Winnipesaukee Forum - View Single Post - "Educating" those danged Winnipesaukee boaters

Woodsy · 12-12-2005, 12:27 PM

I have been thinking about this for awhile now. Is speed really the issue or is it ignorance/lack or courtesy?

The speed limit is a pretty divisive issue, and just about everyone on this board knows why I am against HB-162. I want to hear from the HB-162 supporters, how exactly is a speed limit going to fix ANY of the issues on the lake? If speed were the issue, we would have collisions and accidents to point to and subsequently address. But we dont. So I am thinking the real problem is a lack of knowledge, specifically, the rules of the road and common boater courtesy. So how do we educate the masses? The legislature has passed a law requiring most (not all) who boat on Lake Winni to posess a Safe Boater Certificate by 2008.

I think the real problem is that the Safe Boater Law doesn't go quite far enough. How is it that anybody with a credit card that has room for a $2500 damage claim, with absolutely no boating knowledge or experience boating at all, can rent a Jetski, or 18' Bowrider or large 20+ Pontoon boat and NOT be required to have a Safe Boater Certificate? Its absolutely insane to think that a person is capable of driving any boat safely after a 20 question checklist. But thats allowed? Why? Because the marina owners and hoteliers want to rent boats and make money, regardless of the hazard they they are creating for everyone else. Then they have the chutzpah (Merrill and Rusty) to complain when a rental boater (with absolutely no prior boating experience) gets mad at them and thinks the lake is dangerous. Of course the boat renter thinks Lake Winni is dangerous! He has no prior safe boating education, no prior boating experience and he has decided to rent a boat on a busy summer weekend to the tune of $200/hr or so plus whatever money they make on the inevitable damage claim! Rusty & Merrill are laughing all the way to the bank at the expense of my personal freedom!

Daytrippers are also exempted from the law... so anyone with a boat not registered in NH, can launch it and go with a complete ignorance of NH boating rules and regulations! Sure there is a time limit imposed, 14 days, but who is tracking that? Most states do not have a 150' safe passage law like we do.

I propose the following....

1. New ANNUAL sticker (say $25) that is required for ALL watercraft used upon Lake Winnipesaukee, no exeptions. Thus includes powerboats of all kinds, kayaks, sailboats, canoes, PWC's. If you want to use the lake, you need to have a sticker. In order to purchase a sticker you would need to have successfully completed the safe boaters course or at the minimum, the rental course/questionaire. Initially there would be two colors... 1 color (green) indicates successful completion of the full safe boater course, 1 color (red) indicates completion of the rental course. After 2008 all boats registered in NH and used on Lake Winnipesaukee would be required to have the green sticker. Day trippers & vacationers would need to get a sticker for thier boats at a marina, and take the rental course/questionaire in order to purchase a sticker for thier boats (say $10 for a weeklong yellow sticker with the date of use printed on it). This gives the MP an easy visual check that the owner of the boat has been at least minimally educated on the NH rules & regulations pertaining to safe boating. The statute could also include that the owner of a boat be held liable for the the driver of the boats actions. This would help insure that the boat owner would inform anyone who was driving his boat of the rules etc.

You could breakdown the cost of the program, marinas get a percentage for admin fees, a percentage goes to MP to cover the cost of administering the program, and the bulk goes to the MP for use specifically on Lake Winnipesaukee. (Hiring more officers, new equipment etc, dedicated to Lake Winni.)

3. No sticker = FINE say $100.00, (you gotta make it painful or people won't care.) You could possibly make the fine payable at the marina when the offending boat goes and gets a sticker... fine would have to be paid before sticker issued? not sure if thats feasible without a seriously expensive computer system, but its an idea.

4. Study the areas of the Lake with the most congestion, and look at ways to control the boat traffic. Initially try NWZ's, but if the congestion persists, perhaps weekend only "safety zones" where a reduced speed is mandated.

5. Study the current noise law and perhaps reduce it somewhat. Noise seems to be a BIG part of the issue. Remove the restriction on switchable muffler systems. Have max db you can't exceed, but if you can make it quieter than the maximum, so as not to disturb your neighbors, I don't see why that should be illegal.

Woodsy

12-12-2005, 12:27 PM	#29
Woodsy Senior Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: Weirs Beach Posts: 1,968 Thanks: 80 Thanked 980 Times in 440 Posts	Speed Or Ignorance??? I have been thinking about this for awhile now. Is speed really the issue or is it ignorance/lack or courtesy? The speed limit is a pretty divisive issue, and just about everyone on this board knows why I am against HB-162. I want to hear from the HB-162 supporters, how exactly is a speed limit going to fix ANY of the issues on the lake? If speed were the issue, we would have collisions and accidents to point to and subsequently address. But we dont. So I am thinking the real problem is a lack of knowledge, specifically, the rules of the road and common boater courtesy. So how do we educate the masses? The legislature has passed a law requiring most (not all) who boat on Lake Winni to posess a Safe Boater Certificate by 2008. I think the real problem is that the Safe Boater Law doesn't go quite far enough. How is it that anybody with a credit card that has room for a $2500 damage claim, with absolutely no boating knowledge or experience boating at all, can rent a Jetski, or 18' Bowrider or large 20+ Pontoon boat and NOT be required to have a Safe Boater Certificate? Its absolutely insane to think that a person is capable of driving any boat safely after a 20 question checklist. But thats allowed? Why? Because the marina owners and hoteliers want to rent boats and make money, regardless of the hazard they they are creating for everyone else. Then they have the chutzpah (Merrill and Rusty) to complain when a rental boater (with absolutely no prior boating experience) gets mad at them and thinks the lake is dangerous. Of course the boat renter thinks Lake Winni is dangerous! He has no prior safe boating education, no prior boating experience and he has decided to rent a boat on a busy summer weekend to the tune of $200/hr or so plus whatever money they make on the inevitable damage claim! Rusty & Merrill are laughing all the way to the bank at the expense of my personal freedom! Daytrippers are also exempted from the law... so anyone with a boat not registered in NH, can launch it and go with a complete ignorance of NH boating rules and regulations! Sure there is a time limit imposed, 14 days, but who is tracking that? Most states do not have a 150' safe passage law like we do. I propose the following.... 1. New ANNUAL sticker (say $25) that is required for ALL watercraft used upon Lake Winnipesaukee, no exeptions. Thus includes powerboats of all kinds, kayaks, sailboats, canoes, PWC's. If you want to use the lake, you need to have a sticker. In order to purchase a sticker you would need to have successfully completed the safe boaters course or at the minimum, the rental course/questionaire. Initially there would be two colors... 1 color (green) indicates successful completion of the full safe boater course, 1 color (red) indicates completion of the rental course. After 2008 all boats registered in NH and used on Lake Winnipesaukee would be required to have the green sticker. Day trippers & vacationers would need to get a sticker for thier boats at a marina, and take the rental course/questionaire in order to purchase a sticker for thier boats (say $10 for a weeklong yellow sticker with the date of use printed on it). This gives the MP an easy visual check that the owner of the boat has been at least minimally educated on the NH rules & regulations pertaining to safe boating. The statute could also include that the owner of a boat be held liable for the the driver of the boats actions. This would help insure that the boat owner would inform anyone who was driving his boat of the rules etc. You could breakdown the cost of the program, marinas get a percentage for admin fees, a percentage goes to MP to cover the cost of administering the program, and the bulk goes to the MP for use specifically on Lake Winnipesaukee. (Hiring more officers, new equipment etc, dedicated to Lake Winni.) 3. No sticker = FINE say $100.00, (you gotta make it painful or people won't care.) You could possibly make the fine payable at the marina when the offending boat goes and gets a sticker... fine would have to be paid before sticker issued? not sure if thats feasible without a seriously expensive computer system, but its an idea. 4. Study the areas of the Lake with the most congestion, and look at ways to control the boat traffic. Initially try NWZ's, but if the congestion persists, perhaps weekend only "safety zones" where a reduced speed is mandated. 5. Study the current noise law and perhaps reduce it somewhat. Noise seems to be a BIG part of the issue. Remove the restriction on switchable muffler systems. Have max db you can't exceed, but if you can make it quieter than the maximum, so as not to disturb your neighbors, I don't see why that should be illegal. Woodsy