Check second-hand boats for dodgy transoms, coroner warns
A combination of powerful engines and old, rotten transoms could be a fatal mix, an inquiry into the deaths of four men findsA Tasmanian coroner has recommended second-hand boat buyers have their boats professionally inspected for seaworthiness before taking them out on the water for the first time, or risk tragedy.
Coroner Simon Cooper made the recommendation after looking into the probable cause of the deaths of four men who failed to return from a fishing trip to Frederick Henry Bay, east of Hobart, in 2016.
While the coroner's findings, handed down late last month, could not specifically blame the boat for the men's drownings – the 50-year-old, 4.9-metre Haines Hunter runabout was never found – he did find it was likely that an overpowered outboard engine combined with a structurally weak transom had contributed to the tragedy.
How to check a transom:
- Raise the outboard engine right up and shake it from side to side, and up and down, looking for any telltale signs of flexing in the transom
- Trim the engine up to 45 degrees and push down on the prop. There should be no movement
- Tap the transom lightly with a hammer or the handle of a screwdriver and listen for any hollow spots, identified as a change in the sound that the tapping makes. Hollow spots sound duller than solid spots
- Check for cracks around where the outboard engine mounts onto the transom
- Do your research, visiting sites such as boatsales.com.au and Redbook.com.au to check if a newer-looking outboard engine is rated for the boat you're interested in
- Even if you think the boat is okay, have it professionally inspected
The court’s investigation revealed the boat had been repowered with a 150hp outboard engine despite a maximum 115hp rating assigned to the boat when new. Given the age of the boat, it was not fitted with an Australian Builders Plate which would have clearly stated the maximum outboard engine weight and power rating it was built to handle.
The coroner heard evidence that the plywood used to strengthen the transom of the boat had likely rotted, rendering it incapable of handling the performance of the outboard engine – more so given the hull’s propensity to chine walk at speed, a trait noticed by previous owners of the boat.
Life jackets
Contributing to the men’s deaths was a lack of adequate life jackets; aside from having too few onboard, one of the unused jackets recovered by searchers was made for a child.
“Although the reason why the boat sank and the four men drowned cannot be determined, it is at least a reasonable hypothesis that it may have been due to the failure of the boat’s hull, or possibly transom, due to rot,” the coroner’s report into the tragedy says.
“The evidence was that when the boat was purchased [the seller or its new owner] never gave any thought to having it professionally inspected to determine its condition.
“I observe that few people would buy a second-hand car without having it inspected by a mechanic; the situation in relation to a second-hand boat does not appear to me at least to be materially different,” the coroner said.
“I therefore recommend that all persons purchasing a second-hand boat have it inspected before use by a suitably qualified person.”
Maritime Safety Victoria has urged anyone either buying a second-hand boat or even “preparing to dust off your old vessel for summer” to have it inspected before heading out on the water.
“Older boats may not be in suitable condition – due to vessel modifications or lack of maintenance - putting boaters at serious risk on Victorian waterways,” it warned.
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