Boating and Water Sports
Boating and Water Sports Experts
Our team brings specialized human factors, safety, biomechanics, and 3D modeling expertise to recreational boating and water sports matters. We focus on addressing complex questions involving boat design, operator behavior, warnings and safety information, and recreational watercraft safety.
Rimkus experts consult with a wide range of clients, including:
- Government and trade organizations
- Manufacturers of vessels and components
- Operators
- Rental companies
- Boat owners
- Water sports equipment manufacturers
- Cruise lines and excursion partners
- Risk managers
- Attorneys
In addition, our consultants have published works on boating and water sports safety in peer-reviewed journals, and also authored and co-authored technical reports on the same topics for the U.S. Coast Guard.
What Boating and Water Sports Services Does Rimkus Offer?
Rimkus human factors experts can provide unbiased, technical responses to clients with questions about boating accidents, personal watercraft (PWC) incidents, and water sports injuries. We bring hands-on, multidisciplinary experience to safety consulting for water sports such as, water skiing, wakeboarding, tubing, kiteboarding, and recreational boating.
Our team includes specialists in human factors, ergonomics, kinematics, biomechanics, 3D modeling, and accident reconstruction. These experts have conducted numerous field-based assessments, on-water evaluations, and real-world incident investigations across a variety of recreational and commercial settings.
Using instrumented systems and video-based methodologies, we can provide services for marine accident investigation and reconstruction, on-water data collection and analysis, and comprehensive technical litigation support. Our experts are also often asked to provide expert witness testimony – defensible, evidence-based opinions grounded in both research and real-world conditions. Whether in court or a client report, we can share our science-backed findings with comprehensible physics-based 3D visualizations and demonstratives.
We examine the human factors, biomechanics, kinematics, and safety considerations involved in most boating and water sports operations. Using investigation and analysis, we evaluate how equipment design, environmental conditions, and human behavior interact to influence risk and incident outcomes.
Forensic Investigation and Analysis of Boating Incidents
- Daytime and nighttime visibility, conspicuity, navigation light, and line-of-sight assessments
- Propeller strike injuries and propeller safety
- Boat operator behavior, situational awareness, and decision-making
- Operator perception-reaction time and hazard recognition
- Personal flotation device (PFD) use and performance
- Rental boat and PWC use, operation, and user instruction adequacy
- Video, GPS, and data-driven incident analysis and reconstruction
- Vessel collisions and allisions
- Bowrider boat occupant safety
- Occupant kinematics and injury mechanism analysis
- Slip, trip, fall, and ejection scenarios in marine environments
- Commercial operations, excursions, and waterfront risk management
- Boating accident reconstruction
- Rapid-response documentation
- 3D simulations, modeling, and 3D demonstratives
- Evaluation of compliance with industry standards and best practices
- Boating safety expert witness testimony
Forensic Investigation and Analysis of Water Sports Incidents
- Tow rope and handle entanglement, recoil, and load-related injuries
- Towing speed, acceleration, and force analysis for water skiing, wakeboarding, kneeboarding, tubing, and wakesurfing
- Operator decision-making, communication, and situational awareness during towing operations
- Wakeboarding, water ski, and kiteboarding binding/boot release performance and injury implications
- Rider biomechanics, stability, and fall/ejection dynamics
- Equipment setup, fit, and compatibility (rope length, handle type, board/skis, and vessel configuration)
- Video-based analysis and time-distance reconstruction of towing incidents
- Evaluation of instruction, supervision, and adherence to industry safety practices
- Water sports expert witness testimony
Data Collection
- Carbon monoxide detection, exposure assessment, and occupant risk evaluation
- Human vibration, acceleration, and shock exposure measurement in marine environments
- Instrumented field data collection, including wearable sensors, pressure mapping systems, and force gauges
- Postural analysis and evaluation of human interaction with vessel surfaces, controls, and equipment
- Video-based analysis, photogrammetry, and synchronization of multi-source evidence (e.g., CCTV, onboard cameras, phone cameras)
- Kinematic analysis of human motion, including motion capture (MoCap) and 3D modeling for 3D demonstratives
- Time-distance analysis and reconstruction of movement, speed, and relative positions
- Slip resistance and coefficient of friction testing across vessel surfaces and docks
- Slip, trip, missteps, and fall analysis, including environmental, intrinsic factors, human factors and kinematics considerations
Boat Design Evaluation
- Boarding ladder design, access, and usability
- Handhold and grab rail design, placement, and reachability
- Ingress and egress assessment
- Operator visibility from the helm, including line-of-sight and obstruction analysis
- Control layout, accessibility, and human-machine interface evaluation
- Postural analysis and ergonomic assessment of operator and occupant interactions
- System of Information evaluations, including warnings, labeling, instructions, manuals, and web-based information
- Evaluation of design consistency with industry standards and user expectations
Why Choose Rimkus?
Our qualified team of experts brings a combination of technical credentials, hands-on experience, and courtroom-tested expertise that is difficult to match. Team qualifications and certifications include:
- Members of the ASTM F27 Committee on Snow and Water Sports and ASTM F25 Committee on Ships and Marine Technology
- Members of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SNAME)
- Members of the American Boat and Yacht Council (ABYC)
- Certified SCUBA divers
- Board-Certified Human Factors Professionals
- Completion of the National Boating Accident Investigation and Analysis Course, Level 1 – Comprehensive, National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA)
- Extensive global experience serving as boating and water sport-related accident expert witnesses, including the United States
- Active roles as instructor, judge, and competitor in USA Water Ski & Wake Sports sanctioned tournaments
With decades of experience in forensic consulting, litigation support, and regulatory compliance, our team provides comprehensive evaluations for both forensic investigations and proactive safety consulting.
Contact Us to Learn More
Brian C. Grieser, P.E., C.P.S.M., CSP, CPE
Practice Leader, Human Factors
+1 734 347 7351
Rose Figueroa, Ph.D., CHFP
Practice Leader, Life Sciences
+1 813 521 5020
Additional Services
Explore the breadth of our multidisciplinary capabilities by visiting other relevant Rimkus practice pages. Our global team of experts collaborates across disciplines to address complex boating and water sports matters, integrating human factors, ergonomics, safety, biomechanics, engineering, and marine operations to deliver comprehensive, defensible solutions.