Vessel - 10' Aluminum Smoker "Jon" Rowboat - No paddles/oars (Occupants were using their hands to paddle the boat) 

On 08/09/2013, the persons were in this vessel fishing on Panther Lake, located in Mason county.  It was reported that at about 9:40 p.m., after 3 hours of fishing, the occupants had begun to return to shore when the boat began sinking.  The victim exited the boat and began swimming back to shore.  Operator reported hearing Victim yell for them to start swimming, he then heard him yell for help.  Operator and occupant exited the sinking boat and began swimming for the area they last saw and heard Victim swimming.  Operator said they could not find him so they began yelling for help while they searched the water. 

Law enforcement arrived and launched their boat.  KCSO Dive Team arrived and entered the water.  Within 10-15 minutes Victim was located at the bottom of the lake in about 10' of water.  Victim was removed from the water and checked for signs of life with negative results.  According to the Coroner, Victim showed no signs of injury or foul play.  He did show signs of a possible seizure. 

Law enforcement checked the boat.  They found that a small support on the bottom of the boat had broken.  Several rivets had pulled from the bottom of the boat causing several holes to open up.   

No injuries / One fatality. 
No apparent alcohol involvement. 
There were no vessel damages reported. 
No one on board the vessel was wearing a PFD.  There were no PFDs on the boat. 
The operator did not have a mandatory Boater Education Card. 
No Rules of the Road Violations.
Belfair