Duck crashes into Bus in Seattle

[HB of CJ]

This needs to be addressed.  Does the average intelligent person today have any basic understanding on what they are about to do?  We know about DUCKS.  Does not everybody know about DUCKS and the environment they visit?  Their age?  Their original function and design specifications?  We know this.  Does the average Joe know this?  Should they have known the potential risk?  Or am I presuming too much here. There are lots of things I will just not do due to danger potential.  Respectfully.

[kyle4501]

If properly maintained, they aren't much different from any other vehicle on the road - as long as they are properly used within their limits. 

Even brand new units can be abused to the point of catastrophic failure.

BTW, I have seen several bus conversions that made me cringe -
- brakes so bad the only one working was one of the fronts.
- Batteries on the compartment floor, inverter mounted to the wall just above them and the generator fuel tank mounted above - all with no partitions or ventilation.
- OLD radial tires
- etc.


Be careful when calling for a ban on old vehicles, your definition of old may not be the same as a lawmaker's and we could end up without anything over 20 years old!

[Boomer]

Latest word up here today is that the outfit that must franchise (Ride the Ducks International) put out an inspection and repair notice on the front axle assembly and the outfit in Seattle (Ride the Ducks Seattle) did not do it.  Game over for that operator.

[c-coop]

there is a company who makes a new version. can't remember the name but I rode on it in Boston a couple of years ago. At the time I looked it up and it was built on a f-650 ford chassis. they also had a 2nd person as the tour guide all the driver did was drive

[Zephod]

there is a company who makes a new version. can't remember the name but I rode on it in Boston a couple of years ago. At the time I looked it up and it was built on a f-650 ford chassis. they also had a 2nd person as the tour guide all the driver did was drive

Seems a good idea to use more modern kit for daily use and keep the 80 year old ww2 kit for pleasure.

Latest word up here today is that the outfit that must franchise (Ride the Ducks International) put out an inspection and repair notice on the front axle assembly and the outfit in Seattle (Ride the Ducks Seattle) did not do it.  Game over for that operator.

Hah! Of course they might have been within a window... Get it done by x and it wasn't yet x.

Sent from my Nexus 7

[eagle19952]

or it could have said, inspect and review periodically to insure....

[Nusa]

My gripe is that the use that dukws are put to is beyond their design specifications. I hate that they're not owned, loved and used AS historical vehicles

Sent from my Nexus 7

I don't agree that their design specifications are being abused. And I'd argue they are being USED as historical vehicles even in commercial operations...I'm sure it's in their literature.

They were designed to travel in rough water and launch/land in 10-foot surf on unimproved beaches. In fact, the design was accepted by the military because a prototype made a beach rescue in conditions coast guard equipment was unable to respond to. They were designed to haul 25 troops with their gear, or up to 10,000 pounds of cargo (depending on sea conditions). They should be as roadworthy as the army 2.5 ton 6x6 truck they're based on.

Civilian use is typically in calm water fairweather conditions, using boat ramps, carrying less than the rated load in passenger weight. Plus they don't ask the passengers to use ammunition crates for seats.

Now if you want to discuss the increased upkeep and maintenance requirements of older vehicles and boats (the duck being both), that's a good subject.

[luvrbus]

They have 2 new DUCKS on Lake Havasu I think they were made in SC both have a Cummins and Allison transmissions so some one makes new ones.

Sad 2 or more government agencies at least policing that and people died you know it had to have a Coast Guard inspection once a year

[bobofthenorth]

In fairness to the Duck, I think all the deaths were on the transit.

[Boomer]

Comes under Coast Guard regs while on the water and under WUTC and USDOT when operated on land.  Today the WUTC issued a shut down to Ride the Ducks Seattle (for Duck ops).  The owner agreed with it.

[digesterman]

Saw one driving down the road in Santa Barbara Monday morning, had the name of a tour on it but don't remember it now, didn't look that old

[Jeremy]

Just happened across a British company making a modern Dukw called the 'Seahorse'. All fibreglass construction with hydraulic motors for drive both to the propeller and wheels (which it says is a big safety benefit as there are no apertures in the hulls).

There's a press release on the company's website that actually calls for the banning of 'original' Dukws from use on safety grounds:

The following Press Release was issued by Porcellio Manufacturing Ltd on 30 September 2013 in response to the fire on a London DUKW.

The recent accident, together with the sinking of the two Liverpool DUKWs serves to emphasis that these old machines are long past their safe commercial use as passenger-carrying machines.

The objective and proven success of the SeaHorse machines is

to build brand new, safe machines to the very latest modern regulatory standards: and

to promote the replacement of the unsafe 70-year old machines.

The Text of the Press release is as follows:

A manufacturer of modern amphibious vehicles has warned that a blaze, which saw 30 passengers evacuated from a craft on The Thames yesterday (29 September), was "an accident waiting to happen."

The company, Porcellio Manufacturing Ltd, believes many amphibious vehicles currently in use risk staff and passengers' lives, as they are more than 70 years old and don't meet new and current stringent safety standards.

This is the third accident in 2013 so far and follows two in Liverpool, in which two similar machines sank. In the wake of the news, the manufacturer is now urging authorities to withdraw the current certificates for all old crafts currently running tours in the UK, until they can be checked for compliance against the latest regulations.

Porcellio Manufacturing Ltd managing director Howard Slater said: "This was an accident waiting to happen and in fact, based on the safety record of these vehicles, we are lucky we have not yet seen a much higher injury toll, even deaths."

Calling upon the Port of London Authority (PLA) and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) to take decisive action, Mr Slater added that many older vessels don't meet new and stringent safety regulations. In order to make them more water-worthy, he also said it was imperative their standards were reviewed respecting those applied to new machines.

He added: "These machines are around 70 years old and aren't built to the same quality standards as modern-day versions. They don't have enough internal buoyancy and are made with unsafe metal, which can easily spring a leak. As a result, some owners fill them with foam to aid floatation, which can mean the crafts get too hot and run the risk of catching fire.

"If built new, the boats simply would not be given the seal of approval for use in the tourism industry today."

The company manufactures the new SeaHorse machine, which was designed and built to comply with current requirements of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) and Vehicle Operators Services Agency (VOSA). It is a new and more technologically advanced version of the older DUKW model.

"We've seen too many close calls with older amphibious vehicles, so it's time they were taken off the river for good, making way for a safe and more modern design that doesn't pose a risk to staff and passengers," Mr Slater said.





Jeremy

[kyle4501]

Howard Slater wouldn't have any reason to be biased, would he?

Do you think he would keep his job as managing director if he didn't generate propaganda touting the virtues of his company's product while bashing the competition?

About the reference to being old, I wonder how long the new vehicles will last?

Fiberglass has it's limitations too. . . .

Always a compromise . . . .

[Jeremy]

Yep, tricky thing to get right when your marketing strategy consists of writing polemics against the people most likely to want your product

Jeremy

[moosemanusa]

I totally disagree with his pre release.. I know the people behind the London operation and they are experts and professionals and safety is their primary concern, I guess thats the only way that guy can promote his "newer" product is by trying to discredit the competition.. poor poor marketing..