Outerlimits Blow over at Lake of the Ozarks Shoutout

Hence, why I said top fuel style capsules. The boats may be vastly different but the speeds are very similar, so why isn't the safety equipment the same. Top fuel boats used to be a death wish, kinda like the newer super fast offshore boats. It's posted above that this is the first crash above 160 that anybody has survived, yet there's a number of boats out there deemed "pleasure craft" that will meet or exceed that speed. I just feel like offshore is on the same spot top fuel was 20 years ago. It's a sad deal to see these guys pass away

It made me sick to my stomach watching it the first time. RIP Mike and may his family and friends find their way through these trying times.

The old Skater in Key West had no cockpit liner. Water went through the engine hatches and blew into cockpit. My MTI had a full liner and roll cage with small top hatches, no rear window and floor escape hatch. BIG DIFFERENCE. The bubble design is much stronger than a flat roof. Go look at a newer real race boat and then go inside a pleasure version. Not the same deal

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Originally Posted by CharlieN

In 2011 a race boat flipped at Key West with no survivors, that boat went in straight backwards, that would be a more survivable impact than this sideways hit. The Key West crash still had the canopy collapse. This instance most of the canopy structure survived excepting for the skin in between the ribs.
This looked to be a more violent hit but was more survivable.
So I do not see a BIG difference in canopies.

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This canopy was very big and very flat on the top surface-I race a canopy boat and you don't usually consider that it will be dropped from 5 stories in the air and land with a direct hit. I was there, watched the pass, saw the boat land, and looked at it as it was being towed in. The bottom line is that there will have to be major weight added and make true "cage structures" to offer protection at these speeds. The second factor is that the back window dug in like a plow and stopped that boat with incredible force. I don't know if the boat could have come down in much worse direction then it did. The only positive out of this run is that there was so much speed scrubbed off while the boat was in the air that it allowed Joel to still be with us. When and if I am able to get a boat capable of these speeds, I am going to have a cage similar to a top fuel car for a core and skin protection around that. Hydro pressure is amazing, and the top guys are running in uncharted territories at this point. No one would have thought that John Haas would have had a capsule come open either but again, it came into contact with the water at the worst possible angle.

There have been 4 people killed that I have known in the last 12 months-I met all of them at the shootout and now lost one of them there as well. (definitely looking at things differently right now).

Joe

Bear in mind that Mike survived the crash and was recovering. It was complications during surgery that ended his life. Mike was a leader in the industry. He was always forward thinking, positive and helped fuel the fire for our passion with his products. RIP Michael. Prayers to his family and all involved.

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Originally Posted by JUPITER PULSARE

Bear in mind that Mike survived the crash and was recovering. It was complications during surgery that ended his life. Mike was a leader in the industry. He was always forward thinking, positive and helped fuel the fire for our passion with his products. RIP Michael. Prayers to his family and all involved.

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Jupiter, not so sure that it was all due to just he complications during surgery (he had multiple issues per Doc Janssen who is a very close friend to the family) and races an outerlimits as well.

Joe

As I watched this live on the stream you could see the driver on the starboard side was still sitting upright in his seat wich was clearly still anchored to the floor of the boat. As the first responder entered through what looked like the windshield erea you see him go down to the floor to get to Mike. It appears as Mikes seat came off the base and threw him to the floor upon the final impact. This is just what it appeared to be to me as I watched the rescue and extraction of the two. If thats indeed what happend it makes sense why his injuries were so severe. Im saddend deeply by this. I love this sport as much as the rest of you and it effects me as all of you when another brother goes away :( Again I send my thoughts and condolences to the family and friends of Mike.

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Originally Posted by JUPITER PULSARE

Bear in mind that Mike survived the crash and was recovering. It was complications during surgery that ended his life. Mike was a leader in the industry. He was always forward thinking, positive and helped fuel the fire for our passion with his products. RIP Michael. Prayers to his family and all involved.

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Exactly! A good, a smart guy with a huge passion for the sport and speed!
Keep in mind that even with the best/greatest of equipment being thrown around like that the body will receive some serious damage regardless.....:( Please, leave it be already as respect for the Fiore Family!!

Please give the family due respect and save your media comments for a more appropriate time. We have lost a very valuable member of the performance boating community, and Mike's family deserves much respect. RIP, Mike you'll be missed, may God Bless and comfort your family and friends.

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Originally Posted by stokernick

Please give the family due respect and save your media comments for a more appropriate time. We have lost a very valuable member of the performance boating community, and Mike's family deserves much respect. RIP, Mike you'll be missed, may God Bless and comfort your family and friends.

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AMEN!!!! stop with the nonsense and if's already!!!

I'll ask this and I won't make anymore comments on it. If you don't talk about it now when do you talk about it? When somebody is killed next year? People will say the same thing then. I agree it was a horrific blow over. Hopefully the industry will learn something from it

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Originally Posted by patchesII

I'll ask this and I won't make anymore comments on it. If you don't talk about it now when do you talk about it? When somebody is killed next year? People will say the same thing then. I agree it was a horrific blow over. Hopefully the industry will learn something from it

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Erik, trust this is not going to be forgotten anytime soon!!
You can also be sure the REAL builders in the HP boat industry will learn from it, implement more and better improvements IF there could have been ANY in the future.
Lastly it is unfortunate but no matter how many or how much safety equipment they can come up with or install the likely hood of accidents, loss of life and major injuries are going to be extremely high at the speeds these toys are achieving today, just the nature of the beast......:(

Let's all just send some prayer out!
Let's look at this thread as sending a sympathy cards for the entire Fiore family and close friends at this time!

You guys need to listen to what Joe and Tony have to say and stop with all the "something needs to be done" stuff. The manufacturers have done LOTS to make these boats safer after they learn from every crash. The problem is the size/weight of the boats and the speeds they're travelling. These crashes are taking 600sf of almost flat surface area that weighs 10,000lbs and dropping it out of the sky from 50'+ onto the non-compressible water's surface at over 100mph. The results are almost never going to be survivable - I don't care how good the safety systems are. The human body can only handle so many G forces without sustaining life threatening injuries. Just over 10 years ago Ed Mossmiller blew over his turbine Skater in near identical fashion with the same results - except both he and his co-pilot lost their lives. It is an absolute miracle that Joel survived - with almost no injuries even! The only thing WE can all do to try and prevent these tragedies from happening is how we run our personal boats. I know for my own boating, we all wear our life jackets now when running over 80mph, and I am trying to hold my speeds to below 130 to do my part in not becoming another tragic loss on the water. My heart goes out to the family and friends of Mike Fiore in this time of such loss..........

We are all big boys and know the risks involved in going fast.

"The manufacturers have done LOTS to make these boats safer after they learn from every crash."
Yes, safer is the word. Try as we will, fast boats are not safe, meaning when things go wrong somebody is going to be hurt or killed. Safer but not safe.
Prayers to the family.