Back Yard Boat Builder

Kevin, Tony, Howard,
You guys are all right. It is a serious matter that we are trying to address. Recreational boat accident investigations are generally handled by the local agency unless it is a serious enough case that may require Coast Guard intervention. We do not test boats involved in accidents unless requested by another agency or the recognized builder. The cases you are talking about will likely end up in the courts if something happens on a local level not federal. We know there are many builders out there that do not comply with the regs and when we find out a name or contact information we try and address it soon as possible and educate them.
 
I dig my unnamed fiberglass floatation free duck boat.
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I think I speak for most here when I say you're an idiot!

Are there good duckboat hulls without flotation?...yes

Does proper flotation instantly make a bad hull into a good boat?...no

Should every good duckboat have proper flotation?...wouldn't that be a utopia

Will this ever happen?...no

Will government regulation make this happen?...hell no

Is government regualtion a substitute for common sense?...oh, hell NO

Am I for additional government regulation?...double HELL NO

Is government regulation there to protect the stupid from hurting themselves?...that is the general idea

Does it work?...usually not...too many people looking for loopholes (which, I think is where this thread began)
 
Chuck

In the very beginnings of this web site there was a fella that came on here to show off his 12' Jon boat that he modified to make a "better" duck hunting rig. One of his modifications was to remove all the foam in the boat and install hatches so he'd have more storage. Seemed to me he should have bought a bigger boat and kept the flotation. Well the very following season he was hunting out of that boat and his father was shot and killed at close range when a shotgun went off. I never said it at the time but it just seemed like some people are too cavalier with safety. Safety is a mindset and a consciousness that looks a step or more ahead to see what might could go wrong and avoids that path. Some people just lack insight as to how things can go wrong in a hurry and are high risk for mishaps. Heaven help them.
 
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Eric,

Some people can't be saved, no matter how much regulation is put in place. Then safety minded boat builders (like I believe most here) are stuck working around excessively complicated regs trying just to stay legal, even though they would build safe anyway.

Comes down to the fact that you can drown in a puddle, and I would bargin to say (without looking it up, I may be wrong) that in a duckboat accident scenerio, you are more at risk for hypothermia than drowning. With the weather and water temperatures we deal with, when things go wrong, we need all the help we can get, why wouldn't you want flotation.

Chuck
 
when i saw the post and added what I did- was to raise questions about people making fiberglass duck-scull boats and selling them as "back yard" boat builders- and i do not understand two things- one why would someone buy a boat that has no safety or Coast Guard Cert. if you using this "boat" in the Merrimack River in the fall and winter? Next- How does the person selling these kits - or popped together boats feel about having sold someone a "boat" that could in fact kill them? i have seen these hulls and i would not trust myself of my hunting partner in one- if they were infact safe- send them to the CG and have them go through the proper testing- There are rules to follow from the Coast Guard for a reason- Now if some one built a boat for themselves- and had the skills and too the time to make it and used it for themselves- That is what a backyard boat builder is- and the fact that these "boats" have been advertised and sold here on this forum does not make sense either- Do we need Big Brother looking over our shoulder- No- but when its a known fact that these boats are being sold with nothing- no numbers no floation- well it makes me wonder- I have been duck hunting for 40 plus years- and it seams to me that these not safe boats are out there - they should be made to comply with what other boats- like the Bankes- and TDB and the list goes on-
 
No hard feelings we'll still wave to you sitting on the bank or in your duck blind. BTW all three boats are over 15 years old and still running strong.

Don't be jealous, join us.
 
It seems to me that some individuals feel that if they have a life jacket that is all they need. The truth is all on here know if you go in the water in the winter you won't last long life jacket or not. If your boat were to get swamped and has propper flotation then you will have the ability to bail the boat out and be much more likely to survive. Without flotation bailing out the boat can't happen. Even though I have lived in Ohio all my 60 years I don't much care for the cold anymore. I can't imagine going in ice cold water. But then some times you just can't fix stupid. Good luck to all the season and be safe.

Tom.
 
No hard feelings we'll still wave to you sitting on the bank or in your duck blind. BTW all three boats are over 15 years old and still running strong.

Don't be jealous, join us.
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Don't wave. That may cause an accident and we will have to put our coffee down, shut off the heater in our blind and put our breakfast down to get in our flotation foam filled boats to come to your rescue.
 
No hard feelings we'll still wave to you sitting on the bank or in your duck blind. BTW all three boats are over 15 years old and still running strong.

Don't be jealous, join us.
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Don't wave. That may cause an accident and we will have to put our coffee down, shut off the heater in our blind and put our breakfast down to get in our flotation foam filled boats to come to your rescue.
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Always good to get up in the morning and have a good laugh. Enjoy your day. Nice and sunny here for a change.

Tom.
 
No hard feelings we'll still wave to you sitting on the bank or in your duck blind. BTW all three boats are over 15 years old and still running strong.

Don't be jealous, join us.
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Don't wave. That may cause an accident and we will have to put our coffee down, shut off the heater in our blind and put our breakfast down to get in our flotation foam filled boats to come to your rescue.
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Always good to get up in the morning and have a good laugh. Enjoy your day. Nice and sunny here for a change.

Tom.
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The general public needs informed. Guys buying boats need to know about the process and what to and not to look for when purchasing a boat. I hear it all the time about testing boats because we only sent one of our layout boats to the CC that the others are not safe. That is extremely far from the truth in fact they are just as safe as the one we tested. And meet all USCG requirements equally.

How do we inform the public?
 
No hard feelings we'll still wave to you sitting on the bank or in your duck blind. BTW all three boats are over 15 years old and still running strong.

Don't be jealous, join us.
Click to expand...

Don't wave. That may cause an accident and we will have to put our coffee down, shut off the heater in our blind and put our breakfast down to get in our flotation foam filled boats to come to your rescue.
Click to expand...

Always good to get up in the morning and have a good laugh. Enjoy your day. Nice and sunny here for a change.

Tom.
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Not a bad day at all Tom. Hope you had a good day too. Sunny again tomorrow.
 
Darren-

if in fact it is a manufacturer that isn't registered with us- how do you resolve an issue like this? if there are no Hull Numbers and not a reg. Builder with the CG- What can be done? if anything at all? if there is no enforcement than anyone can do this and have no liablilty for the safety and reg. set forth by the CG-
I see one of these boats for sale in western mass- unreal!!!!

View attachment HHGscull boat for sale.jpg
 
When we find a builder that is someone that should have a Manufacturer Identification Code we contact them and explain the rule to them. We try and educate them and get them into our program. We could send our factory inspector to visit them. I have been sent out a few times. Enforcement can be official warnings or civil penalty. We could buy one of the boats, test it, and if it fails we could force them into a recall. The goal is to get them in line with our program and promote safety, not hammer them. If there was an accident, it would be investigated locally and if a lawsuit was to happen it would be civil and not federal. Were not on a witch hunt. We only want to promote safety and will go out of our way to work with builders. It may sound like we don't take much action but we do and have when necessary. recently we were involved in a large case involving changing HINs which resulted in a $150,000 civil penalty.
 
We only want to promote safety and will go out of our way to work with builders.
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This is fact. And not many that work so hard for manufacturers to insure they are within regulations. Just had our inspection and with the new molds here I was able to get some great info that will make the new product line that much easier for us.
 
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