This experimental collision was conducted under a grant funded by the US Coast Guard to study boat collisions in greater detail. Miles was the project technical coordinator for this research grant.  Miles has been involved in similar studies in years since.

Miles provides consulting and litigation support services related to many types of recreational boating products and boating accidents.  Miles can help you if you need an expert to conduct an investigation into a boat crash, carbon monoxide poisoning, mechanical failure, or most any type of recreational boating accident.  Small boats colliding with large vessels, even those the size of a ferry, are also within Miles' realm of experience.

If you are trying to determine if a marine related product has a defect or complies with current safety standards, contact Miles for assistance.  

Cases are accepted anywhere in the US, and international cases are considered on a case by case basis.  

Examples of Consulting Services  

• Boat accident investigation and reconstruction
• Litigation support
• Product standards compliance issues
• Product testing and evaluation
• Expert witness testimony
• Teaching seminars, training (law enforcement and private sector)
• Obtaining product certification (such as UL Listing, UL Classification, etc.)
• Computer Animations 

If you have a boating related project, and need technical assistance, but you are not sure where to turn, or exactly what  type of expertise you need, Miles can point you in the right direction!  

This experimental collision shows a personal watercraft (PWC) about to collide with a stationary runabout.  The rider is a dummy used to help study the effects of the impact on the operator.

Qualifications Summary

Miles pioneered the research which makes it possible to reconstruct many types of boat collisions based on physical evidence.  While working for the Marine Department of Underwriters Laboratories Inc., in the late 1980s and early 1990s, Miles pioneered a three year research grant, funded by the United States Coast Guard, to research boat collision accidents.  One of the purposes of that research was to develop techniques to reconstruct boat collisions based on an analysis of the damage to the vessels involved.  The resulting 700 page, two volume report remains a cornerstone of accident reconstruction science today in the marine field. 

Miles has also been involved in developing material for, and teaching, accident investigation seminars, primarily for law enforcement seminars.  Miles has been involved as an instructor in these seminars, at various times, since 1988.  In 2006, 2007, and 2008, Miles served as a guest instructor at the Advanced Boating Accident Investigation Seminar, taught at the NTSB Training Center.  Miles taught several topics on advanced techniques of boat collision analysis.  The seminars are currently administered by NASBLA.

Over the last 20 years, Miles has developed a deep background in a variety of marine areas.  He wrote, developed, and refined standards on many marine products for the Marine Department of Underwriters Laboratories Inc.  He has participated in a number of committees that write and develop marine product standards for the American Boat and Yacht Council, as a consultant and as a committee member.  He has also continued to be involved in boat accident collision research at various levels.

Miles also has significant expertise in carbon monoxide related accidents.  Miles  designed and developed a field use, portable data acquisition system, capable of measuring carbon monoxide levels at multiple locations simultaneously.  This instrumentation can be used to study CO levels on boats in a variety of conditions, obtaining real time feedback on CO levels.  The data can be used to help determine possible causes of CO related accidents, or to evaluate new boat designs to determine the CO levels under various operating conditions.

These 3D models were created to help evaluate how two vessels were oriented during an impact.  Damage analysis combined with 3D modeling can be very helpful in reconstructing certain types of collisions.  (The orientation of these vessels is for illustration purposes only, and does not represent an actual case.)

Examples of Accident Types and Cases

Typical Clients  

Contact Information 

Miles Beam, P.E 

Phone: 919-773-4478

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Miles Beam, P.E.
919-773-4478

Marine Consulting, Accident Investigation, and Reconstruction
 ï¿½ Copyright 2006-2010 Miles Beam, P.E.  All Rights Reserved.