Another carbon monoxide death

[Chatt_Jetsetter]

Just saw this article, think it was on a Yamaha. The young woman was riding on the swim deck seats; I know this has been discussed a lot.

Family shares carbon monoxide warning after daughter, 21, drowns on boat trip

Experts say carbon monoxide from a boat’s engine can build up, creating an invisible cloud of toxic gas.

www.today.com

 

[Acard7]

Very tragic for sure.
Being discussed now below in this thread:

https://jetboaters.net/threads/yamaha-boats-featured-on-today-show-story-about-carbon-monoxide.35211/

 

[Lpennington]

I can never be reminded of this enough. God bless those parents for trying to save another family from going through the tragedy of losing a child.

 

[Murf'n'surf]

Just saw this article, think it was on a Yamaha. The young woman was riding on the swim deck seats; I know this has been discussed a lot.

Family shares carbon monoxide warning after daughter, 21, drowns on boat trip

Experts say carbon monoxide from a boat’s engine can build up, creating an invisible cloud of toxic gas.

www.today.com

To quote the article: "But attorney John Uustal, who plans to file a lawsuit on behalf of Sidloski’s family, said “this is not a problem to be solved in the owner’s manual. There should not be seats in the danger zone.”

I will bet that the seats disappear from the rear of Yamaha's in a few years when this lawsuit wins.

 

[Julian]

To quote the article: "But attorney John Uustal, who plans to file a lawsuit on behalf of Sidloski’s family, said “this is not a problem to be solved in the owner’s manual. There should not be seats in the danger zone.”

I will bet that the seats disappear from the rear of Yamaha's in a few years when this lawsuit wins.

As the other thread suggested.....mid this year, Yamaha added overheads to their page somewhere (although I couldn't find them when I looked) of WHERE you are allowed to sit. Probably due to this!

 

[Beachbummer]

I recall at least 2 warning stickers on this topic, one in the rear, visible to the person back there. To me the boat operator is negligent in allowing the swim platform area to be used while underway. Removing the seats from the back seems idiocy, one of the best features of this Yamaha layout.

 

[OurCrew]

I remember watching a comparison video (I think by JetBoatPilot) of the Scarab and FSH and it was said that the Scarab’s tailgate feature made it possible for people to sit in the rear facing seat at the back While the boat was running.

Personally I wouldn’t trust that to be true, but may be it is and that might be the way Yamaha will go, adding the tailgate to the swim platform.

sad for their loss, but I already knew that that area was only to be used when the engines are off.
I’m just glad I have my boat before any modifications have to be made.

 

[HangOutdoors]

Just read this, heart breaking...

Grieving Mom's Viral Post Warns Parents of the Silent Killer That Took Her Son's Life - Her View From Home

 

[1BadTundra]

This is a real life nightmare... I wish there was a little more detail around "sitting at the back of the boat"... Did she mean riding on the swim platform all day? Or actually inside the boat? The only reason I ask is because there is and has been a ton of information out there regarding the dangers of letting riders hang out on the read swim deck while underway. These small details make a big difference, at this point I do not let anyone ride on that rear platform, but is this a bigger issue, like the amount of backdraft was enough that it made it to the back seats in the boat? I have kids, and their friends on our boat all the time, I want to know we are being as safe as we can be, minimizing risks the best we can.

 

[Beachbummer]

I remember as a kid the smell of 2 cycle oil while trolling. With the wind against you and low speed it makes sense in some cases the vapors can linger. With the very big rear deck on our Yamahas, fumes are way back while underway. I wondered after reading the article if we might benefit with a co detector inside the boat.

 

[biffdotorg]

This is a real life nightmare... I wish there was a little more detail around "sitting at the back of the boat"... Did she mean riding on the swim platform all day? Or actually inside the boat? The only reason I ask is because there is and has been a ton of information out there regarding the dangers of letting riders hang out on the read swim deck while underway. These small details make a big difference, at this point I do not let anyone ride on that rear platform, but is this a bigger issue, like the amount of backdraft was enough that it made it to the back seats in the boat? I have kids, and their friends on our boat all the time, I want to know we are being as safe as we can be, minimizing risks the best we can.

Since some of these stories happened on a Yamaha, you can bet that family researched the potential for a law suit. If the boat design was the issue and someone got sick or died from riding inside the cabin, we would have seen a lawsuit and design changes.

Now if this happened on the swimdeck, then there is no potential for legal action, as the mfg is not responsible for death or injury if the boat was used for illegal purposes or in an illegal manner which it was not designed for. All the more reason these stickers on the hull and notes in the manual exist. I can't say that I know of a state where is it legal to ride on that swimdeck since there is no guard rail.

 

[tpspeier]

I wondered after reading the article if we might benefit with a co detector inside the boat.

Due to guidance from this forum and helpful threads like this one, we have one of these on our boat (it shows as unavailable but I suspect there are other options): Amazon.com

I have it attached with Velcro inside the seating area at the step-through to the rear. I turn it on and off as part of our pre- and post-boating checklist. The alarm has sounded multiple times. It's always been when we've either been at no-wake speed and the wind was blowing from the rear or when starting and stopping with new wake boarders.

 

[Beachbummer]

What readings have you seen? And what are you doing when it triggers to help clear it? Very informative!!! Thanks for sharing.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

Since some of these stories happened on a Yamaha, you can bet that family researched the potential for a law suit. If the boat design was the issue and someone got sick or died from riding inside the cabin, we would have seen a lawsuit and design changes.

Now if this happened on the swimdeck, then there is no potential for legal action, as the mfg is not responsible for death or injury if the boat was used for illegal purposes or in an illegal manner which it was not designed for. All the more reason these stickers on the hull and notes in the manual exist. I can't say that I know of a state where is it legal to ride on that swimdeck since there is no guard rail.

Totally agree.

The original post in this thread, was the subject of a much longer thread here. I always wondered what the outcome of that lawsuit was, I’ve looked a few times with no luck, and I remember the HIT PIECE that news org did on all yamaha products whether it was the boats or outboards. I still maintain that drugs or alcohol was involved with the original post, as there was no mention of the blood results other than there was CO in the blood and that was listed as a contributing factor, that is called a “lie of omission“ something that ALL news broadcasts are guilty of.

Agree again on the stickers. The attorney for the OP said “this isn’t something the owners manual can solve”, right dude. As one meme I saw a while back stated, old car owners manuals told you how to adjust the valves, now they say not to drink the contents of the battery.

Can CO blow up inside the boat while going slow? Of course it can, but the smell of exhaust should be screaming at you to make a change to what you are doing.

 

[Beachcampin]

I wonder if a solution would be to have weight sensors back there where if there was a load above XX pounds, then the engines wouldn't rev above idol. Something else to break I know, but may be better than losing the swim platforms altogether. wouldn't stop people from sitting on the seat backs, but at least its a start.

 

[tpspeier]

What readings have you seen? And what are you doing when it triggers to help clear it? Very informative!!! Thanks for sharing.

Most of the time is reads zero. I left the sensor on its default settings which I think sounds the alarm at 70ppm. The first thing we do when the alarm sounds is to move people away from the engine hatch area. If the alarm sounds when we're wakeboarding, I can usually clear it (and keep the readings around zero) by changing towing and retrieval direction to get the wind in a favorable direction. If the alarm sounds when we're at no-wake speed, it's tougher to change because we're usually approaching dock, bridge, etc.

Can CO blow up inside the boat while going slow? Of course it can, but the smell of exhaust should be screaming at you to make a change to what you are doing.

I can usually sniff out exhaust very quickly in closed-air situations. On the boat, I did not yet smell exhaust at the helm almost every time our sensor sounded the alarm. I don't know if I would have been able to smell it at the helm before it became harmful at the rear (inside) seats or if the CO settles locally right around the engine.

 

[Beachbummer]

I wonder if a solution would be to have weight sensors back there where if there was a load above XX pounds, then the engines wouldn't rev above idol. Something else to break I know, but may be better than losing the swim platforms altogether. wouldn't stop people from sitting on the seat backs, but at least its a start.

At some point we need to let it ride. Many things can be made safer, but there is an element of freedom and personal responsibility that is also at play. If we can eat oysters and ride a bike without a helmet legally, I think we can forgo the weight sensor for the rear deck.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

Most of the time is reads zero. I left the sensor on its default settings which I think sounds the alarm at 70ppm. The first thing we do when the alarm sounds is to move people away from the engine hatch area. If the alarm sounds when we're wakeboarding, I can usually clear it (and keep the readings around zero) by changing towing and retrieval direction to get the wind in a favorable direction. If the alarm sounds when we're at no-wake speed, it's tougher to change because we're usually approaching dock, bridge, etc.



I can usually sniff out exhaust very quickly in closed-air situations. On the boat, I did not yet smell exhaust at the helm almost every time our sensor sounded the alarm. I don't know if I would have been able to smell it at the helm before it became harmful at the rear (inside) seats or if the CO settles locally right around the engine.

Right on…… I can smell the exhaust immediately once it starts to come up the back of the boat… in those cases I change my tac….

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

At some point we need to let it ride. Many things can be made safer, but there is an element of freedom and personal responsibility that is also at play. If we can eat oysters and ride a bike without a helmet legally, I think we can forgo the weight sensor for the rear deck.

“Delusions of a risk free society”. Buzz Aldrin

 

[drewkaree]

At some point we need to let it ride. Many things can be made safer, but there is an element of freedom and personal responsibility that is also at play. If we can eat oysters and ride a bike without a helmet legally, I think we can forgo the weight sensor for the rear deck.

The ever harder push to absolve personal responsibility in the pursuit of "safety" makes parodies like bubble wrap balls for your kids as funny as they are.

"Anyone who says something is foolproof simply hasn't met a determined fool"

The legal beagles have made it so people are willing to take a shot at the legal lottery, and a jury of your peers means you'd want another person who thinks they don't bear any responsibility for their actions, which seems to be getting easier and easier to find.

Insurance companies are also helping to make it a reality that you NEED to blame someone else for things, as the crappy insurance payout stories on this very forum have attested to.