Company shuts down duck boats — for now

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The company owning a duck boat that sank on Table Rock Lake last summer, killing 17 people, announced Thursday it won’t operate the vessels this year because of the ongoing investigation and will instead open a replacement attraction in the tourist town of Branson.

Ripley Entertainment spokesman Suzanne Smagala-Potts declined to comment on whether the boats would ever float again on the lake, saying the company is focused on 2019 and hasn’t “looked in the future of what we may or may not do.”

The new attraction, called Branson Top Ops, will include indoor laser

tag, an interactive outdoor maze with barriers, and a tower. She said work would begin soon and the venue is expected to open for Memorial Day weekend.

Smagala-Potts said 10 percent of this year’s proceeds, with a minimum amount of $100,000, will be donated to local first-responders, such as police and firefighters.

“Branson thrives on tourism, so we want to make sure we continue to give back to the community,” Smagala-Potts said.

For nearly 50 years, tourists have toured the Branson area on refurbished amphibious vessel originally used by the military during World War II, with Ripley purchasing the duck boats in 2017. The company suspended operations after one sank during a storm in July.

Two Arkansans — Steve Smith, 53, and Lance Smith, 15, both of Osceola — were among those who died when the duck boat sank. Steve Smith’s daughter, Loren, survived. She was 14 when the incident occurred.

Others who died were from Missouri, Indiana and Illinois.

Ripley, based in Orlando, Fla., faces several lawsuits alleging it launched the doomed boat despite warnings of severe weather. The boat’s captain was indicted on 17 counts accusing him of failing to tell passengers to put on flotation devices or prepare them to abandon ship even after waves crashed into the boat.

Ripley doesn’t have duck boats anywhere else.

Smagala-Potts said the company is pursuing mediation with the families.

“We want to do the right thing for the families and the community,” she said.

Ripley, based in Orlando, Fla., faces several lawsuits alleging it launched the doomed boat despite warnings of severe weather.