Two years after duck boat disaster, new ‘unsinkable’ water tours planned in Branson
More than two years after a Branson duck boat sank and killed 17 people, a new company plans to bring a similar amphibious attraction back to the tourist town.
Branson Duck Tours LLC hopes to open late this spring.
The business venture is already drawing concern from some on social media who call the move disrespectful and the timing too soon after so many people drowned in Table Rock Lake. Others, however, have posted their excitement that Branson will again have the land and water tours that were a popular activity for decades.
Jaredan Braal, who with co-owner Richard Corby plan to open Branson Duck Tours, said “we’re heartbroken about the loss of life.” Their goal, Braal said, is to bring a “safe, wholesome family activity” back to the Branson area.
“We, however, are not bringing back a World War II-style duck,” said Braal, of Memphis, Tennessee. “This is a completely different vehicle with greatly improved safety. ... The similarities are it is an amphibious tour.”
The new vehicles are markedly different from the 1944-era duck boat that sank in 2018. After World War II, many of the vessels were sold and converted for use in tourism.
The company plans to start with one to three Hydra-Terra amphibious vessels, which include foam-filled compartments in the hull for buoyancy. These vessels, according to the owners of Branson Duck Tours, are the “safe solution we were looking for.”
Branson Duck Tours says on its website that the Hydra-Terras “design has been proven to be UNSINKABLE.”
The news that a new company planned to open a “duck tour” business surprised many people around town and several city leaders hadn’t heard anything about it. The city has not received a business license application and spokeswoman Melody Pettit said Branson Duck Tours LLC has not contacted any city departments.
Braal said that he and Corby have already had people reach out about job postings for boat captains, managers and tour guides.
On its website and Facebook page, Branson Duck Tours addresses the tragedy on July 19, 2018:
“We were heartbroken by the tragedy,” the message reads, “where questionable equipment and procedures cost the lives of 17 people. We were also disappointed that we would no longer be able to experience Branson on a unique duck tour.”
On the night the duck boat sank, the National Weather Service had issued a severe thunderstorm warning at 6:32 p.m., specifically naming Table Rock Lake. The warning said winds in excess of 60 mph were possible. In reality, winds on the lake reached 73 mph — near hurricane force — with waves topping three feet.
The first 911 call about the Branson duck boat — Stretch Duck 07 — came at 7:09 p.m., 14 minutes after the boat entered the water.
Nine of the 17 people who drowned were from one Indianapolis family.
On the Branson Duck Tours Facebook page, a couple of people posted support for the new company. One man wrote: “... We will be coming back to Branson now.”
Others said that a move to open a “duck tour” company is wrong.
“Every time you take a duck on the lake, you will be navigating over the same waters where 17 former passengers died,” one man wrote. “Out of respect for the dead please reconsider this venture.”
Bob Pratt — known as Capt. Bob — worked for Ride the Ducks but wasn’t on duty the day of the tragedy. He now operates his own private boat tour business on Table Rock. He believes the time is right for the duck tours to be on the lake again.
“All the settlements have been reached with survivors, restitution has been made,” Pratt said. “So let’s move on.
“I don’t think it’s disrespectful at all for a company to go out there and try to make a go at it again with a bigger and better duck. It’s a business decision and no one is forcing you on the boat. To be honest with you, when and if they come out with the new ducks, I would be more than happy to ride on one.”
The Hydra-Terra is produced by South Carolina-based Cool Amphibious Manufacturers International, which makes recreational vehicles, cars and emergency response vehicles that can operate on land or water. The company advertises the Hydra-Terra, which operates in 27 countries, as “unsinkable.” Its website says buoyancy from foam-filled compartments will keep the vessel afloat even if the engine is flooded and drain plugs are opened.
In July 2019, engine trouble stranded 39 tourists aboard a Hydra-Terra in Lake Austin in Texas. No one was injured and the boat was towed to shore, according to the local Fox television affiliate.
Karen Best, who was Branson’s mayor in 2018, had mixed emotions when she learned of plans to relaunch a duck boat attraction.
“It’s a day you never forget,” she said. “There’s that piece of your heart that’s always going to tug whenever you see a duck boat or read about a duck boat.”
Best, who is running to unseat current mayor Edd Akers in the upcoming April election, said she wanted to learn more about the new model of duck boat proposed for Table Rock Lake.
“I was somewhat encouraged by the fact that it looks as though it may be safer than the original duck boats, which I think is extremely important for both the residents of our community and tourists,” she said. “I would still need to do a little more research to know whether I personally would get on them.”
Akers said he had just learned about the plans for the new tours and had no official information to share.
Best said the amphibious ride has traditionally been a popular attraction in Branson. And while some people have sworn to never board such a vessel again, she thinks many would like to see duck boats return to town.
“I have lots of wonderful memories as a young child and even as a young adult of time spent with family and friends on the duck boats. It is a fun activity that you can do with the family,” Best said. “But there’s always going to be a piece of me that will say I can never ride a duck boat without remembering that day.”
This story was originally published January 8, 2021 at 3:26 PM.
