Sea-Doo Switch pontoon boat-triple fatal in Maine
 

Saturday, August 30, 2025, aprox 1:20-pm; two woman passengers, ages 53, 23 and 22, mother and daughters ... http://www.maine.gov/ifw/news-events...ml?id=13261727 ..... none wearing a pfd were killed by drowning and impact when riding as passengers in a 2024 Sea-Doo Switch when the bow of the boat went under water about 180' from shore on Flagstaff Lake in Eustis, Maine.

September 5, 2025 video .... Pontoon boat was under recall due to instability when passenger weight isn't distributed evenly ..... http://www.wgme.com/news/local/ponto...flagstaff-lake

It does not say .... www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOMECtc1zwY ..... if this was the 18' or the 21' Sea-Doo Switch?

Like WHO KNEW its important to balance a boat with passenger weight distribution, especially a small boat like a 12' row boat, 16' motorboat or a 18'/21' Sea-Doo Switch with seven people onboard?

This is so disgusting on multiple levels--the captain knew about the recall.

Also, since the balance defect is a stern to bow issue, I'm not so sure it would be obvious visually, as FLL implies. They really need to pull all of these off the market/water.

I think the female anchor said 22'.

Isn't there a similar thread on this?

It’s a plastic pontoon. Death trap if you ask me, and in this case it was.

We always laugh when we see them. They scream “my first pontoon”.

Sea Doo Switch on Florida coastal ocean swells
 

Panama City Beach, Florida, northern Florida Gulf ocean swells: I don't know, this 2022 18'er SeaDoo Switch here ..... www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrY1A9Fhur8 ...... is like a metamophosis joining a smart phone to a pontoon boat or something, moving at 25-30mph with 170-hp jet engine with a VERY EXPERIENCED DRIVER.

Notice NO ONE is wearing a pfd, there, in the Florida Gulf?

This Sept 5 People Magazine ..... http://www.people.com/third-woman-di...-lake-11804058 ..... says it was an 18' boat on Flagstaff Lake in Eustis, Maine. An 18' Sea-Doo Swift is 93.5" wide and weighs 2193-lbs for the Sport model, and 2500-2800 lbs for the other 18' models like the Cruise or Fish.

Could be it was overloaded with seven people and too many passengers forward at the bow, plus going too fast for lake condition, plus not engine trimmed too good, plus not wearing pfd's at the time? Time will tell? The stern flipped up and over the bow as it was moving forward when the bow dug in and caught the lake surface water ....... or something(?).

Three people deceased on a Maine lake boating incident is a huge loss, usually it's one person because they did not wear a pfd or a swim flotation.

There was nobody in the bow, and only two peeps in the stern, which I think is fundamentally different than the situation originally posted and the potential safety of the boat.

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I’ll wait to pass judgment on the boat, and wait on the official report.
This I will say you will NEVER get me in a boat on Flagstaff.
It’s manmade…enough said! I’m very familiar with the area. You think it’s dry in the winni area, I think it may be worse up there? Then with all those stumps on the lake?

By man made-do you mean dammed?

It is a big lake-20,000 acres.

In any case, a tragedy.

I don't quite understand how and why these are constructed as they are, and maybe there's an engineer here who can explain, but this article describes the pontoons as being partially full of water by design. So when the boat slows, weight rushes to the bow. Seems incredibly f'ed up to me, and easy to understand how a captain could make a fatal error

https://www.bangordailynews.com/2025...oo-joam40zk0w/

www.youtube.com/watch?v=0B7px2luN8g ......... "You won't do that with your grandpa's pontoon" ....... A boat with brakes that can spin on a dime .... "Radically different than any other boat out there"

This guy driving is like an expert, very experienced driver who doesn't wear a pfd because its the Panama Beach, Florida, Gulf coastal ocean and too warm to be wearing a pfd and he is not worried to wear a pfd.

The Sea-Doo Switch is different and capable to do maneuvers unlike other boats, so driving one takes training and practice to become safe with it just like driving a motorcycle and motorcycles are 28-times more deadly than automobiles.

Asking $29,000, a gently used 2023 Sea Doo Switch 21' Sport, 230-hp located in Gilford or Laconia, NH was posted this morning, Sept 8 with seven photos. My links to Craigslist ..... http://www.nh.craigslist.org/boat/d/...871100963.html .... never work for some unknown reason but its easy enough to find the ad.

A New Hampshire motorboat drivers license should require a 1/4-mile Lake Winnipesaukee open water SWIM test qualification where you need to SWIM 1/4-mile (sixteen 25-meter swim lengths) across the wakes and waves of Lake Winnipesaukee open water before you can drive a motorboat in New Hampshire ....... no exceptions .....:eek:!

BillTex
Yes it’s manmade. Good book about it called The Lost Villages of Flagstaff.

I have often wondered about how the switch was going to work out. As the PWC market has always done, sea doo was looking for a way to capitalize on a market that was not yet tapped. As I think code man comment, these things scream I am new to boating.... After seeing a few up close I just don't understand the attraction. I do think there are bodies of what where they would/could be fun. But on larger bodies of water I see them as an accident waiting to happen. I always felt like they would be way to easy to stuff into a wave....

Don't know as another person posted that they should be pulled from the market...... But I think they need to advertised differently, they are not a take the family out for an afternoon on the water, type craft.... they are a Jet ski / PWC set up for wild craziness.......

The size, model or make of the boat is not the biggest issue. The captain is responsible for the safety of the passengers. His judgement in distributing weight, explaining safety and emergency procedure's and responding to conditions such as weather and size of swells falls on the shoulders of the captain.

Some follow up background information published today Sept 10, 2025 ... http://www.centralmaine.com/2025/09/...ket-in-eustis/ (link freebie 1st time read) ....... ..... on this Aug 30, 2025 Flagstaff Lake, Eustis, Maine, motorboat triple fatal incident on a Sea-Doo Switch 18'er. Looking at a Google map, the Pines Market in Eustis borders Flagstaff Lake very close, out back behind the store. Believe you can buy a tee shirt in there that say's "Get Useless in Eustis, Eustis Maine" when you stop to get gasoline and buy a meatball sub and a chocolate whoopie pie and a Dr. Pepper and a Maine fishing license. Flagstaff Lake has a lot of pickerel which are good fighters and run pretty big.

There's probably no video, and maybe what happened will get recreated using information from the four people who survived the forward flip coming from the driver and six passengers? Depending on the speed at the time, a forward flip can be either a gentle roll forward, or a smack-down forward flip?

Boaters in New Hampshire and Maine frequently choose not to wear pfd's when it is a warm day and they just don't feel the safety concern to wear a pfd when in a large, safe boat, or something, you know how this happens. Even kayakers/sups will choose not to wear a pfd in warm weather and it almost always goes no problem and the pfd is stored on the kayak/sup but not actually worn. Like, when it's 88-degrees and sunny, why bother wearing a pfd while riding in a 18', 2500-lb motorboat?

I agree that the captain is responsible, and should understand how to pilot his craft safely. But separately, when a company introduces a boat that behaves in a counterintuitive way, there is a large burden on them to make sure captains understand that behavior. And of course, some vehicles are "unsafe at any speed".

In this case, with pontoons that hold water, the nose behaves very differently than one would expect. I think we've already heard that he knew of the recall, maybe we'll learn the specifics of that

While I don't disagree with your statement, at a certain point a Manufacturer, who recalls a vessel has some liability in the game as well....... The Switch seems to have become very popular, so fixing the issue becomes a very expensive proposition. Are the adequately notifying owners of the recall? are they properly advising the owners of the issue and risks, of using the vessel until the recall work is performed.....

At the end of the day, Sea Doo, took a leap of faith hoping to catch a segment of boaters with their product.... They have done that, but with a flaw.... the must take some responsibility......

Could well be that everyone, the boat driver, the six passengers, and Sea-Doo all have responsibility here. The six passengers for not wearing pfd's. The driver for going too fast and not requiring everyone to wear a pfd. Sea-Doo for making a boat with too much technology that requires training and practice by over confident boaters who think they can drive any boat.

Almost all boaters go too fast, it's the nature of recreational boating to go fast.

A good way to make boaters drive more safely in New Hampshire is a 1/4-mile (sixteen 25-meter swim pool lengths) boat license swim test that requires swimming the open water waves and wakes on Lake Winnipesaukee to qualify for driving a motorboat.

It's a generally accepted practice for powerboat passengers to ride without wearing PFDs, and we have not heard that they were non swimmers. They may have taken more risk than you would, but that's different than being negligent

Is a Sea-Doo Switch a personal watercraft or a motorboat?

In both Maine and New Hampshire personal watercraft are required to wear USCG approved life vest, driver and passengers at all times, and NOT the self-inflating type.

A Sea-Doo Switch is a modified pwc because it has pwc control handle-bar steering, pwc engine jet, water brake, ability to spin 360-degrees and three pontoons so it seems to be more like a seven person capacity pwc and less like a traditional boat.

For the three deceased woman, a mother and two daughters age 53, 23, and 22, who died by drowning and impact on a flipped forward 18' Sea-Doo Switch, wearing a CG-approved life vest most likely would have helped them survive the flip-over by providing flotation while injured to get out and away from the upside down Sea-Doo Switch ........ www.Facebook.com/eustismainefiredepartment ....... "At 1320 on Saturday, August 30 ....."

Great question--it gets at the heart of how these vessels are marketed, and how captains (and marine patrols!) informed by Bombardier. I've looked only briefly, but I'm pretty sure they are marketed as highly flexible pontoon boats. And of course, we've heard nothing from anyone in authority about these are PWC

But regardless of the answer, it sure looks like a pontoon boat with a funky steering wheel to me, so I still do not fault the passengers. How were they supposed to know?

Is it a pontoon boat disguised as a jet ski or a jet ski disguised as a pontoon boat?
If you're on a pontoon, most people don't wear a PFD except for children.
If you're on a jet ski, everyone wears a PFD.
Maybe these boats should be designated as personal watercraft and require all people to wear PFD's?

It is designed to be nimble and quick, it is more befitting to be considered a "PWC"..... It is an attempt just like the SEA-DOO Challenger, and Utopia, to get out from under that designation, and have a more family friendly option.

What it is not, is a Pontoon Boat.........

Sea-Doo Switch 18' similar to the Flagstaff Lake, Maine, triple drowning death 18'er ..... www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSQZWGHKGpE ..... an in-depth review from somewhere in Florida ..... 12:39 ..... an excellent video made by someone who sells this boat.

So, no one wants to drown while boating, and boats in New Hampshire and Maine are required to have a pfd onboard for each person onboard that is readily accessible. So, if someone feels worried for their safety or the driver is driving too fast or something they can always ASK the driver to slow it down, and initiate wearing a pfd. People have a responsibility for their own safety when on board a motorboat driven by someone else.

Notice this very well spoken guy driving the boat and doing the talking iS wearing a pfd ...... YES, he is. Could be he is a Canadian?

'Accident of the Week' from boattest.com ...... http://www.boattest.com/article/acci...tember-13-2025 ..... So, is this Aug 30 triple fatal on Flagstaff Lake, Maine due to a defective Sea-Doo Switch-18' pwc/pontoon design or driver control or driving too fast or a combination of all three inputs? And, does it actually make any difference because the three deceased woman will still be deceased, permanently. Regardless the reason, they is all gone forever.

Aug 30, 2025: Flagstaff Lake, Maine
 

Did a Google search ...... Flagstaff Lake, Maine, SeaDoo Switch, August 30, 2025, three passengers drown ....... to see what the Maine Warden Service has determined.

So, six of the seven passengers did NOT know how to swim and were NOT wearing pfd's and were caught underneath the pontoon boat for a significant time when it flipped while moving forward. No adult beverage was involved. Eight pfd's were stored onboard the boat but were NOT worn by anyone.

Wearing a pfd on a motor boat is usually not done here on Lake Winnipesaukee because it's too warm to wear one, is too confining, and looks a wee bit wacky.
Basically almost no one wears life jackets excepts for jet-skis which are required, and self-inflating pfd's are not supposed to be used on a jet ski.

Conclusion: Drowning is sometimes your own self-inflicted death for not wearing a pfd.

I agree that if a person can't swim they must wear a pfd. But that's no excuse for selling this wacky "boat". Plus, swimming skill is not much help while trapped underneath the boat

In Maine in 2025, children age ten and younger were required to wear a pfd onboard a boat. The age for 2026 has been raised to twelve.

Did the boat driver, a local 50 year old Maine man who owned the boat have a responsibility to ask the mother and two daughters, ages 53, 23,and 22 from Long Island, New York who all drowned when his 21' Ski Doo Switch pontoon flipped forward if they knew how to swim, and wanted to be wearing a pfd?

Excuse me, do you know how to swim ......... :eek:? When asked this question you know that a lot of adults will lie about their swimming ability. Oh yes, I am a totally fantastically strong Olympic swimmer ....... no problems here with my swimming ability ..... :laugh:.

I own a 23ft Grady White...known for its quality and durability. Yet my wife and I always wear an inflatable PFD. Not bulky at all. But since we are older, it is just common sense. And if any guests are on board, we always ask if they are good swimmers. If not, they get one also. Common sense, as Winni can get very busy and not worth taking a chance. Cheap insurance.

Yeah, I've been thinking about this too, as I am usually out solo or with a person who has zero chance of rescuing me. Is this like you pull a cord and a little canister inflates it instantly? Is there one you'd recommend as better than others? Thanks

If you get one, get an automatic one that fills as soon as it is exposed to water. The ones where you have to pull a cord are not going to help you if you were knocked unconscious before falling in the water.

I always wear one in the early spring when the water is too cold or anytime when conditions are bad…

Dan

Fall off your boat at night and a 99-cent foam noodle made into a swim belt, tied tight around the waist will rise up to under your arm pits, and keep you afloat all night long in the middle of Lake Winnipesaukee, until the sun rises and some early morning boater sees you out there.

Once you drown, it's forever ....... :eek2:! ...... plus the act of drowning is so bad you is actually happy to be dead so's you is no longer drowning.

Got ours at West Marine....watch for sales. Bought different colors so wife and we can tell which one is ours. They are automatic when wet. Since we are in our 70's, this is good safety equipment and so easy to use.

A friend received a yoke type V inflatable as a Father's Day gift some years ago with requests to wear it whenever he went out alone. Good plan and it convinced my kids to give me one. We also have the bags you wear on your waist, and wear them routinely regardless of age. It's an example for the kids.

May 2026: Coast Guard issues a safety ..... www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9Xhu4mW_Nc .... alert on Sea Doo Switch after four deaths in two capsize incidents.