NEW YORK, Oct. 5 (Xinhuanet) -- Investigators of last Sunday's deadly capsizing of a New York tour boat conducted on Wednesday what was described as a "very scientific road test" of a twin vessel to determine if excess and sudden shifting of weight may have caused the tragedy.

    The National Transportation Safety Board loaded the Ethan Allen's sister vessel with barrels of water and was running it along Lake George to see how the boat would have handled while carrying a full load of passengers weighting an average of 160 pounds.

    Investigators were to consider not only the possible extra weight from the passengers, but also weight added from recent changes to the boat, including a larger engine and a wood-Fiberglas replacement for a canvas canopy.

    The Ethan Allen was carrying 47 passengers, mostly senior citizens who had come from Michigan and Ohio to enjoy the fall colors, when it capsized and drowned 20 passengers. The boat has a capacity of 50 people, a number based on a New York standard that assumes the average passenger weighs 150 pounds.

    Just days before the boat accident, the US Coast Guard began considering its own per-passenger weight limits to take into account Americans' expanding waistlines. The current standard, set25 years ago, assumes a 140-pound average for each man, woman and child.

    Investigators were also awaiting results of an alcohol test of the Ethan Allen's captain, Richard Paris, the only crew member aboard when the boat overturned. The urine test can detect alcohol consumed days earlier. Paris told investigators his last drink before the accident was a beer the previous Thursday morning.

    Also on Wednesday, New York Governor George Pataki said New York's boating safety standard needs to be toughened, and said he would propose in a few days a legislation to make the state's boating-safety standards as tough as existing federal regulation.

    The governor also said he would specifically look at the federal requirement for testing a pilot for alcohol and drug use after a fatal crash. Enditem