[Evenstar]

Originally Posted by Chris Craft

I have as of late had more problems with Kayaks then jet ski's. Come in to the harbor (ocean) and they are lined up tip to tail across the channel clogging it up so that I have no place to go. This is in a 45 mile per hour zone. That is unsafe but not because of my speed but because they are clogging up the entire channel. There is no need for it.

I can cite all sorts of bad powerboat behavior too, but unless it is speed related, it really doesn’t belong in this thread.

I have the right to kayak on the entire lake, but that doesn’t mean that I feel that I have the right to get in the way of other vessels. I pay very close attention to where powerboats are heading and give them plenty of room. I also kayak on the ocean and supervise kayak use at my university’s waterfront. Students are never permitted to kayak out into the shipping lanes.

By your rational Evenstar I should be able to drop my speed boat in any lake and drive it up to any posted speed limit. There are lakes that restrict our ability to go on them. So why is it so unfair for us to be able to safely use lake Winni?

No, because there are legitimate reasons for banning powerboats on small bodies of water. There is no legitimate reason for banning paddlers on a lake that permits powerboats – since we have the least environmental impact of any vessel. The only reasons that posters here want to ban paddlers is so they can travel on Winni at unlimited speeds.

As the poster above staited when some one drives a boat at a high rate of speed their attention goes to what they are doing. I can not tell you how many times that I have seen sail boats collide especially around race courses.

You guys can make all the claims you want, but no one has yet provided any scientific proof that a person’s attention automatically increases as speed increases. How many powerboat operators have ADA? How many consume alcohol while they are boating? How many have less than perfect vision? If all high-speed operators are so acutely attentive, why don’t they see me in time to stay clear of my 150 foot zone?

As far as the sailboat colliding part, have you ever raced a sailboat? I’m a collegiate sailor and a member of the Intercollegiate Sailing Association. My university team is one of the top-rated teams in North America. When you race sailboats, it is totally different than recreational sailing. We are constantly “on edge” and push ourselves and our boats to the limit (and sometimes over) – that’s the only way that you can win races. We have an entire book of rules that we must follow, but we race within inches of other boats. And when the wind shifts, or when someone doesn’t sail perfectly, we collide. That’s because we are RACING.

People are just way to anxious to legislate us trying to make it so that no one can ever get hurt/die. You can not do that. Live Free or die..... not any more I guess....

No, this legislation is so that we can all use the lake safely. The majority of NH Legislators and residents believe that it is not safe to allow powerboats to travel at unlimited speeds on a lake that is populated by smaller, slower moving vessels. "Live Free or Die" applies to paddlers too – and our free use of the lake is being negatively impacted by the unlimited speeds of powerboats.

Originally Posted by Seaplane Pilot

Well said H-Nut. They want everyone else to compromise but themselves. I hope the majority of the Senate have the intestinal fortitude to flush this bill down the toilet where it belongs. I can tell you one thing: if it passes, there will be a major house cleaning in Concord (which is actually a benefit) and Class Action lawsuits will by flying everywhere. I may just go get my law degree so I can make enough money to go buy a nice, big offshore race boat and bring it to Winni!

What compromises have power boat operators made? Name just one. You guys are just used to getting your own way, and don’t care if your actions are negatively affecting others. It’s the same old “I have more horsepower/money, so get out of my way” attitude again. You even want to ban us from using the main lake, or ban us from the entire lake, just so you can still have your own way.

Well, that’s not going to happen. We’ve already made enough compromises with this bill – it has been watered down with amendments for the benefit of powerboaters – it now will only applies to Winni (instead of to all NH lakes); and it now has a 2-year sunset clause. But that’s not good enough for you. I’m done compromising.

Good luck with the Class Action lawsuit. That would be like trying to sue the state for having highway speed limits.