My 18’ switch capsized as well when I slowed and water came over bow rapidly flipping the boat over with four teenage girls and two adults. I’m a very experienced boater and this was very traumatizing.
I received my Switch end of June 2022, one of the first times out with the family I had stopped to let my eldest son drive. He literally took the controls, gave it some gas and then let off just as the wake of a passing boat hit the bow, as my son throttled again a foot of water came over the bow and we had to run to the back to keep from flipping. 100 percent convinced we would have been one of the first reports of a 21’ Switch flipping.
Has a qualified professional naval architect done a longitudinal free-surface effect analysis for a BRP Switch outer hull in a partly filled state during a deceleration manoeuver?
If not, that needs to be done ASAP.
My back-of-the-envelope estimate, based on photos and a cursory boat show inspection without real drawings to work from, suggests that if you goose the throttle from idle, hit 15-20 mph, and then immediately cut the throttle, something like 600 to 1000 lb of not-yet-drained ballast water will surge forward. The resulting bow-down moment is on the rough order of 5000 foot-pounds. A boat that can only carry 830 lb of payload is certainly not going to be longitudinally stable under a free-surface shift of that magnitude.
Eyeballing it based on sneaking a tape measure under one at a show and shining a flashlight into its ballast drain port, then making some rough assumptions about rates of acceleration and drainage. I don't have access to the actual drawings, and they don't publish the details. That's why I really want to see a qualified independent engineer assess this based on real figures.
I have a 18ft switch. Article says they were considerably overweight for the 13ft and they probably did not equalize the weight. Also why would they be doing this after dark? Going out on these after dark is not good. I have taken mine out even on the ocean even with 8 people and it's been quite stable. I do try to equalize the weight and make sure we aren't heavy on either side.
For some reason there are special Coast Guard safety rules for these boats (and all other personal watercraft), than for other 13ft boats. 30 Hp would be probably max for any other boat without
the personal watercraft moniker. Except of course for inflatables which don't have to comply with any CG safety rules and can't comply.
I have a 13 ft Switch. I honestly don't see how one could flip other than possibly being overweight, as it definitely was in this case. The max weight on a 13ft switch is 825lbs INCLUDING everything on board including coolers, external radios, pretty much everything that is not attached to the boat. The adults were 820lbs, then add 3 children which probably added 150-200lbs. Add the gear of say 100lbs and your looking at 250-300lbs over. That is a heck of a lot for a 13ft boat. Now you add in the inexperience of the driver which equals a deadly combination. The manual to the Switch talks about slowly letting off the gas when full throttle so that it doesn't drop the bow quickly. It may have been bow heavy since there were 7 individuals on board. Combine those two things and I imagine that was the cause for the craft to flip over.
Same story with this craft, over and over. Builders need to inform owners and the general public. But they are afraid of lawsuits. Same old sad story. How many more will it take?
You mean how many that were overweight by 20% or more over the limit? Ones that where the boater did not try to equalize the weight? One's that are trying to run this type of boat at night (which you really should not do). Boater safety is very important and the **Boater must also participate in responsible use of the craft. I'm not saying this was not tragic because it absolutely was.
The inability to steer any sort of watercraft like a Seadoo when you're not accelerating is a deal breaker for me. I watched a friend get run over by a boat that was approaching her from her side. Instead of gassing it, she let off the throttle and the boat went right over her and literally chopped her to pieces.
My 18’ switch capsized as well when I slowed and water came over bow rapidly flipping the boat over with four teenage girls and two adults. I’m a very experienced boater and this was very traumatizing.
I received my Switch end of June 2022, one of the first times out with the family I had stopped to let my eldest son drive. He literally took the controls, gave it some gas and then let off just as the wake of a passing boat hit the bow, as my son throttled again a foot of water came over the bow and we had to run to the back to keep from flipping. 100 percent convinced we would have been one of the first reports of a 21’ Switch flipping.
Has a qualified professional naval architect done a longitudinal free-surface effect analysis for a BRP Switch outer hull in a partly filled state during a deceleration manoeuver?
If not, that needs to be done ASAP.
My back-of-the-envelope estimate, based on photos and a cursory boat show inspection without real drawings to work from, suggests that if you goose the throttle from idle, hit 15-20 mph, and then immediately cut the throttle, something like 600 to 1000 lb of not-yet-drained ballast water will surge forward. The resulting bow-down moment is on the rough order of 5000 foot-pounds. A boat that can only carry 830 lb of payload is certainly not going to be longitudinally stable under a free-surface shift of that magnitude.
Matt, where are you getting estimates for the ballast water? I haven’t found any reference to that.
Eyeballing it based on sneaking a tape measure under one at a show and shining a flashlight into its ballast drain port, then making some rough assumptions about rates of acceleration and drainage. I don't have access to the actual drawings, and they don't publish the details. That's why I really want to see a qualified independent engineer assess this based on real figures.
I have a 18ft switch. Article says they were considerably overweight for the 13ft and they probably did not equalize the weight. Also why would they be doing this after dark? Going out on these after dark is not good. I have taken mine out even on the ocean even with 8 people and it's been quite stable. I do try to equalize the weight and make sure we aren't heavy on either side.
For some reason there are special Coast Guard safety rules for these boats (and all other personal watercraft), than for other 13ft boats. 30 Hp would be probably max for any other boat without
the personal watercraft moniker. Except of course for inflatables which don't have to comply with any CG safety rules and can't comply.
I have a 13 ft Switch. I honestly don't see how one could flip other than possibly being overweight, as it definitely was in this case. The max weight on a 13ft switch is 825lbs INCLUDING everything on board including coolers, external radios, pretty much everything that is not attached to the boat. The adults were 820lbs, then add 3 children which probably added 150-200lbs. Add the gear of say 100lbs and your looking at 250-300lbs over. That is a heck of a lot for a 13ft boat. Now you add in the inexperience of the driver which equals a deadly combination. The manual to the Switch talks about slowly letting off the gas when full throttle so that it doesn't drop the bow quickly. It may have been bow heavy since there were 7 individuals on board. Combine those two things and I imagine that was the cause for the craft to flip over.
Same story with this craft, over and over. Builders need to inform owners and the general public. But they are afraid of lawsuits. Same old sad story. How many more will it take?
You mean how many that were overweight by 20% or more over the limit? Ones that where the boater did not try to equalize the weight? One's that are trying to run this type of boat at night (which you really should not do). Boater safety is very important and the **Boater must also participate in responsible use of the craft. I'm not saying this was not tragic because it absolutely was.
The inability to steer any sort of watercraft like a Seadoo when you're not accelerating is a deal breaker for me. I watched a friend get run over by a boat that was approaching her from her side. Instead of gassing it, she let off the throttle and the boat went right over her and literally chopped her to pieces.
It has reverse. So you do not have to be accelerating.