[Mee-n-Mac]

Originally Posted by Evenstar

And the faster the boat goes, the less time the operator has to avoid hitting anything in its path.

True enough but how much time is needed ? If you can be seen "far away" (see below) why limit speed to a low number ?

Originally Posted by Evenstar

From a long distance, the most visible part of a paddler is the moving, reflective paddle. I can almost always spot another kayaker when they are still a mile or more away.

I have no problems seeing kayakers and canoeists "far away" as well. So if you, sitting low, can see the kayaker why are you so worried that the boater, no doubt sitting higher, can not ? Do you think you need a mile to avoid a run-over at 45 mph ? How much sighting distance do you calculate is needed for a boat to safely run 45 and not run you over ? for 65 ? for 85 ?

Originally Posted by Evenstar

My sea kayak is only 23 inches wide. A flag on most sea kayaks would make them very unstable, especially on windy days. And a flag would make doing a recovery roll impossible.

Yes and I don't think it (the flag) is needed. The problem is not that you can't be seen, it whether the person will be looking. You can reduce people's speed but that won't make them look. At some point (speed limit) you're restricting normal people going about what is a safe activity because some small percentage of the population are boneheads. This is why people are getting so upset. The onus of making "you" feel safe from the bonehead boaters is being laid on the backs of the performance boaters. You, rightly, don't like it when the same is tried on you.

Originally Posted by Evenstar

This guy’s kayak was bright yellow, with a red and yellow sail, but his kayak still go cut in half by a speedboat.
And you guys claim that my fear of being run over by a high speed powerboat is irrational.

The question is whether the fear level can be justified by the risk. Bad things are always going to happen when people and machinery are combined. Let's say that a 45 mph limit is enacted. Do you think that no runovers will ever occur thenceforth ? I wouldn't think so. So when one does occur will "you" say that you're afraid and the speed limit must be reduced even more ? How low an accident rate is needed for you not to be afraid and why should other people be restricted to satisfy your fears ? And when you're satisfied, what do we do with the person who's still afraid ? There will never be no boating accidents so long as human beings are at the helm. At some point you need to accept that there's some level of risk in what you're doing. This is where the stats come in. You're at more risk now from the bonehead boater than the fast boater. Slow the faster boater down and your risk level isn't going to change in any practical manner.

ps - Just how fast was that bowrider speedboat going with it's 5 kids in the bow ? Over 45 mph ?


FWIW : Can anyone tell me what doesn't qualify as a speedboat these days ? Between the above and the Crownline cruiser speedboat I'm left wondering.