By Bob Currie, Recreational Boating Safety Specialist
U. S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Station Galveston Flotilla
Below is a picture of a boy I will call Joe. Joe disappeared in the Neches River during a Memorial Day outing on the river. Captain Ryan Hall with Texas Parks and Wildlife explained what happened in the boating accident shortly after 3 pm on Memorial Day. “The two friends were in a flat bottom boat with a tiller handle motor,” said Captain Hall. “They were both sitting at the back of the boat, side by side. There is a little plug in the boat where water accumulates at the back. The driver, an 18-year old, supposedly told the 14-year-old to hold the motor while the operator pulled out the plug to drain some of the water. The operator reached down, and the boat veered sharply when the tiller turned. It threw both into the water. The operator was wearing a kill switch. He came back up and got back into the boat. He saw the 14-year-old face down on top of the water, but he was too far away to get him quickly. The 14-year-old slipped under the water.”

The most important thing we can deduce from the above narrative is that Joe was not wearing a life jacket. The 18-year-old operator may or may not have been wearing one. This was a senseless and completely avoidable accident, but at least we can discuss the issues involved and hope that other parents can teach their children how to safely operate a boat.

No Life Jacket
If Joe had been wearing a life jacket, he most likely would have survived. Federal and state laws require that in boats less than 26 feet in length children under 13 must wear a life jacket while the boat is underway. No, there was no legal requirement for either of the boys to wear a life jacket. Good training would dictate that they should wear one, though. A good life jacket will turn an unconscious person face up always.

Improper Weight Distribution
The facts stated that both boys were positioned at the back of the boat. That arrangement made the boat overloaded in the back and subject to end swapping when even normal adjustments were made to the tiller. The controls for the motor required the operator to be positioned at the rear, but in order to balance out the boat the other person should have been positioned forward. New boats come with recommended seating diagrams. When a boat swaps ends, that is, the front of the boat flips around and becomes the rear, the result is often ejection of the passengers, with one or more passengers being hit by or run over by the boat, as it appears to be the case in this accident.

Operator Inexperience
I always tell boat operators that there needs to be at least one other person trained to operate the boat in case the operator is thrown overboard. This training should take place under controlled conditions with the underway training begun from a stop. The training should include starting the engine, placing the engine in gear, and operating the boat in a straight line. Also the training should include making turns and operating the boat in reverse. There is nothing in the facts that showed that Joe had any training in operating this boat. In fact, the fact that he lost control of the boat points to him having little knowledge of how to operate this particular boat.

Unsafe Speed
There is nothing in the facts that tells us how fast the boat was moving, but the fact that the boat ejected both passengers tells us it was moving too fast at that time. Good training would tell the operator to bring the boat to a stop rather than attempt to turn around and remove the plug. The operator must give his full attention to operating the boat. Many accidents are due to small distractions. Stop the boat and take care of it.

Boater Safety Course
Boaters born after August 31, 1993, must have taken a boater safety course and have their certificate in their possession when operating a boat. We don’t know if either boater had taken the course, but I talk to too many young boaters who have not had the course. The course is still an issue worth mentioning in this case.

Summary
Teach your children well. Graham Nash sang it well. Give your children the knowledge, training and experience required to operate a boat. Insist that they wear a life jacket. All the thoughts and prayers in the world won’t bring them back when they “slip under the water.”

[BC: Jun-6-2023]