Yamaha Boats featured on Today show story about Carbon Monoxide

[jcb1977]

There was a story on the Today show this morning about a carbon monoxide death on Yamaha....below is the link. They spent alot of time talking about the swim platforms on Yamaha.

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

 

[Dean P]

Truly sad...

 

[jcb1977]

Truly sad...

I'm trying to find a copy of the video but can't seem to find it.....the Today Show took CO readings on the back of an AR240 (i think) and they were were reading above 400ppm while in neutral.

 

[EricE]

I am curious if there is a video of the readings as well. Its truly sad that something like this occurred. I always try and be observant when anyone is near the back of the boat, but I admit, I have sat, and let people sit on the rear seats when we are moving at 7-10 knots. Usually only for a few minutes...
I understand the concept of a kill zone and backdraft, but I would guess the highest risk is when a boat is at idle and not moving.
I thinks its time to get a CO sensor for the rear of the boat...

 

[David Martin]

Vary sad for sure.......but no one should ever sit on any boat transom platform with engine running.

 

[jcb1977]

I found the video:

Carbon monoxide poses unseen danger while boating or on the water

The Coast Guard says carbon monoxide poisoning is among the top five causes of boating-related deaths each year. Now, for the first time, we’re hearing from the family of a college athlete whose recent death gained national attention. NBC investigative and consumer correspondent Vicky Nguyen...

www.today.com

 

[tkeru408]

I saw this paragraph in the story:

"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.'”

and I immediately wondered if Yamaha's knowledge of the impending lawsuit had anything to do with the new seating charts they've added to their website (https://jetboaters.net/threads/yamaha-added-seating-charts-to-their-website.34971/).

Of course, the lawyer's wrong about it only being solved in the owner's manual. At least in my boat, there are warning stickers about this plastered all over the back of the boat (they may not be on the back of older boats). What's the end game of a lawsuit like that (other than $$$), only boat designs with no transom seating?

 

[Julian]

Added this thread to a NEW FAQ on this topic. We've had many discussions about the risks, but never a concrete example of a death on a Yamaha.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

Typical msm doom and gloom reporting. I’d like to know what else the coroners report said besides ”cause of death drowning with CO a contributing factor“. So the death was caused by drowning, not by CO as the headlines leads the reader to believe. The article goes on to mention the USCG said there were 41 incidents of CO poisoning and 5 deaths in 2020.. but as per usual the Today article does not give the details.. just uses that info for more scare tactics.

DON‘T YOU FIND IT INTERESTING THAT THE 911 CALLER SAYS HE THINKS SHE HAD CO POISONING?

So I guess all of those stickers on the boat, right there on the swim deck and helm are not enough, as well as what is written in the owners manual. And predictably the family is going to sue Yamaha.

What is laughable is that the interview is going on and no mention is made of the warning stickers plastered on the stern of the boat while the attorney states ”this is not a problem to be handled by the owners manual”

So also in typical msm fashion, they commit lies of omission. Here is what the today showed on the screen which is wholly misleading because … they only show part of the sentence.



When in fact the today show left out the rest of the sentence:



Makes me wonder what else they are leaving out of the report… like how much alcohol the girl had in her system.

And here are some other screen shots from the manual.









Most people know that breathing car / boat exhaust is a good way to die or kill yourself.

If a person cannot take the time to read and understand the owners manual they should not even own a boat.

 

[dgbroyles @gmail.com]

This seems aimed at the inexperienced boaters. Seemed they picked on Yamaha a bit. And Yamaha declined comment. But who truly let's the engine idle while you and yours kids are swimming off the swim platform. For what purpose? We always shut engine down to swim and never let people ride on swim platform under power. I don't get it. This is a no brainer, this is a danger zone!

 

[dgbroyles @gmail.com]

Typical msm doom and gloom reporting. I’d like to know what else the coroners report said besides ”cause of death drowning with CO a contributing factor“. So the death was caused by drowning, not by CO as the headlines leads the reader to believe. The article goes on to mention the USCG said there were 41 incidents of CO poisoning and 5 deaths in 2020.. but as per usual the Today article does not give the details.. just uses that info for more scare tactics.

So I guess all of those stickers on the boat, right there on the swim deck and helm are not enough, as well as what is written in the owners manual. And predictably the family is going to sue Yamaha.

What is laughable is that the interview is going on and no mention is made of the warning stickers plastered on the stern of the boat while the attorney states ”this is not a problem to be handled by the owners manual”

So also in typical msm fashion, they commit lies of omission. Here is what the today showed on the screen which is wholly misleading because … they only show part of the sentence.

View attachment 161787

When in fact the today show left out the rest of the sentence:

View attachment 161788

And here are some other screen shots from the manual.

View attachment 161792View attachment 161793View attachment 161794
View attachment 161795

View attachment 161796

View attachment 161797View attachment 161798View attachment 161799




Most people know that breathing car / boat exhaust is a good way to die or kill yourself.

Right! The Co stickers are everywhere on my boat!

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

This type of reporting just pisses me off to no end… painting Yamaha as criminally negligent is beyond absurd, ridiculous and ludicrous!

“Delusions of a risk free society”.
Buzz Aldrin on the problems with our modern society in his address to congress on the 25th anniversary of the first moon landing.

 

[Julian]

I saw this paragraph in the story:


and I immediately wondered if Yamaha's knowledge of the impending lawsuit had anything to do with the new seating charts they've added to their website (https://jetboaters.net/threads/yamaha-added-seating-charts-to-their-website.34971/).

Of course, the lawyer's wrong about it only being solved in the owner's manual. At least in my boat, there are warning stickers about this plastered all over the back of the boat (they may not be on the back of older boats). What's the end game of a lawsuit like that (other than $$$), only boat designs with no transom seating?

I'll bet that is why those seating charts are now on their website.
The boat in the story appears to be a Yamaha rental. I wonder if the owner removed the warning stickers? You certainly would want to warn any boat renter about the common dangers with boating. No renter would read the manual.

But this has definitively put to rest the question of if this is an issue for Yamaha boats. It clearly is. I put the following in the FAQ:
__________________________________

This thread links to a story on the Today show specifically calling out a death on a Yamaha boat. We've had many discussions on the forum about if this is an issue for our boats.....and clearly it is!

https://jetboaters.net/threads/yama...today-show-story-about-carbon-monoxide.35211/

If you have a person sitting on the stern breathing in CO, that CO binds to their blood and effectively suffocates them. Then they pass out and often fall into the water. The cause of death ends up being either CO poisoning or drowning.

• CO inhalation results in CO "poisoning" - you suffocate because your blood can't move oxygen around anymore.
• Drowning occurs when the person has enough CO in their system to make them pass out. If they are sitting on the stern, they often fall into the water, and then drown.

So the rules/guidance here are:

• NEVER allow people to sit on the rear Swim deck area on the stern of the boat when the engines are running.
• Be aware of people sitting in the rear seats for too long. Move people around.
• Look and ask people about being sleepy, nauseated or dizzy-especially people sitting in the back seats
• If you spend a lot of time running at idle - be more careful with the above

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

I'll bet that is why those seating charts are now on their website.
The boat in the story appears to be a Yamaha rental. I wonder if the owner removed the warning stickers? You certainly would want to warn any boat renter about the common dangers with boating. No renter would read the manual.

But this has definitively put to rest the question of if this is an issue for Yamaha boats. It clearly is. I put the following in the FAQ:
__________________________________

This thread links to a story on the Today show specifically calling out a death on a Yamaha boat. We've had many discussions on the forum about if this is an issue for our boats.....and clearly it is!

https://jetboaters.net/threads/yama...today-show-story-about-carbon-monoxide.35211/

If you have a person sitting on the stern breathing in CO, that CO binds to their blood and effectively suffocates them. Then they pass out and often fall into the water. The cause of death ends up being either CO poisoning or drowning.

• CO inhalation results in CO "poisoning" - you suffocate because your blood can't move oxygen around anymore.
• Drowning occurs when the person has enough CO in their system to make them pass out. If they are sitting on the stern, they often fall into the water, and then drown.

So the rules/guidance here are:

• NEVER allow people to sit on the rear Swim deck area on the stern of the boat.
• Be aware of people sitting in the rear seats for too long. Move people around.
• Look and ask people about being sleepy, nauseated or dizzy-especially people sitting in the back seats
• If you spend a lot of time running at idle - be more careful with the above

Watch the video… you can clearly see the warning stickers on the boats swim deck area.

 

[Julian]

Watch the video… you can clearly see the warning stickers on the boats swim deck area.

But I doubt that is the boat in question - but rather just one they secured for the story (my guess - I haven't had time to watch it all the way through)

 

[ripler]

If everyone was forced to take a boater's safety course in order to operate a boat they would know about the dangers.
Ask the typical boater why they shouldn't be sitting on a sun deck and swim platform why it's dangerous and they will tell you because of the prop.
This is why people think it's safe to sit on the back of a jet boat.
I saw this crew last weekend while I was anchored, later in the day I tried to find them to give them a heads up about sitting back there but I couldn't find them.
The owner is a younger guy and he would probably tell me to F-off anyway.

 

[dgbroyles @gmail.com]

But I doubt that is the boat in question - but rather just one they secured for the story (my guess - I haven't had time to watch it all the way through)

From what I gathered, the parents are filing a lawsuit against Yamaha. I would have to watch again, but pretty sure that's what was said. Your right thou, maybe it was not a Yamaha boat but some other boat with a Yamaha engine.

 

[Dean P]

I watched it on the Today show (my wife saved the segment and wanted me to watch it). I find it strange that people leave the boat running in idle to hang out. They were not clear on that. The show did say this is a problem with all boats; fumes from the back are present and dangerous. They picked on the Yamaha due to that was the boat she was on when she fell in the water and drowned. This applies to ALL BOATS!!! w/ICE engines.

 

[biffdotorg]

This seems aimed at the inexperienced boaters. Seemed they picked on Yamaha a bit. And Yamaha declined comment. But who truly let's the engine idle while you and yours kids are swimming off the swim platform. For what purpose? We always shut engine down to swim and never let people ride on swim platform under power. I don't get it. This is a no brainer, this is a danger zone!

The best part of this is when they walked around other boats. And one guy says they leave their outboard idling to maintain the battery for the stereo. Just so happens to be a yamaha, but that may have been a coincidence.

My question is, as much as I feel for the parents, do they have a legal leg to stand on if their child dies while doing something illegal? As you know this did not happen while the boat was sitting still. And most states, it's illegal to ride outside the gunwales where there is no guard rail.

Sorry to hear, but we have done the same.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

According to the video, they

I watched it on the Today show (my wife saved the segment and wanted me to watch it). I find it strange that people leave the boat running in idle to hang out. They were not clear on that. The show did say this is a problem with all boats; fumes from the back are present and dangerous. They picked on the Yamaha due to that was the boat she was on when she fell in the water and drowned. This applies to ALL BOATS!!! w/ICE engines.

She did not fall in, her friends said she went for a dip and did not come up.