On October 2, 2010 I received a call the Illinois State Police, in reference to a watercraft sinking on the Illinois River, at the route 150 bridge.  I responded and met with the Peoria Fire Department Water Rescue.  They stated the 2 individuals onboard jumped into the water and were taken to shore.  I met with the passenger on scene and later met with the operator, Operator at OSF, in Peoria.  Operator was being treated for exposure/hypothermia and was later released. Operator was arrested for OUI.  Both individuals stated the watercraft began to sink after operating in the choppy water.  The operator stated he had made repairs to a crack on the hull of the watercraft, with a fiberglass resin, prior to operating.  He believes that this repair faulted during the brief time on the water.  A further investigation revealed a 3-5 millimeter crack that was approximately 10 feet long, going from the bow to the stern along the port side of the watercraft.  The crack appeared to have caused large pieces of the fiberglass to break off as it got closer to the stern.  I also noticed a fiberglass overlay, covering most of the crack.  Operator said the crack occurred when he trailered his boat to Arkansas.  The hull of these watercraft are a cored construction, made of balsa wood.  This makes the watercraft light and the hull is designed to flex.  To effectively repair the watercraft, the hull would need to taken apart from inside the watercraft, and the stringers would have to be reattached.  The choppy water and high speeds likely caused the fiberglass repair to delaminate.  This would have allowed water to enter the hull at a fast rate.
Peoria                        