when slowing down towards idle speed.

You can download the Safety Alert in its entirety here:

	Us Coast Guard Safety Alert 18 25 Sea Do… 376KB ∙ PDF file
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None of the four fatalities and one case of lifelong incapitazation involved alcohol, according to investigators. So far, no charges have been filed against the operators involved in the accidents.

For more stories about the Switch, visit the Loose Cannon website and enter “Sea-Doo” into the search field.

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