On 01/16/10 at 7:00am, received a call about a boat accident on Maddox Bay Run-Out involving 8 duck hunters and that 2 of them became trapped inside the vessel when it sank.  Several officers responded to the scene.  All survivors were interviewed and the operator was given a BAC test.

After interviews were conducted it was determined that as they left the boat ramp at St. Charles V1 immediately had steering problems.  The operator worked on the steering cable for a short time and then advised that he had the problem fixed.  They continued to travel up the run-out for a short time when the occupants began noticing water accumulating in the bottom of V1.  As the water was being noticed, the operator began throttling down.  As V1 slowed water began entering at a high rate from the port side of the stern.  Operator advised everyone to grab a life jacket and exit the boat.  The survivors made their way to brush and hung on screaming for help.  Several boats nearby came to assist and took the survivors to a floating blind.  

On 01/17/10 several wildlife officers and law enforcement personnel from other agencies met to lift and recover V1.  V1 was taken to AGFC's Andrew Hulsey Fish Hatchery so that a reconstruction investigation could be conducted.  During the investigation it was determined that V1 is 17ft in length and has a 73 inch beam width.  The cab was not an original piece of equipment on V1 and it did not contain any internal flotation.  We obtained a brochure on Monark boats that were produced in 1970 and none meet the exact specifications of V1.  The closest are as follows:  Monark Commercial Fishing Boats Model 1652 -  which is 16ft and has a 73 inch beam rated for a 35hp motor and 6 passengers with a total weight capacity of 1,465lbs, Model 1852 -  which is 18ft and has a 73 inch beam rated for a 45hp motor and 7 passengers with a total weight capacity of 1,645lbs, and the Monark Belle (cab boat) which is 18ft with a 76 inch beam rated for a 50hp motor and 6 passengers with a total weight capacity of 1,445lbs.  V1 was occupied by 8 passengers and powered by an Evinrude 115hp E-Tech motor.  The weight of the passengers was approximately 1,660 pounds (weights taken from DLs) and the weight of the motor was 375lbs for a total of 2,035lbs.  This weight does not include the occupant's gear (guns, waders, blind bags, ammunition, decoys) or the dog due to most of it being lost during the accident or returned to the owners prior to being weighed.  We used certified scales and filled 5 gallon buckets and other containers with bricks to simulate the weights of the occupants onboard.  The weights were placed according to each occupant's seating position with 935lbs on the port side, 650lbs on the starboard side and 75lbs on the bow.  V1 was then put into the water and measurements were taken of the port side freeboard at the stern, which was 3 1/2 inches.

Therefore it was determined that V1 was grossly overloaded in both occupant weight and person capacity.  Thus making it extremely dangerous for any weight shift changes while under power or when powering down.  It was also noted V1 had no damage to the bottom of the hull which would have allowed water to enter through the hull.  During the reconstruction V1 was in the water for approximately an hour, at which time no water was observed coming into the boat.

USCG is investigating and charges are pending at this time.
ST. CHARLES                   