Quote:
|
Originally Posted by MAXUM
Skip while I appreciate your data the numbers really are not a fair comparison. Let me explain why. We are breaking down the total number of accidents based on the size of boats involved. However that does not take under consideration how many of each size are actaully owned and on the water. I would venture to say that the number of accidents involving smaller boats would be high overall because there's far more of them out there than the bigger boats. {snip} What should be used to report these numbers would be to compare the number of accidents in percentage based on the classification. IE what percentage of that class were involved in accidents.
To your stated statics:
Of those 750 deaths, nearly half (331) died in accidents involving boats of less than 16 feet in length
I bet you that most in that class were jetskis. I conclude this by making a simple observation. It'd be pretty tough to kill yourself in a boat this small unless it was a jetski. Common, what else falls in this category, a canoe, kayak, blow up boat, skiff, sunfish?
I'm not bashing neither jetskis nor off shore racers here, just trying to state a neutral point based on your data regardless of my own personal feelings on the matter.
|
I guess you have to ask what's the concern here. Me (and I'd opine a lot of other people) aren't overly worried when some fool goes off and hurts or kills himself in whatever boat they're operating. Live and let die I might say. I'm more concerned about the fool who operates his/her boat in such a manner so as to hurt me. When viewed in this manner I think the majority of boats and the stats which apply to them are relevant. I suspect that %-wise there are as many idiots at the helm of "offshores" as say ... the typical bowrider ... but given there are sooo many more bowriders, it's the bowriders I'd worry about.
The point I was trying to make above was that Madrahsahs has an opinion that "offshores" (among other boats) are not "proper" for the lake. This is all well and good and he's not alone in this opinion. I'm not sure exactly why he thinks this but to support this opinion he drags up every instance of an accident involving said boats when he can. If accidents in and of themselves are one of the driving reasons that "offshores" aren't "appropriate" for the lake then why does that rationale not apply to other boat types when they are involved in accidents ? What's good for the goose is good for the gander. There may be valid reasons to dislike "offshores" (noise is 1 point I'd agree with but it's not limited to "offshores") and these can be rationally debated. It's the juvenile mud slinging that irks me.
I would also like people to ask themselves this question ... what if magically all the "offshores" disappeared overnight. What's the lake like tomorrow ? Would it be all that much different ? Would Capt B suddenly disappear from the lake ? Would you be able to get a slip in Meredith or Wolfeboro at noontime Sat ? Would you
be able to boat back July 4'th night
from the fireworks with nary a concern ? Let's say a ban on such boats where enacted (perhaps phased in over many years). Do you think the boats replacing the "offshores" would be significantly different other than in size ? Does a 22' - 24' performance boat worry people ? Me, I'm more concerned about the ever increasing number of boats on the lake, and the ills they bring, than the relatively few "large" boats.
ps - I think people falling out of boats and drowning* is the most frequent cause of death so I doubt PWCs lead this stat. Last time I bothered to check, the boat type most frequented in collisions were PWCs, usually with another PWC. This doesn't concern me at all. I just don't get excited if 2 or 3 guys out there riding together want to play games with each other and end up exceeding their collective skill level, hurting 1 or more in the process. I just must be lacking in compassion I guess.
pps - On this note, anybody got any thoughts on the CG pushing for mandatory wearing of PFDs by anyone in a <20' (might have been different LOA) boat ?