Something to throw out there. Steve and crew had hundreds, probably thousands of hours running 24' single engine rockets.
Running a 30' twin engine rocket is a different animal. Safety equipment would have been critical. Would've been like driving a car in England after living in the US for 40-50 years.
I think we've seen a good example of what not to do here. We don't have all the facts, but it seems evident that all of the clues point towards a situation of poor judgement and lack of experience in craft safety preparation.
One of the questions asked by insurance companies for performance boat insurance is "How much time in comparable watercraft"?
Running 24' single engine rockets may have made them feel like they could "Handle anything".
It's a sad situation we hopefully all can learn from. Engage brains before starting engine(s).