More Ontario families share concerns about ‘unsafe’ Sea-Doo Switch

The boat has been involved in a recall; however, some owners have reached out to CTV News to say they feel the boat is "not" safe to use.

Following a CTV News’ story involving a new type of watercraft almost capsizing and sinking, two more Ontario families reached out to share their stories of similar occurrences.

Called Sea-Doo Switch, the vessel combines the power of a Sea-Doo with the features and seating style of a pontoon boat.

It has been the subject of a safety recall, however some owners contacted CTV News to say they feel it is still unsafe to use.

Last month, CTV News did a story with Markus Haerle, of St. Isadore, southeast of Ottawa, who said this summer his Sea-Doo Switch took on water when his grandchildren were on board and it almost capsized and sank.

“Water started coming into the boat,” Haerle said.

“It was like a scoop, scooping up water into the boat.”

Haerle said he became worried for his grandchildren’s safety, and feared the boat might capsize.

“The rear of the boat was coming out of the water and two of our grandchildren were swimming in the water because the front was submerged. Thank goodness they had lifejackets on. That saved the day as it could have turned into a great disaster,” he said.

‘Somebody could have been killed’

Following the broadcast of that story, two other families came forward to say similar issues on the water happened to them in their See-Doo Switches.

Clyde and Lori Rowan, of Goulais River, Ontario, north of Sault Ste. Marie, said their Sea-Doo Switch flipped over and capsized on Lake Superior with seven people of board, and they feared for their safety.

“The boat went down into a trough (of water) and the front of the boat disappeared. A wave hit us and we could not recuperate and it flipped us right over and all seven of us were in the water” said Lori.

Clyde told CTV News some passengers were caught beneath the watercraft and everyone on board had to be rescued.

“Somebody could have been killed,” he said.

Lori added that the situation “broke (her) heart to think we put our friends in danger.”

Ottawa residents Paul and Sue Dokuchie also contacted CTV News following the story, as they also have a Sea-Doo Switch, which they say took on water and almost sank twice.

“We noticed the boat was sinking in the middle of the St. Lawrence and we were very worried,” Paul said, adding it had to be towed to shore.

“There could be deaths from a family being in this boat,” he said.

Sue said isn’t confident in the safety of the vessel.

“Just take the boat back and work on what you have to do to make it seaworthy, because I don’t trust it,” she said.

Issues with Sea-Doo Switch in U.S.

There have also been cases of Sea-Doo Switches flipping over in the U.S.

Bombardier Recreational Products (BRP) issued a safety recall earlier this year saying that overloading the front of the boat could result in serious injury or death.

It also released a safety video that stated:

“Do not allow passengers to sit at the front of the boat to overload the bow it may result in the boat nose-diving and capsizing.”

In our original story, a BRP spokesperson said in a statement that it “takes any incident with its products very seriously.”

“Our riders’ safety is our top priority, and we are committed to providing products that are safe and in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations. As such, our Sea-Doo Switch watercrafts comply with applicable ABYC standards and U.S. Coast Guard regulations regarding flotation tests and weight capacity, as well as with the ISO 12217 standard,” the company said.

“In Canada, the Sea-Doo Switch watercrafts comply with the SOR/2010-91 Small Vessel Regulations and TP 1332 Construction Standards regarding flotation tests and weight capacity. This product has been rigorously tested throughout its development phase and still is today.”

When CTV News reached out to BRP following these two new complaints the company said its “position remains the same,” urging customers to”reach out to their local dealers to perform the necessary recall procedures to mitigate the risk of nosediving and discuss any concerns they might have.”

3 owners seeking refund

The three owners that contacted CTV News say they want refunds for the boats, which depending on features cost in the $60,000 range, and said they don’t feel safe using them again.

“Recall or no recall I want my money back I will not put my grandchildren on that boat ever again” Lori Rowan said.

CTV News also contacted Transport Canada and a spokesperson said they’re working with the U.S. Coast guard to collect and analyze information on reported incidents over recent months in Canada and the United States, with the aim of determining appropriate follow-up actions with the manufacturer.