Book Description

This report addresses small, lightweight recreational boats that were involved in capsizing and swamping accidents. Accidents involving these boats are of particular importance to the U.S. Coast Guard because they represent about 50 percent of all recreational boating accident fatalities. This report presents related information on those twelve boats involved in accidents that were chosen for an in-depth study. Evaluation criteria, methodology, analysis and conclusions are also presented. The dynamic stability of each boat is evaluated along with other factors that contributed to the accident such as freeboard, carelessness and overloading. Low dynamic stability and freeboard appear to be major contributing factors to those accidents investigated. (Author).