RedactedNarrative: On 4/3/15, I, Officer of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) was dispatched to a call involving a vessel that sank on 4/2/15 at approximately 2300hrs. I made contact with the owner of the vessel that sank. Owner advised that his son Operator had been operating the vessel and was accompanied by his juvenile son, his son and grandson were the only two occupants onboard at the time of the accident. No injuries were reported. 
  
  Owner stated the following: 
  1. That Operator headed out on the vessel around 7 pm with his son. 
  2. Operator called to say they were having motor trouble and that the batteries in the vessel had died. 
  3. Operator called back again to state he had the vessel started, but could not get the vessel into forward gear and was 
  operating the vessel in reverse up river to try and make it back to the boat ramp. 
  4. Operator called to have Owner flash a light to let him know if he was close to the ramp. 
  5. Operator called to say that he got the vessel in forward gear, but the water was rising in the vessel and it was going down fast. Operator and his son jumped over board and swam to shore. 
  6. Owner stated that the vessel was worth around $3,000.00 and he had no insurance on the vessel. 
  
  At approximately 1543 hrs., I made contact with Operator and Owner at the Suwannee River Rendezvous where they were camping. Operator provided me with a sworn written statement (SEE ATTACHED). While speaking with Owner again he stated that the vessel had no insurance and was only worth $1900.00. When asked why he changed his amount from the first time we had spoke he said that he had about $3000.00 in parts and labor in the vessel but it was only worth around $1900.00. 
  
  The vessel was located at (GPS N30.08492 W083.09132). According to Operator he had been in reverse up river due to the vessel not going into forward gear. When the vessel was finally placed in forward gear water began to fill the rear of the vessel and sank fast. Operator stated that him and his son jumped overboard and swam to shore. 
  
  On 4/6/15, I arrived at Owner's place of residence to photograph the vessel (FL 1558 CL).  While inspecting the vessel I observed that most of the damage to the vessel was on the stern and starboard side of the vessel. 
  
  Damage was as follows: 
  1. The cowling cover on the 88 h.p. outboard was missing and the spark plug wires coming from the coil pack on the starboard side of the motor was torn and the coil pack was cracked. 
  2. The stern of the vessel obtained a small amount of damage with paint missing and fiberglass missing on both the port and starboard sides. 
  3. On the starboard side the vessel sustained damage to the top cap removing the blue paint down to the original red 
  and finally to the fiberglass. 
  4. On the starboard side of the vessel in the middle up to the windshield there were chips of paint missing and a downward curving scratch that was parallel with the steering wheel approximately 1.5 foot in length from the middle of the vessel to the bottom of the chine. 
  5. The bow of the vessel sustained minor paint damage. 
  6. On the middle port side of the vessel the seat upholstery was slightly torn on the right side. 
  
  While further examining the vessel it was clear that while Operator was operating the vessel in reverse going up river, the water had been leaking over the stern of the vessel. The stern of the vessel has two holes for the steering cables, throttle cables, fuel line and battery cables to come up through the floor and onto the outboard motor. While the vessel was being driven in reverse the inner hull began to fill with water and collected at the bow of the vessel. When Operator placed the outboard motor into forward gear the water at the bow of the vessel quickly shifted