Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Dave R
APS, you know what I meant. Motor boaters.
|
Well, little boats tend to "get forgotten", is all.
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by jrc
"...I'm all for the safety cert and can't possibly see why applying the existing test or a sub-set of it to "Hobies, kayaks, sculls, canoes, sailboards, windsurfers, sailboats, rowboats, powered inflatables and small outboards" would be harmful..."
|
1) If you
started your boating career in one of those boats, you already understand the crying need for testing the operators of all larger boats. Most small boaters are already highly vigilant of weather conditions, as
there's no racing-home option!
2) The
absence of required decals, stickers, and hassles/expense of registration is an encouragement for such boating. Now that a sticker is required "For The Environment"—some, on a sunny summer day—will pick up an electronic game instead of "throwing the boat in the water" and risking a ticket.
The same applies to "educational" testing: another hassle-factor that contributes to boaters staying home.
3) The few boats out there—late in June—range from a few ski-boats up to many much-larger boats, so the price of gas isn't affecting everyone.
4) An aging population should mean
more recreation time. Faced with the "educational requirement" for those aging boaters (who "already know all about boating"
), they'd recreate elsewhere to avoid the hassle of a ticket.
5) The downturn started 2004-2005,
right in the middle of dialing-in the educational requirement—starting with the youngest boaters.
6) The unmistakable (and unsustainable) trend in boat
size is ever-upwards: is it in self-defense? IMHO, large boats knock the fun out of smaller boats.
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by tis
What do you mean by that APS? [tax increase]
|
All I have is hearsay: 11% for the budget, the rest for "fees"? I don't know—my source reads the
Union Leader. Thanks for the saving link
GWC.
