Several years ago I was playing “Apocalypse Now” cruising up a Cambodian river (minus belligerent VC insurgents, and bands of irate natives) when we passed a small boat coming the other way. I could have sworn it was sinking, but apparently proceeding this way is normal:
Absolutely 0 freeboard, and even a moderate wave would have swamped that boat! Frighteningly amusing. 
My assumption is that it would not sink. Probably the boat is designed to stay afloat.
HAH! You ain’t seen nothing yet.
A dutch ship transporting wet sand “mined” from the sea
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/zLpCew-Z8tA
Getting loaded, timelapse
Do you want a freeboard with that sand Sir?
Nah, I’m good, an inch is plenty …
Having paddled many, many places in my kayak, that looks like business as usual. As long as a craft as enough sealed buoyancy chambers, it will stay on top of the water even if it rolls over. Monterey Bay in a squall is about the worst I have personally experienced.
The time lapse dredging video was pretty cool. I’ve seen them at work but never over time like that.
When you punch the kayak straight through a wave and the top of the wave smacks you in the face …
I would definitely alert the local coast guard who hopefully will issue them a summons and possibly even impound that vessel.
Nothing special about these boats - just planked, and maybe crude according to Western standards, and certainly nothing like a kayak with buoyancy chambers. Overloading is just a matter of fact in Cambodia:
Not just Cambodia.
Middle East and Africa.
South America too.
It happens pretty much everywhere else in the world that doesn’t have strong traffic laws.
…or low overpasses! 
Hang on, Rose!
Poor third world countries - always getting blamed for sh!t.
https://www.wkrg.com/mobile-county/watch-overloaded-car-driving-in-west-mobile/
This is not the thread, but a few days ago someone brought up how unrealistic the whole scenario was in Apocalypse Now. In fact, one of a few people Colonel Kurtz was based upon was an SF dude. And according to one of my MC brothers who was actually there (not some dude standin’ next to a dude) there was more of that sort of thing going on than people even now want to admit. Dudes going totally native was not unheard of.
Cheers,
M
Just happened to have watched Apocalypse Now last night. It’s a dark movie and while a bit arty, I would agree some of the stuff depicted did happen based on my reading of memoirs and histories. Also once you crossed into Cambodia or Laos. It was always interesting considering the adventures of Air America and the 'Ravens" FACs
As for boats well we saw a lot of that when I was in the 'Nam. When we were cruising up the Perfume River in Hue or heading into the Mekong Delta. No I’m not that old, it was my honeymoon in 2005 which happened to coincide with the anniversary of the fall of Saigon. There was a tremendous firework display that night which must have reawakened memories in the older residents.
Another iconic sound was the characteristic rotor slap of Hueys flying over Saigon , still in service at the time.
A fascinating country.
