Leviathan II whale-watching expedition capsized off Vancouver Island

What about a... whale ???

I'm kidding, of course, but if all passengers were already on the upper deck, on the same side, the boat rolling in the Pacific waves, a whale hurting/touching the boat on the wrong side would leave no trace, and that could maybe be enough ... ?

 

That ship, fully loaded, can weigh, say 65 tons. Suppose at the poop deck were 20 people, 1.5 tons. That weight to one side, there should be no danger to the ship.
What is worrying is the low freeboard that, as seen in the picture, has the boat.

 

The picture Tad posted above shows the width to length of the Leviathan II to be on the scary side.

Seems to me that a catamaran whale watching boat would be inherently more stable.

http://www.juneauwhalewatch.com/meet-the-whales/



More via a Google search "catamaran whale watching boat".

https://www.google.com/search?q=cat...LAhWG8j4KHVOKCTkQsAQIGw#imgrc=cZO8p4a4_0m1xM:

Seems like a common design solution.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Location...atching_and_Wildlife_Tours-Juneau_Alaska.html

 

I found an update.

Posted: Apr 05, 2016
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/leviathan-ii-tofino-class-action-lawsuit-1.3522105

 

I've paddled a kayak in those waters , depending on the tide the reefs produce a variety of reflecting waves combined with the incoming ocean swells of various sizes add up to someplace you don't want to be . It's a rock garden that is not safe , you cannot reliably predict the ocean swell , especially late in the season .

A local was telling me there was a big storm some days previous far out in the pacific that produced some sneaker waves that may have played a part .

The local Indians deserve all the credit in saving the survivors.

 

The investigation report is eventually published:
Marine investigation M15P0347 - Transportation Safety Board http://www.tsb.gc.ca/eng/enquetes-investigations/marine/2015/m15p0347/m15p0347.asp#1

 

I am reading the document that don't gives clear data of the Stability Status after 1996's refit:

"1.20.2 TSB stability assessment
In order to assess the stability of the Leviathan II at the time of the occurrence and factors that may have affected it, the TSB developed a detailed computer model of the vessel and performed various stability calculations. The conclusions of this TSB stability assessmentFootnote 46 are as follows:
The modifications that were made to the vessel since it entered service in 1996 resulted in a small change to the estimated lightship weight and centre of gravity and did not have a significant impact on the stability of the vessel."

The Standards are:
TP7301ESTAB5: STANDARD FOR THE INTACT STABILITY OF PASSENGER VESSELS CARRYING MORE THAN 12 PASSENGERS,
TP10943E :PASSENGER VESSEL OPERATIONS AND DAMAGED STABILITY STANDARDS.

 

Catamarans have taken over the whale-watch business. No doubt you have to assume, and allow for everyone on board will move to the side the whale(s) are at, and whilst a monohull can be completely safe and stable under that circumstance, it is the greater initial heel that disconcerts the paying customers.

 

What happened with Leviathan II is whales got tired of all the people watching them, so one whale does something really cute to get everyone rushing to one side, while the other whale gives the boat a good shove at just the right moment.

 

I do not know exactly what he means but I seem to understand where the shots go. I would not call it rubbish, no reason, we should be kínder.

 

What is rubbish, the boat being completely safe and stable, or the greater heel of the monohull ? Yours is a poor response, devoid of effective rebuttal. I rest my case, whale watch boats don't need to be cats to be completely safe and stable, but the perception of passengers that they are on a stable boat, is more effectively conveyed by the cat, and hence a better whale-watch vessel. No-one wants to stand on a deck with a pronounced tilt. And unless the boat is very big, and the passengers few, a cat is the best solution.

 

Another significant advantage of a cat as a whale-watch vessel......speed. The tourists want to spend time looking at whales, not travelling out and back. Typically they would cut transit times in half.

 

I misunderstood your meaning and took it at face value.