Quote:
Originally Posted by fatlazyless
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?