How safe are Houseboats in Kerala waters?

cityMONK

After this Thekkady boat accident and so many unsuspecting tourists loosing their lives. My question is How safe are much taunted Houseboats in Kerala waters?
In Kashmir we used to see these traditional Houseboats but in recent years these were not finding many customers due to terrorism in state. As demand was there suddenly I find these types of Houseboats mushrooming in waters of Kerala. Do their owners follow safety norms and how safe can one can feel there as one felt at traditional Kashmiri house boats?

Or these are also death traps for innocent tourists preferring to stay on waters.

crvlvr

IMHO, the only way you can improve safety is by taking as much of it in your own hands. Learn swimming, take a life jacket. Don't rely on the "safety norms" and standards. I believe there are none.

Haylo

Calling them "death traps" is perhaps rather harsh, but they are in India, and as you would expect they do not have the same regard to health and safety issues that Westerners have come to expect at home.

It's doubtful for instance that you'll find childproof railings, life jackets or life rings may not be obvious if they are carried, though ours did have fire extinguishers. I did however feel perfectly safe on our houseboat; it was well maintained and the crew were clearly experienced and responsible.

Plus, there are always many other boats around, both large and small, the water is warm and I'm a very strong swimmer!

Frankly, I'd be far more worried about dying on the roads on your way to pick up your houseboat!

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Nick-H

Safety norms? I don't know.

They are relatively big boats that carry a small number (eg family, a couple, small group) of people. The original design was made (by evolution rather than marine architects) to be very heavily loaded to a point of almost no freeboard. I think. One does not see "rice boats" any longer, but you will see the village boats carrying heavy loads of mud, etc, with the water practically lapping in.

They are also sailed in relatively shallow water. The backwaters are not reservoirs hundreds of feet deep, and, in the Vembanad lake there are many areas too shallow for boats. Another thing is they move fairly slowly, being propelled either by engines that are quite small for the size of boat, or by being poled by the crew.

They are mushrooming, or, at least, have done in recent years, probably not so much last year (recession?, which probably means that materials and build quality are not what they were. However, this is probably more a maintenance problem for their owners in the long term; I can't see one of these boats falling apart!

None the less, in the same spirit as crvlvr's post, I believe that everyone who sets foot on a boat should remember that they are in an alien environment with danger only inches away. That's never stopped me enjoying my boating experiences

capt_mahajan

- Stay above deck. If the boat capsizes you may not have time to come out from below.
-non swimmers wear a good condition lifejacket. Although it is true that sailors don't wear lifejackets at sea at all, they are used to checking them regularly and putting them on pretty quickly in emergency.
-All wearing lifejackets to just float on their backs in the water. Nobody is swimming miles anyway, and this is the easiest thing to do with any kind of lifejacket. Or dog paddle if no lifejacket.
-Avoid jumping from great heights (unlikely in a boat but imp.) with lifejacket on unless lifejacket tied correctly and tight. Certain lifejackets can snap your neck in such cases.
-Five minute planning beforehand. If non swimmer kids or elderly in group, a strong swimmer throws them overboard and jumps after them.
-If you have time, throw anything that floats (wooden or plastic chairs, large pieces of wood, tyres that some boats have or such) over the side, and hang on to them in the water.
-Keep in mind there will be panic.

enough for a short trip, I think.


PS: and my thumb rule for any emergency anywhere in the world: always assume that nobody will know what to do.

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Nick-H

I did a Basic Sea Survival Course once (that day was attended by amateur sailors only, but it was a pro course) and they taught us how to jump (or rather, and specifically, take one step) off a ship, and what to do with the arms to hold the jacket down and pinch one's nose to prevent broken necks or the water blowing one's brains out . As the instructor said, the big-ship stuff might seem like a waste of time to yacht sailors --- byt, hey, it could save our lives on a cross-channel ferry!

I heard once that most boat-associated drownings occur in harbours, rivers, even within reach of the bank. Those of us who can't swim really are a little bit daft.

bsprasad

Houseboats are 100% safe. Need not worry. I have traveled in them for more than 10 times atleast. Not in one instance, the boats were put in a hostile or a vulnerable position.

Basically, it takes 65 lacs for a 3 bed room house boat to be built and the maintenance is also done periodically.

Houseboat operators never allow higher number to get to one boat. They are relatives stable and a huge one.

So nothing to panic.

vineeth009

i think houseboats are safe, because i have traveled for at least 5 times and i didn't feel any strange in house boats.

tittooraju

I second prasad's opinion..
No safety issues has been reported with rouse boats so far..

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crvlvr

However, you may want to note that "no safety issues" were reported before that boat sank in Thekkady either.

Nick-H

Absolutely. And, it has occurred to me that we have, so far, omitted to mention the hundreds of thousands of uneventful trips on that lake.

I don't see disaster-waiting-to-happen in those houseboats. Nothing obvious anyway but I am no expert --- just a guy who has spent time messing around in boats.

tittooraju

There had been accidents on boats like those used in thekkady previously in the kumarakom backwaters.. But none had been reported in thekkady.. There has occured accident to thekkady tourists boats many years back when something like the boat hitting the remains of cut trees in the lake..
But regarding house boats nothing has been reported..
May be because they dont allow overcrowding as mentioned by someone earlier in i the thread..

camelgirl

I don't think there is any similarity between the type of boat in the Thekkady accident and houseboats which have a different design & only carry a few people. Probably more chance of a houseboat burning due to some cooking problem than tipping over and sinking.

I can't swim & I wouldn't worry about a houseboat. I've stayed on a couple of them in Srinigar Kashmir & they don't move! They are tied to the shore. They also don't have a "down below". Everything is on one level. Lovely.

No experience in Kerala houseboats but I've seen photos of them & they look lovely. I'd love to spend a few days in one!

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tittooraju

Kerala house boats are not like the srinagar house boats in that they move..
They do sound trips in the back waters of kerala..
They have much better construction system..

sdsudarsan

boats by themselves are not a problem in a general sense. problem is due to water current / weather and people.

Only thing that could be controlled - "people" or to be precise, "people's behavior"