Transport Canada reposts safety recall on pontoon style boat following capsizing, drownings

Following stories on CTV News about a new type of boat called a "Seadoo Switch", Transport Canada launched an investigation into how safe they are.

A safety recall has been re-issued by Transport Canada following reports by CTV News about multiple cases of Sea-Doo Switch boats capsizing or flipping over in Ontario.

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

Last September, Markus Haerle, of St. Isadore, southeast of Ottawa, told CTV News he was using the boat with his grandchildren when it started taking on water.

“It was like a scoop, scooping up water into the boat,” Haerle said at the time. “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.”

Lori and Clyde Rowan, of Goulais River, north of Sault Ste. Marie, also experienced a similar incident with their Sea-Doo Switch.

“It flipped us right over and all seven of us were in the water,” Lori told CTV News in October.

Ottawa residents Paul and Sue Dokuchie also contacted CTV News after their Sea-Doo Switch almost sank twice.

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

This week, Transport Canada updated its website with a safety recall involving the boat.

In a statement sent to CTV News, a spokesperson said: “No additional recalls have been issued by Bombardier Recreational Products (BRP) to date. The recall published on the Health Canada website on January 5, 2026 is the same recall that was issued by BRP on October 17, 2025, and published on the Transport Canada website.”

“In addition, Transport Canada continues to work with the U.S. Coast Guard and BRP to assess whether any further actions are required to address the identified safety risk.”

Lawsuit filed against maker of Sea-Doo Switch in Maine

In Maine, NE, the law firm Berman & Simmons Trial Attorneys is filing a lawsuit against BRP after three people died when a Sea-Doo Switch flipped over in August.

“The boat started to take on water in the front and then it capsized completely and three of the women on the boat were trapped underneath the boat and drowned before anyone could rescue them,” Chuck Hehmeyer, a lawyer with the law firm, told CTV News.

Hehmeyer said the boat in question had been brought in for BRP’s safety recall and had work done to it, yet it still capsized. He contends that even with a safety recall, the boat is not safe to use.

“We are going to file lawsuits on behalf of both these families,” said Hehmeyer. “Obviously, they deserve compensation. Three people are dead, and we hope Sea-Doo will see the need to change the design of the boat.”

The law firm said in the U.S. state of Virginia, a nine-year-old girl also died when the Sea-Doo Switch she was in flipped over, and a toddler in Florida received serious injuries when her family’s boat sank.

Do not ‘overload’ front of boat

In its safety recall, BRP said overloading the front of the boat could result in serious injury or death.

The company also released a safety video that advised users to “not allow passengers to sit at the front of the boat to overload the bow, as it may result in the boat nose-diving and capsizing.”

When CTV News reached out to BRP regarding Transport Canada reissuing the safety recall, the company said in a statement, “We previously recalled select Sea-Doo Switch models to mitigate the risks of nosediving and possibly leading to capsizing. Unfortunately, one component of the previous remedy does not perform to our expectations for durability. For this reason, we came up with a different approach to seal specific sections of the hull that will meet our expectations. This is why we launched a new recall on October 17, 2025.”

CTV News reached out to the Ontario Sea-Doo Switch owners we had already spoken to, and they still want refunds for their boats.

“I feel that boat is going to be unsafe even with that recall,” Haerle said. “They aren’t solving the problem.”

“People have been hurt, people have died, why would you not just take it off the market,” Lori Rowan echoed.