Breaking wave (amazing!)...

[QC]

Re: Breaking wave (amazing!)...

I have been in some seriously nasty stuff. Never a face that steep, but 45 has been my mantra since I stuffed the second one at 90. Decided I was not doing that again. Sucked!

 

[saumon]

Re: Breaking wave (amazing!)...

Does a Hydrofoil (or three) may have helped in keeping the bow down? :wacko:

 

[southkogs]

Re: Breaking wave (amazing!)...

... His timing for one was way off, the wave was almost at crest when he launched himself to the moon. ...

I think that's a big key. I've only been caught in big stuff three times. Twice on the Great Lakes and once on the Gulf. Nothing quite as big as he was in, but in a much smaller boat. Angle of attack is certainly important, but timing your power is even more so.

As for "judging" him ... it's healthy for us to switch on the hind sight. I think he got into an awkward spot (probably show-boating) and then goofed up getting out, and people got hurt (bigger deal to me than the boat). Analyzing that forces me to think a little about staying outta' the awkward spot, and even more about learning how to not goof up gettin' out.

 

[QC]

Re: Breaking wave (amazing!)...

If I get to use hindsight then his mistake was clearly not getting out earlier. He had multiple chances from what I see.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Breaking wave (amazing!)...

I think he hit the first wave and thought to himself " Oh hell this is easy.... I GOT this" And said "HOLD ON!" and gassed it..... The second wave was just a WEEEEEE bit worse than the first....


BTW as for the height... IF the wave were 40' and the boat was 40' and there was 5' between them That's 85' to the bow... IF the back side was even 10 feet less than the front that's still a 75' slam to the bow with substantial force added force from forward momentum..... try standing on the hood of a car going 40mph and leaning forward and jumping off as the driver slams on the brakes... you'd hit the ground from less than 3 feet up in about the same way this boat hit. The emt's can scoop up your teeth after they load you in the wagon...

The boats are designed tough but they aren't designed to withstand g forces that put passengers in the ICU without damage.


Imagine if someone had been in the bow... woulda made jelly out of them.... Personally (if the surf stayed small behind him as it looked like just before falling out of the picture) I would have made a FAST U-turn and gone over the smaller part of those waves If I had been stupid enough to even be there in the first place...... Hell he prolly could have ridden a wave right up on to the beach and fared better than he did.

 

[LippCJ7]

Re: Breaking wave (amazing!)...

Nope I don't need hindsight, I think he was stupid or drunk or both, with the power he had he could have ridden the trough to the edge of the set and powered out, anyway I look at that video I think he chose the very worst of the few options he had available once he committed to entering the set.

He is incredibly lucky nobody was killed and I hope he never tries to operate a boat again, when you look in the Webster Dictionary for the definition of Moron his picture should be there, right next to my ex-wife.

 

[25thmustang]

Re: Breaking wave (amazing!)...

Saw this on another forum.

I would love to see a lot more in depth photos of the damage. The pics are at an angle and although she's split up the sides of the hull, I wonder of its spread at the gunwale or just broken. The stringer grid and bottom might not be broken apart.

I heard on the other forum it's a 1 of 5, triple 700 HP 43' Donzi.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Breaking wave (amazing!)...

I agree that we shouldn't judge a guy making split decisions in a panic in a big boat/big wave situation. I'd hazarda guess that most of us are driving boats under 25' and this is a different animal--like comparing pick-ups to tractor trailers.

I also think 45* can be too much angle; I probably go about 60; I might change course going up (start straight, turn before the top). I have pivotted on the top so I can make a U turn in the trough and ride the next wave back in. So much a matter of feel and knowing the boat. but anyway, angle is usually better; like all things boating except one, there is no one rule for every situation.

Back in my days of jumping tug boat waves, there were small boats cracked from jumping one and landing on the next.

 

[Ned L]

Re: Breaking wave (amazing!)...

Lipcj7 beat me to it. Once he crossed that first crest the only way I see out of what he did (and he had only about 3 seconds to make the choice) would have been to put the wheel over hard, open it up and run in the trough until he was out of of the end of the surf line.
- Again he never should have been there, but once he found himself in the situation he made a decision that got everyone out alive.

 

[southkogs]

Re: Breaking wave (amazing!)...

Nope I don't need hindsight, I think he was stupid or drunk or both, with the power he had he could have ridden the trough to the edge of the set and powered out, anyway I look at that video I think he chose the very worst of the few options he had available once he committed to entering the set....

I agree it sure looks like dude was stupid or soused. My read on it was the same thing ... why not just read the trough, outpace it slightly, look for a nominal exit? Nah ... "I gotta' supa-boat! Here baby, hold my beer while I shoot us outta' here."

Ultimately, I think his problem started somewhere about, "it's a good idea to get into the surf."

 

[frantically relaxing]

Re: Breaking wave (amazing!)...

There WAS another way out--- a RIGHT turn...

 

[QC]

Re: Breaking wave (amazing!)...

At 0.19 it was hard over to port and then hard over to starboard. At 0.31 it is hard over to starboard and throttle up!

 

[LippCJ7]

Re: Breaking wave (amazing!)...

Saw this on another forum.

I would love to see a lot more in depth photos of the damage. The pics are at an angle and although she's split up the sides of the hull, I wonder of its spread at the gunwale or just broken. The stringer grid and bottom might not be broken apart.

I heard on the other forum it's a 1 of 5, triple 700 HP 43' Donzi.

Check out the last pic, unless I am missing something he split the halves, looks to me like the cap is now inside the hull in the area of the pic(towards the bow if I am seeing things right), I'm no Hull professional and I didn't stay in a Holiday in express last night either but that boat probably came down and flattened out when it hit bottom, and I'm not talking earth either I have jumped cliffs easily that high and I know what water feels like when you land wrong and salt water is more dense then fresh there is no way that boat was designed for a hit like that. The pics also show large fractures down the gunwhales, even at $900K I don't think this boat will be on the water again, very sad

 

[emilsr]

Re: Breaking wave (amazing!)...

If he had whale tales and a set of smart tabs he would have been fine. As it is, nothing a couple of cans of Flex Seal and a jar of vaseline won't fix.

On the quartering into the wave thing: Yes, that's the way to do it UNLESS the wave is breaking. The only way to transit a breaking wave is straight on.

He also couldn't accellerate or turn quickly (that isn't a sea doo), and turning into the beach is bad ju ju in the surf.

I'm pretty sure if you drop any boat on it's transom from 40' (or whatever) in the air it will break. If that boat hadn't hit bottom it probably would have been fine; that boat isn't a resin bucket like an old Apache or a Sutphen, but they're pretty sturdy vessels.

So....haters will hate, but this guy got everyone back to the dock where they had a chance for medical attention, instead of scattered all over the rocks. We should all be so lucky/smart.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Breaking wave (amazing!)...

there is no way that the boat hit bottom... it came down stern first and was able to motor back to port.... dropping over 40' and landing on the props would have made it impossible to go home under power.

 

[jkust]

Re: Breaking wave (amazing!)...

and a jar of vaseline won't fix.

Thats funny.

 

[LippCJ7]

Re: Breaking wave (amazing!)...

Let me clarify I agree there is no way he hit the bottom(sand) when I say he hit bottom I mean the bottom of the swell.

 

[emilsr]

Re: Breaking wave (amazing!)...

there is no way that the boat hit bottom... it came down stern first and was able to motor back to port.... dropping over 40' and landing on the props would have made it impossible to go home under power.

One of the drives was nearly knocked off the boat and they were dead in the water after impact.

How deep do you think the water was behind that wave?

I wasn't there so obviously I don't know, but I'd be surprised if all they hit was water when they landed.

Anybody seen pictures of the drives/props after the accident? That would probably settle that argument.

 

[QC]

Re: Breaking wave (amazing!)...

One of the drives was nearly knocked off the boat and they were dead in the water after impact.

Where'd you find that info?

How deep do you think the water was behind that wave?

I don't think there could be less than 10 ft and not have a 40 footer already break. Probably more.

 

[emilsr]

Re: Breaking wave (amazing!)...

Where'd you find that info?

Watch the Vimeo (higher res) video closely. When they crest the next wave you can see the starboard drive dangling (or whatever the correct nautical term for that might be :joyous: )