Governor will sign Speed Limit legislation

[twoplustwo]

Apples and oranges.

I've posted many times that I kayak a great deal on Squam. Squam has had a 40 mph speed limit for years, yet the wakes are not larger on Squam and the boats are not bigger on Squam.

That's because they've made it so hard to get on Squam. One furiously fought public boat launch with lousy parking hardly compares to the veritable cornucopia of public launches on Winni. If you don't own there, they don't want you there. Where some of the new money is concerned, they don't want them there, either.

Speed limits don't keep boats off of Squam. The SLA keeps boats off of Squam.

[Bear Islander]

When the speed limit was first proposed many people thought it had zero chance of ever being enacted. Many members here were vocal that it would never, never pass. I am hearing the exact same thing now about big cruisers.

There will be no dramatic increase in the number of big cruisers, because there is no place to dock them. There are slips available now because of the economy, but when they are gone, that is it.

Winnipesaukee marinas have far more slips than the law allows at this time. They can keep them because they are grandfathered. They can't rebuild the docks for larger boats or increase the number of slips.

You can't rent or lease a mooring, so the only way to add a cruiser slip is to buy or rent private property.

[Little Bear]

I travel to work by boat early morning (7:30 am or so) and park my boat in one of the marinas in Saunder's Cove. On several occasions the water has been flat calm, no other boats, not many distractions. Also on several occasions, I've not seen kayaks until I'm within about 100 yards or so. I train my eye now to look at the shoreline when entering Saunder's Bay to look for something moving. Again, this is a weekday, early morning, no other traffic. Are these kayakers nuts or what? They have dull, earth tone kayaks, they sit low in the water and provide nothing at all that gives them additional visibility to boaters. Oh, by the way, I travel at around 27 MPH, so I'm not going fast. In addition, I have 20/20 eyesight, so that's not a problem. The problem is that these kayakers seem to think that they are invincible and that they have inalienable rights to be on the lake, any place at any time. Now I have no problem with them out in Saunder's Bay early morning weekdays, but these kayakers that think they should be out in mid-day, heavy traffic on the weekends, need their heads examined. With heavy boat traffic and boat chop it's nearly impossible to see these kayakers. We should enact some kind of law that 1) mandates some device or color that enhances their visibility to other boaters, and 2) restrict the time and location where these kayaks can operate. In my opinion, the simple fact that any of these kayakers choose to operate in congested areas during heavy traffic, tells me they are only there to cause trouble. Time to call our state reps that are so concerned about everyone's safety and have them address this real safety issue. I'm sending a letter to the Governor about this today or tomorrow.

[Bear Islander]

Originally Posted by Little Bear

... The problem is that these kayakers seem to think that they are invincible and that they have inalienable rights to be on the lake, any place at any time...

They do have an inalienable right to be on the lake, any place, any time.

If you think you will ever get a law passed that will limit kayaks to keep them out of the way of power boats, then you are dreaming. If boats and kayaks can't co-exist on Saunders Bay then perhaps a NWZ is needed.

A regulation requiring them to have flags or some other conspicuity device is a good idea. Personally I think wearing a navy blue life jacket in a navy blue kayak is insane.

[TomC]

Originally Posted by Bear Islander

They do have an inalienable right to be on the lake, any place, any time.

Their inalienable rights require proper navigation lights between 1/2 hour before sunset to 1/2 hour after sunrise, if I recall correctly. I have never seen a kayak so equipped, but I suppose they could be installed. At this time of year that's between ~8p and 6a..

[ITD]

Originally Posted by Bear Islander

They do have an inalienable right to be on the lake, any place, any time.

They do????? Where is this spelled out?

[Silver Duck]

I'm gonna make history here, and side strongly with Bear Islander on this one.

Kayaks have the exact same rights as any other type of boat. NH law makes it very clear that the public is to have unrestricted access to the larger lakes, and does not differentiate between paddle craft, sail boats, or motor boats in that right to access.

Though considering how many snapped off Navaids I've seen lately , if I owned a dull collored kayak and wanted to use it on Winni I'd for sure grab a can of dayglo orange spray paint and take care of business before going out!

Silver Duck

[Evenstar]

Originally Posted by ITD

They do????? Where is this spelled out?

A kayak falls under the definition of both "boat" and "vessel" in NH law:

TITLE XXII - NAVIGATION; HARBORS; COAST SURVEY - CHAPTER 270-D
BOATING AND WATER SAFETY ON NEW HAMPSHIRE PUBLIC WATERS

Section 270-D:1 Definitions:

I. "Boat'' means every description of watercraft other than seaplanes, capable of being used or used as a means of transportation on the water and which is primarily used for noncommercial purposes, or leased, rented, loaned or chartered to another for such use.

XI. "Vessel'' means any type of watercraft used or capable of being used as a means of transportation on water, except a seaplane.

So kayaks have the exact same rights to be on any part of NH lakes as any boat - at any time of day (as long as they meet the non-daylight lighting regulations).

Boat color is up to the owner. When I bought my kayak I bought the brightest color available - and I bought paddles that had bright orange blades. Paddle blades are often the first thing you see, since they extend higher than anything else and because they are generally in motion.

[ossipeeboater]

Originally Posted by Bear Islander

They do have an inalienable right to be on the lake, any place, any time.

If you think you will ever get a law passed that will limit kayaks to keep them out of the way of power boats, then you are dreaming. If boats and kayaks can't co-exist on Saunders Bay then perhaps a NWZ is needed.

A regulation requiring them to have flags or some other conspicuity device is a good idea. Personally I think wearing a navy blue life jacket in a navy blue kayak is insane.

Because I live in a busy section of Ossipee Lake and I let my 8 year old paddle alone I bought him a day glow orange kayak for the visibility and his life jacket is yellow. I have to say I see way to many dark blue or green kayaks in the evening and they are far too hard to see even at slow speeds

[Little Bear]

Originally Posted by Bear Islander

They do have an inalienable right to be on the lake, any place, any time.

If you think you will ever get a law passed that will limit kayaks to keep them out of the way of power boats, then you are dreaming. If boats and kayaks can't co-exist on Saunders Bay then perhaps a NWZ is needed.

A regulation requiring them to have flags or some other conspicuity device is a good idea. Personally I think wearing a navy blue life jacket in a navy blue kayak is insane.

The same way you were dreaming when you conjured up the phony need for a speed limit? Dreams do come true, you know. I have a dream...If safety was really the agenda, then it would seem to me that the state reps and senators would jump at the chance to legislate more laws to ensure the safety of kayakers, by way of restricting where they can travel on the lake and what addtional safety/visibility devices that they must have. I hear complaints about safety flags impeding the kayaker's ability to recover from an overturned kayak. It would seem to me that a simple release handle would free the flag from the kayak, thereby removing any problems. The flag would just float and the kayaker would just pick it up and re-attach it to the kayak. Why are kayaker's so opposed to increasing their visibility to powerboats? Why should kayaks take priority over powerboats? On what basis? Why aren't bicycles allowed on Route 93? If bikes and cars can't co-exist on Route 93, then perhaps a 10mph speed limit on Route 93 is in order. Bikes are restricted from certain roads and kayaks should be restricted from certain parts of the lake at certain times. Same analogy in my opinion, and the foundation on which a case should be made to the Legislature and Governor.