Boat Involved In Fatal Mishap Had No Defects

U.S. Coast Guard officials Tuesday said inspection of a Spokane-made boat involved in a fatal Michigan accident did not turn up any defects that would compromise seaworthiness.

The Outlaw 18 manufactured by Outlaw Marine Inc. was recovered Monday by Michigan Marine Ltd. The craft had beached 22 miles from the point on Saginaw Bay where the bodies of four duck hunters were found Nov. 13.

They had been reported missing Nov. 11, when a storm with winds gusting to 50 mph created waves eight feet high, according to Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Steve Betters.

He said the Outlaw boat was found upside down. The top had cracked from pounding against the shore, Betters said, but the hull was in good shape.

The Outlaw 18 features an unusual design with high, rounded sides that give it the appearance of an amphibious tank.

Betters said the damaged boat was impounded at the Midland County Sheriffs Department in central Michigan.

“We don’t feel there’s need to investigate any further,” Betters said.

Randolph Doubt, an engineer in Washington, D.C., with the Marine Safety Division of the Coast Guard’s Office of Navigation, said the fact the Outlaw 18 was on the surface when found indicated the boat met the only requirement for a craft less than 20 feet long: If swamped, it must float in a relatively horizontal position.

“I’m not surprised it was found upside down,” he said. “I don’t know of any open boat that size that would have been safe in those conditions.”

But Doubt said the Coast Guard, because of the accident, would probably test the Outlaw 18 to ensure it meets agency standards.

Outlaw Marine owner Jim Cripe said he would welcome the test as a way of convincing potential buyers the Outlaw 18 is not dangerous.

Employees spooked by initial reports the boat might be defective have returned to work after walking out last week, he said, and production of the Outlaw 18 should resume after Thanksgiving.

Cripe said the accident will likely hurt sales in the short term, but should not put the Spokane Valley company out of business.

Outlaw Marine and a companion company, Outlaw Decoys Inc., employ about 20 at full production.

, DataTimes