Amphicar

[wcw57]

Unsure where to post this, but since the cars are "attached" to Boathouse....

The duck boat incident got me thinking.....I KNOW this is close to apples and oranges (I was on a duckboat in the same waters that are on the news) but have there been any safety issues involved with the Amphicars?

I've seen the vids of disabled cars being towed back home.....any other issues?

My SIL says these make him nervous....said that before today's news....he flies small planes so I don't get the safety concerns here, but, whatever..

Thanx

 

[gwynne]

Well, divers are still in the water searching for the lost. The after report won't be generated for awhile.
Just my opinion, but from video I've seen weather appears to be a huge factor in this accident.

 

[bphilb]

I can't imagine they are any less dangerous. I was riding the Duck Boats in Branson in the 80's. They have a great safety tack record. I'm not sure what happened yesterday, but I have a feeling the storm either took them by surprise or someone got too brave in the process. I wouldn't allow that accident to deter you from taking the rides if that is something you were wanting to do. It's almost like not going into a tall building because of 9/11.

 

[TwinkleKS]

The amphicars are also open topped (if I remember correctly). The ducks in question had Plexiglas type windows that would have kept people inside and hindered escape.

 

[Destinyz12]

The Amphicars look like a lot of fun...my only concern is that in all the pictures I've seen of people riding in them, no one is wearing life jackets. Is the water really shallow where you don't need them if something happened to the car or someone fell out?

 

[MakiraMarlena]

My guess is that the amphicars won't be sent out in a storm. The Missouri incident involved an extreme freak storm, winds over 60 MPH, that apparently nobody saw coming. Doesn't mean one won't happen but something like that does not happen all the time. Watercraft will come in if there is lightning anywhere in the vicinity.

And no, they don't require life jackets. But no, the water is not shallow, you can't stand up in it.

 

[DLgal]

There is probably close to a 0% chance of danger while riding the Amphicars. First of all, there are always lifeguard boats patrolling the bodies of water at Disney, and they can be to a disabled boat within a minute, usually. The water in the lakes at Disney is more than warm enough to not be a danger should you fall in. Again, you would be pulled out VERY quickly if that were to happen. The Amphicars sit very low in the water so the chance of them being flipped are basically nil. As far as I know, there are no restraints in these boats, so it would be very easy to escape if one began taking on water suddenly. In addition, Disney has VERY strict rules about boats operating when storms are nearby. They shut them down entirely when there is lightning within 10 miles and there is no leeway on that. There would never be a Disney boat out in a storm like that one. They use a very sophisticated radar system with property wide alerts via radio to all marinas and pools on property to get things shut down quickly for approaching storms.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

The Missouri incident involved an extreme freak storm, winds over 60 MPH, that apparently nobody saw coming.

That is the tour company's version. But it happens not to be true.

The NWS issued a severe thunderstorm watch at 11:20 effective until 9 pm with winds in excess of 70 mph possible. Warnings were issued in various counties all day. So everyone knew a storm was coming. A severe thunderstorm warning was issued at 6:32pm by the NWS for the area. It specifically mentioned Branson and the lake. And with that warning came a warning for 60 mph winds as well. News stations advised it was coming even before that. The calls came in to 911 about the boat at 7:10. They knew (or should have known) it was coming. They knew (or should have) it was a bad one. They knew (or should have known) they were under warning.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

There is probably close to a 0% chance of danger while riding the Amphicars. First of all, there are always lifeguard boats patrolling the bodies of water at Disney, and they can be to a disabled boat within a minute, usually. The water in the lakes at Disney is more than warm enough to not be a danger should you fall in. Again, you would be pulled out VERY quickly if that were to happen. The Amphicars sit very low in the water so the chance of them being flipped are basically nil. As far as I know, there are no restraints in these boats, so it would be very easy to escape if one began taking on water suddenly. In addition, Disney has VERY strict rules about boats operating when storms are nearby. They shut them down entirely when there is lightning within 10 miles and there is no leeway on that. There would never be a Disney boat out in a storm like that one. They use a very sophisticated radar system with property wide alerts via radio to all marinas and pools on property to get things shut down quickly for approaching storms.

I would like to add that the amphicars do not go if there is much of any chop at all even if it is sunny out.

 

[fhtpdw20]

Having ridden in the amphicar, when we were out we were the only ones in the area so there is no wake by passing boats. The amphicar does not go very fast in the water either again, there is no wake behind the boat. The water was calm. I felt completely safe.

 

[bumbershoot]

The amphicars are also open topped (if I remember correctly). The ducks in question had Plexiglas type windows that would have kept people inside and hindered escape.

Good point.

 

[Jadyreen1282]

The Amphicars have life vests too. Apparently the duck didn't or were told they didn't need them. We have these things in the Wisconsin Dells too. They seemed entirely safe. Guess it depends on the situation.

 

[DISNEY1975]

The Amphicars go around a small lake. I cant imagine the waters getting rough enough to flip them. I suppose if you do end up in the water, alligators would be your biggest concern.

With that said...I went on the Amphicar ride in 2017. BIGGEST waste of $$. A water taxi would have had the same experience, for free. In the beginning, we had a picture taken with the "Captain" and at the end, we were basically forced to then buy said picture. After we got off, we were led into the shop and they would not leave our side. The pressure to buy was intense.

 

[A Mickeyfan]

The Amphicars go around a small lake. I cant imagine the waters getting rough enough to flip them. I suppose if you do end up in the water, alligators would be your biggest concern.

With that said...I went on the Amphicar ride in 2017. BIGGEST waste of $$. A water taxi would have had the same experience, for free. In the beginning, we had a picture taken with the "Captain" and at the end, we were basically forced to then buy said picture. After we got off, we were led into the shop and they would not leave our side. The pressure to buy was intense.

Yes, if you ended up in those waters you would need to worry about gators as opposed to drowning. You're going to be praying help comes before a gator