Capsize Shot On GoPro Or Similar Camera of Century Boat

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Author Topic:   Capsize Shot On GoPro Or Similar Camera of Century Boat

tjxtreme posted 07-07-2011 01:58 PM ET (US)
I came across [this video recording of the capsize of a center console Century-brand boat]. The cause of the capsize is unclear. It appears to be shot using a GoPro or similar camera.
towboater posted 07-07-2011 02:14 PM ET (US)
If I had to wager, I'd bet they forgot to plug the drain scupper before they launched.--mkj
PeteB88 posted 07-07-2011 04:30 PM ET (US)
Kiss your Whaler but I don't understand why with all that dive gear they did not go under to assess [what] was going on. Seems to me had they assessed things they would have figured it out. There's only so many holes in a boat and this one had outboards. I guess you never know what a person will do when stressed or panicked.
lizard posted 07-07-2011 04:39 PM ET (US)
That video, while telling an important story, was unwatchable. I don't know which was harder to take-the sound or the video.
I never thought of taking a cooler overboard if I had to ditch, so I learned something from it.
contender posted 07-07-2011 05:18 PM ET (US)
Pete is correct, sure does not look like any of them were trying to find out were and how the water was coming in nor getting everything ready for a sinking. Plug drain, live-well pick up, or the through hull fitting, not much more unless they had a hole in the hull. Also the auto bilge was not working, would have given them a heads up on all the water coming in. Sounds and looks fishy. They also could have tied a life savor to all of their fishing rods.
home Aside posted 07-07-2011 05:33 PM ET (US)
I agree with Lizard, hard to watch, It seemed a lot of talking was going on but no one was acting on suggestions made, like "Start the Motors" I don't know if that particular boat would have self bailed or not. They never started the motors to try & get underway.
They had power, although it seemed like forever between the suggestion of calling a mayday and hearing the crackle of the radio & then the call.....luckily, there were other boats relatively close by.....
Pat
jimh posted 07-07-2011 05:38 PM ET (US)
The sinking of the Century center console boat engaged in diving activity has been the topic of many discussions on many websites. As I recall from reading those long and often confusing threads, the owner (or a close associate of the owner who was on board, and hereafter the owner) said the cause of the water entering the hull was from an open hatch or opening-port in the engine splash well area. The owner said the port was opened in order to access the fuel hose primer bulb when the engines were being started at the beginning of the voyage. The owner said the hatch was not properly closed and allowed water to flood into the hull interior. The rate of water flooding in was claimed to be greater than the rate of water to be pumped out from the bilge by the electrically operated pumps, and, over time, the hull interior space became filled with water. At some point the water rose above the battery terminals and electrical power in the boat was lost or reduced to the point where engine start was not possible.
Others noted that in the video when the camera was pointed into the engine splash well area there was not a clear image of the access port being left open. which seemed to contradict the explanation given by the owner. Also, it was noted that in the cockpit area there was an open access port, but this was presumed to be the result of water in hull forcing the access port cover off from below.
tjxtreme posted 07-07-2011 05:43 PM ET (US)
According to his posted comment, the batteries were not functioning so they couldn't get underway to help drain the water. It seems like the call was made on a handheld radio.
Yes the video is hard to watch... but I think video was the last thing on his mind, it just happened to still be on. These types of point of view/constantly recording cameras catch all types of odd events never intended to be recorded.
Eastport3338 posted 07-08-2011 10:47 AM ET (US)
Take notice of the difference between the bouyancy of the Type 1 vest verces the $4 Type 2 vest and the fact that the occupant of the type 2 knowing that he is going into the water to await rescue does not secure the PFD properly to his body. This video clearly shows which PFD I would choose to keep on my Whaler for such an emergency.
bluewaterpirate posted 07-08-2011 11:11 AM ET (US)
Acutally that wasn't a GoPro it was shot with camera integrated into the divers mask. The video was captured by accident.
andygere posted 07-08-2011 11:37 AM ET (US)
All told, those guys were pretty lucky, but did enough things right to ensure their survival. First was putting out a distress call with GPS coordinates while they still had functioning radios and instruments. It did look like they had a hand held VHF and GPS units in the water. Also, they did put on PDFs, albeit cheap ones, which is better than treading water. Finally, they seemed pretty calm under the circumstances. Although they were rescued in just an hour, that's long enough to die from hypothermia in colder climates/water.
Regarding the cause of the capsize, I'm amazed this doesn't happen more often. I've seen so many otherwise well made boats that rely on a cheapo plastic deck plate with a single gasket to keep water out of the bilge in the motorwell area. This is an enormous design flaw, but a stroll around any marina will show you how many boats are built with this design failure.
ScooterCO posted 07-08-2011 12:41 PM ET (US)
This situation is why I feel so warm and fuzzy about my decision to buy a Whaler!
So this one comment needs addressing,
"I never thought of taking a cooler overboard if I had to ditch, so I learned something from it."
The correct answer is "How else are you going to save the beer?"

Scott
bluewaterpirate posted 07-08-2011 01:17 PM ET (US)
Of if you have long pants on you can use them as floatation. Learned this trick in 1966 in Navy boot camp.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otxjh8pcs3E
Tom
Stevebaz posted 07-08-2011 01:35 PM ET (US)
Thank you for posting this. Every boater needs to see something like this. Bad things happen so fast and you learn what takes priority in situations like this. I know that seeing this video helps me to be better prepaired even just mentally and thinking straight should the time come even though I have a Whaler. I am glad the outcome was in their favor for some they are not so lucky.
For me prior to seeing this I would have been more inclined to solve the problem and may have not gotten the mayday call off before it turtled. That would have been a big mistake. Life jackets are not an issue I don't swim so I dont go off the dock without wearing one.
A nice day can sure go to crap fast.
lizard posted 07-08-2011 03:06 PM ET (US)
I knew about the pants trick, but I have always wondering how capable you would be to perform it in the ocean- chop, etc. Perhaps I will try it next weekend in a controlled setting. I mean, I never leave the dock without my automatic, inflatable PFD, but anything can fail and a back up never hurts.
home Aside posted 07-08-2011 03:29 PM ET (US)
The Mayday was made from the main radio you can see the mic cord extended from the radio in the t-top box, also you can see the readouts on the electronics on the console up until just before the starboard gunwhale submerges. So they had power....
You can also hear someone at least twice say power up the motors.....
While they had plenty of floatation, PFD's, cooler, cushions, etc, I was surprised none of them stayed with the hull...
I have two sets of the inflatable suspenders on my Revenge for wearing while underway. All other PFD's on my Revenge 22 WT are Type 1 kept in a bag (four of them) readily available to anyone onboard. (NOTE: these were a no brainer....it's a standing request...if anyone in my family wants to know what I might want for Xmas, B'Day, Father's Day, etc, etc, just get me another Type 1 PFD.)
All said, a sobering video, and Whaler's can't sink,. but they can sure capsize

Pat
kwik_wurk posted 07-08-2011 03:48 PM ET (US)
Well I am glad to see they made it out and posted the video. It shows the confusion and the chaos that occurs in emergencies. They did keep their heads together and get the mayday and portables together.
It surprises me that the batteries shorted with that much water in the boat. (Granted, I don't know the boat and how much water there is, but the outboards up and out of the water when the hull is flooded.)
I regularly see batteries in the lower bilge and it makes me cringe.
On all my boats I have gone through and looked for the lowest possible short. While batteries are obvious offenders, I have found other items - rotary distribution switches, distribution buses.
The most troublesome, is a starter/alternator mounted on the lower portion of the engine. (Specifically I have seen some I/O's and full keel sailboats where these exposed electrical contacts are quite low in the bilge, and makes me nervous.
On offshore racing sailboats, we also went through the trouble of checking the shorts with the boat healing under sail. (Definitely more challenging, but we learned what our exposure was and we marked a point at which if the water got to a certain level, abandon boat preparations would be made.)
JMARTIN posted 07-08-2011 04:17 PM ET (US)
A friend of mine spotted an ice chest floating in Puget Sound, as he got closer he found a father and son hanging on to the handles. A large freighter wake had swamped their 12 foot aluminum boat. The ice chest saved their lives because that is what my friend saw and he went to investigate the possibility of free beer.

They had been in the water for about 10 minutes and our water is cold.
John
Buckda posted 07-10-2011 07:33 PM ET (US)
I also found it curious that they stayed with the cooler instead of the boat, but noted on the second review of the video that they were storing survival gear (such as a GPS and handheld radio) in it. That makes some sense, but after the "salvage recon" mission where the videographer retrieves a cheap PFD from under the hull, it seems like they could have lashed a few lines across the bottom of the hull for handholds and perhaps even lashed the cooler to the hull for greater visibility.
The calm seas were a relative blessing.
I just have to say, with dear old L H G in mind, that I truly believe that I could pull start a 200 HP E-TEC given that kind of motivation. Batteries be damned.
Hard to criticize guys who survived a situation I've never been in though. As Andy mentions, they made enough right decisions for survival, and the sea conditions were kind.
Who knows how they will react in an emergency they've never encountered? That's why it's important to go through a safety/survival drill - at least in your mind - at least once a season, and to do a pre-trip safety brief with passengers before every voyage.
This was a sobering reminder of that truth.
Buckda posted 07-10-2011 07:37 PM ET (US)
The other really great part of the video was confirmation that GREG OLSEN (aka. The Whaler Store) exudes the same class and poise in his comments on other sites as he does at CONTINUOUSWAVE.com. That makes me feel better.
/sarcasm

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Author	Topic: Capsize Shot On GoPro Or Similar Camera of Century Boat
tjxtreme	posted 07-07-2011 01:58 PM ET (US) I came across [this video recording of the capsize of a center console Century-brand boat]. The cause of the capsize is unclear. It appears to be shot using a GoPro or similar camera.
towboater	posted 07-07-2011 02:14 PM ET (US) If I had to wager, I'd bet they forgot to plug the drain scupper before they launched.--mkj
PeteB88	posted 07-07-2011 04:30 PM ET (US) Kiss your Whaler but I don't understand why with all that dive gear they did not go under to assess [what] was going on. Seems to me had they assessed things they would have figured it out. There's only so many holes in a boat and this one had outboards. I guess you never know what a person will do when stressed or panicked.
lizard	posted 07-07-2011 04:39 PM ET (US) That video, while telling an important story, was unwatchable. I don't know which was harder to take-the sound or the video. I never thought of taking a cooler overboard if I had to ditch, so I learned something from it.
contender	posted 07-07-2011 05:18 PM ET (US) Pete is correct, sure does not look like any of them were trying to find out were and how the water was coming in nor getting everything ready for a sinking. Plug drain, live-well pick up, or the through hull fitting, not much more unless they had a hole in the hull. Also the auto bilge was not working, would have given them a heads up on all the water coming in. Sounds and looks fishy. They also could have tied a life savor to all of their fishing rods.
home Aside	posted 07-07-2011 05:33 PM ET (US) I agree with Lizard, hard to watch, It seemed a lot of talking was going on but no one was acting on suggestions made, like "Start the Motors" I don't know if that particular boat would have self bailed or not. They never started the motors to try & get underway. They had power, although it seemed like forever between the suggestion of calling a mayday and hearing the crackle of the radio & then the call.....luckily, there were other boats relatively close by..... Pat
jimh	posted 07-07-2011 05:38 PM ET (US) The sinking of the Century center console boat engaged in diving activity has been the topic of many discussions on many websites. As I recall from reading those long and often confusing threads, the owner (or a close associate of the owner who was on board, and hereafter the owner) said the cause of the water entering the hull was from an open hatch or opening-port in the engine splash well area. The owner said the port was opened in order to access the fuel hose primer bulb when the engines were being started at the beginning of the voyage. The owner said the hatch was not properly closed and allowed water to flood into the hull interior. The rate of water flooding in was claimed to be greater than the rate of water to be pumped out from the bilge by the electrically operated pumps, and, over time, the hull interior space became filled with water. At some point the water rose above the battery terminals and electrical power in the boat was lost or reduced to the point where engine start was not possible. Others noted that in the video when the camera was pointed into the engine splash well area there was not a clear image of the access port being left open. which seemed to contradict the explanation given by the owner. Also, it was noted that in the cockpit area there was an open access port, but this was presumed to be the result of water in hull forcing the access port cover off from below.
tjxtreme	posted 07-07-2011 05:43 PM ET (US) According to his posted comment, the batteries were not functioning so they couldn't get underway to help drain the water. It seems like the call was made on a handheld radio. Yes the video is hard to watch... but I think video was the last thing on his mind, it just happened to still be on. These types of point of view/constantly recording cameras catch all types of odd events never intended to be recorded.
Eastport3338	posted 07-08-2011 10:47 AM ET (US) Take notice of the difference between the bouyancy of the Type 1 vest verces the $4 Type 2 vest and the fact that the occupant of the type 2 knowing that he is going into the water to await rescue does not secure the PFD properly to his body. This video clearly shows which PFD I would choose to keep on my Whaler for such an emergency.
bluewaterpirate	posted 07-08-2011 11:11 AM ET (US) Acutally that wasn't a GoPro it was shot with camera integrated into the divers mask. The video was captured by accident.
andygere	posted 07-08-2011 11:37 AM ET (US) All told, those guys were pretty lucky, but did enough things right to ensure their survival. First was putting out a distress call with GPS coordinates while they still had functioning radios and instruments. It did look like they had a hand held VHF and GPS units in the water. Also, they did put on PDFs, albeit cheap ones, which is better than treading water. Finally, they seemed pretty calm under the circumstances. Although they were rescued in just an hour, that's long enough to die from hypothermia in colder climates/water. Regarding the cause of the capsize, I'm amazed this doesn't happen more often. I've seen so many otherwise well made boats that rely on a cheapo plastic deck plate with a single gasket to keep water out of the bilge in the motorwell area. This is an enormous design flaw, but a stroll around any marina will show you how many boats are built with this design failure.
ScooterCO	posted 07-08-2011 12:41 PM ET (US) This situation is why I feel so warm and fuzzy about my decision to buy a Whaler! So this one comment needs addressing, "I never thought of taking a cooler overboard if I had to ditch, so I learned something from it." The correct answer is "How else are you going to save the beer?" Scott
bluewaterpirate	posted 07-08-2011 01:17 PM ET (US) Of if you have long pants on you can use them as floatation. Learned this trick in 1966 in Navy boot camp. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otxjh8pcs3E Tom
Stevebaz	posted 07-08-2011 01:35 PM ET (US) Thank you for posting this. Every boater needs to see something like this. Bad things happen so fast and you learn what takes priority in situations like this. I know that seeing this video helps me to be better prepaired even just mentally and thinking straight should the time come even though I have a Whaler. I am glad the outcome was in their favor for some they are not so lucky. For me prior to seeing this I would have been more inclined to solve the problem and may have not gotten the mayday call off before it turtled. That would have been a big mistake. Life jackets are not an issue I don't swim so I dont go off the dock without wearing one. A nice day can sure go to crap fast.
lizard	posted 07-08-2011 03:06 PM ET (US) I knew about the pants trick, but I have always wondering how capable you would be to perform it in the ocean- chop, etc. Perhaps I will try it next weekend in a controlled setting. I mean, I never leave the dock without my automatic, inflatable PFD, but anything can fail and a back up never hurts.
home Aside	posted 07-08-2011 03:29 PM ET (US) The Mayday was made from the main radio you can see the mic cord extended from the radio in the t-top box, also you can see the readouts on the electronics on the console up until just before the starboard gunwhale submerges. So they had power.... You can also hear someone at least twice say power up the motors..... While they had plenty of floatation, PFD's, cooler, cushions, etc, I was surprised none of them stayed with the hull... I have two sets of the inflatable suspenders on my Revenge for wearing while underway. All other PFD's on my Revenge 22 WT are Type 1 kept in a bag (four of them) readily available to anyone onboard. (NOTE: these were a no brainer....it's a standing request...if anyone in my family wants to know what I might want for Xmas, B'Day, Father's Day, etc, etc, just get me another Type 1 PFD.) All said, a sobering video, and Whaler's can't sink,. but they can sure capsize Pat
kwik_wurk	posted 07-08-2011 03:48 PM ET (US) Well I am glad to see they made it out and posted the video. It shows the confusion and the chaos that occurs in emergencies. They did keep their heads together and get the mayday and portables together. It surprises me that the batteries shorted with that much water in the boat. (Granted, I don't know the boat and how much water there is, but the outboards up and out of the water when the hull is flooded.) I regularly see batteries in the lower bilge and it makes me cringe. On all my boats I have gone through and looked for the lowest possible short. While batteries are obvious offenders, I have found other items - rotary distribution switches, distribution buses. The most troublesome, is a starter/alternator mounted on the lower portion of the engine. (Specifically I have seen some I/O's and full keel sailboats where these exposed electrical contacts are quite low in the bilge, and makes me nervous. On offshore racing sailboats, we also went through the trouble of checking the shorts with the boat healing under sail. (Definitely more challenging, but we learned what our exposure was and we marked a point at which if the water got to a certain level, abandon boat preparations would be made.)
JMARTIN	posted 07-08-2011 04:17 PM ET (US) A friend of mine spotted an ice chest floating in Puget Sound, as he got closer he found a father and son hanging on to the handles. A large freighter wake had swamped their 12 foot aluminum boat. The ice chest saved their lives because that is what my friend saw and he went to investigate the possibility of free beer. They had been in the water for about 10 minutes and our water is cold. John
Buckda	posted 07-10-2011 07:33 PM ET (US) I also found it curious that they stayed with the cooler instead of the boat, but noted on the second review of the video that they were storing survival gear (such as a GPS and handheld radio) in it. That makes some sense, but after the "salvage recon" mission where the videographer retrieves a cheap PFD from under the hull, it seems like they could have lashed a few lines across the bottom of the hull for handholds and perhaps even lashed the cooler to the hull for greater visibility. The calm seas were a relative blessing. I just have to say, with dear old L H G in mind, that I truly believe that I could pull start a 200 HP E-TEC given that kind of motivation. Batteries be damned. Hard to criticize guys who survived a situation I've never been in though. As Andy mentions, they made enough right decisions for survival, and the sea conditions were kind. Who knows how they will react in an emergency they've never encountered? That's why it's important to go through a safety/survival drill - at least in your mind - at least once a season, and to do a pre-trip safety brief with passengers before every voyage. This was a sobering reminder of that truth.
Buckda	posted 07-10-2011 07:37 PM ET (US) The other really great part of the video was confirmation that GREG OLSEN (aka. The Whaler Store) exudes the same class and poise in his comments on other sites as he does at CONTINUOUSWAVE.com. That makes me feel better. /sarcasm