Speed Limits

[Cleavor]

One thing I am starting to see more and more of are water speed limits. Here in the Chicago area there are several lakes and most are posting speed limits of 45mph day and 25mph (or No Wake) night. This is one reason why I trailer my boat to northern Wisconsin to go boating. Are any of you seeing the same thing in different parts of the country?

[mendo]

Yes, many lakes here are speed limit lakes.

problem for state is limited enforcement staff.

translate: Not many people comply.

So, until someone gets hurt, or something gets broken, no problem. as soon as there is an accident or damage and the authorities get involved, here comes a ticket.

kind of be safe, be smart, all ok.

[Fl Boy in ILL]

I'm sure the Michigan boys will pipe in they have speed limits and do enforce them from time to time with tickets given, here on the Il River we don't have any spped limits but traffic on the weekends should keep most from excessive speeds but some folks don't have good common sense that God gave them.

If I run fast I pick my spots and am pretty careful when I do it, midweek is a great time.

Rick

[Juggernaut]

theres a huge controversy with lake winnipesaukee in new hampshire. it has large cigarette boats capable of 120 mph on it, and the ole farts want a 45 mph speed limit so they can take out their friggin pontoon boats. within the past year my cousin took out a jetski, and was jumping waves at about 55 or 60 when he somehow smashed his head on the front hood thing, knocking himself out, and ended floating inthe water face down. luckily he was with my other cousins so he was alright. hes got a nice harry potter scar now. but because of that incident, theres a speed limit south of rattlesnake island of 45 at day and 25 at night. as long as no serious incidents happen directly related to speed, we should be alright.

[Hottrucks]

Jugere that's not true the speed limit in that area is a test area to gather info to be used by Dept. Of Safety to help them decide if the 45/25 speed limit will be passed into law if you want more info on it http://www.nhrba.com/
I have spent the last 2 1/2 years fighting this ( you fill in the words I cann't type) Speed limit issue.....


<HR style="COLOR: #d1d1e1" SIZE=1><!-- / icon and title --><!-- message -->
I spoke with Director Dave Barrett yesterday and he said that so far very few boats have been going over 50 mph . . . anywhere on Winni.

They can't officially implement the "speed zones" until administrative rules have gone through the process of approval.

I suspect that these pilot studies will show that boats going over 50 mph are few and that speed is not the real issue.

more readinghttp://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=Marine+Patrol+clocks+Winnipesaukee+boaters&articleId=e0ff6db7-d5e0-451c-bdcf-a1eb92561e49


Proposal by Dept. of Water Safety

<HR style="COLOR: #d1d1e1" SIZE=1><!-- / icon and title --><!-- message -->First, I think there is more than enough objective data that clearly shows that there is NO boat speed problem on NH lakes that needs a legislative fix.

However, the House Transporatation Committee members may be looking for a way out of handling this hot potato (HB 847) right now. They don't want to go on record as having voted either for or against the bill because by doing so they will piss off 50% of the interested parties. Therefore, they would just as soon like to avoid it coming to a vote as written. Retaining the bill, thereby allowing the MP to conduct the 2 piolot studies on Winni this summer, would be a temporary "out" for them. They would then have to deal with the bill next year.

What is the likely outcome of the two pilot studies (around Bear Island and SE of Rattlesnake Island - Sleeper Island)? Word would get out to the performance boating community to adhere to the 45/25 mph in these areas and the MP would come up with few or no speeding convictions. Only a few bonehead captains would actually be clocked on radar at 55 mph or more in these areas. There would be very little data that would shed any significant new light on the issue.

Probably most legislators would love to vote on some sort of compromise. As you know, the NH Bass Federation has already discussed this and all chapter reps voted not to compromise our liberty one inch to operate our watercraft in a reasonable manner according to the prevailing conditions. There are conditions where 45 mph (and slower) is too fast, and conditions where a limit of 45 mph is too restrictive.

My best guess is that the Transporation Committee will retain the bill thereby allowing the MP to conduct the pilot studies this boating season.

[Tom Foley]

theres a huge controversy with lake winnipesaukee in new hampshire. it has large cigarette boats capable of 120 mph on it, and the ole farts want a 45 mph speed limit so they can take out their friggin pontoon boats. within the past year my cousin took out a jetski, and was jumping waves at about 55 or 60 when he somehow smashed his head on the front hood thing, knocking himself out, and ended floating inthe water face down. luckily he was with my other cousins so he was alright. hes got a nice harry potter scar now. but because of that incident, theres a speed limit south of rattlesnake island of 45 at day and 25 at night. as long as no serious incidents happen directly related to speed, we should be alright.

Although I don't like speed limits , the guy with the pontoon boat has every right to ride in his pontoon boat the same way the yuppies with the 200 decibel offshore boats do . Are they affecting the boating public in the same way ? No . I admire them for the marvels of machinery that they are but they are just too friggin obnoxious to be in populated ares , just like airboats down here . THEY ARE TOO FRIGGIN LOUD !
Now your cousin who knocked himself out on the ski .........he's probably just plain dumb and I hope he learned something from it !

[Cleavor]

I agree that there is no speed problem. Like Hot said, there are times when 45mph is too fast and times when 45mph is ridiculous. As for the noise, that has been addressed by the noise level laws enacted across the country, covering both land vehicles and watercraft. I do not see how a outboard boat would pose any problems to the pontoon crowd if the boat is operated correctly. That means not getting too close or "buzzing" them or operating your boat in an unsafe maner. What I see here is yet another effort on the part of the nannys who feel perfectly justified in forcing their will on others at the point of a government gun. If they can't get us by outlawing our rigs, then they will try any back door apporoach that restricts our chosen form of recreation.

[jtb]

I too have noticed more speed limits but around us they are doing it in the form of no wake zones. There is no place to run a boat here anymore. This is the main reasons I am selling my boat and moving on to something else. Just plain tired of driving all day looking for a spot to open the throttle.

[Techno]

Can anyone here go 25 mph? I don't mean this as a joke but for real. Does your boat stay on plane down to 25? NO prop changes no special items used, it was day and is now nite.

We have a bay thats 25 all the time.. except if your water skiing its then 35? this is supposed to be due to the magic wake thing eroding the shore But displacement boats apparently don't damage it?

[THEFERMANATOR]

I know parts of the intercoastal waterway on the west coast of FLORIDA is 20 MPH, and the rest is mostly 25. I couldn't imagine you guys with performance hulls trying to safely stay on step at those speeds, I can barely hold my flats boat on step at 20 with trim tabs.

[jtb]

Can anyone here go 25 mph? I don't mean this as a joke but for real. Does your boat stay on plane down to 25? NO prop changes no special items used, it was day and is now nite.

We have a bay thats 25 all the time.. except if your water skiing its then 35? this is supposed to be due to the magic wake thing eroding the shore But displacement boats apparently don't damage it?

erosion is the excuse that i got for all the no wake zones here. i guess all these summer people have never seen the wind blown waves that come across the bay and cause erosion on any given storm

Boat is still for sale!

[Cleavor]

Yea, erosion, what a crock. Of course the storms, or even just a windy day, cause more wave erosion than our boats do.

I could not keep my 18ft V hull on plane at 20, 25 was about the mimimum plane speed and it was a struggle. Not to mention the boat plowed through the water causing much bigger wavs than if it were on plane. I, for one, am getting sick and tired of these morons who nothing about boats dictating to us where and how fast we can go.

[MikeP]

I don't post much but how can a speed limit be place when there is no way to measure speed. All boats don't come with GPS. To me in order to have a speed limit you have to have a reliable form of recording your speed and it be standard equipment just like a car.

[THEFERMANATOR]

I don't post much but how can a speed limit be place when there is no way to measure speed. All boats don't come with GPS. To me in order to have a speed limit you have to have a reliable form of recording your speed and it be standard equipment just like a car.

Cars didn't always have speedometers, did they? It will be just like the auto industry, you'll have to conform or pay the piper. But I know for a fact that my flats boat throws a LOT more wake at 20 than at 40, around 45+ the wake disappears.

[MikeP]

I have got a ticket in a NO WAKE ZONE once before but got off on a
technicality due to no wave height listed on the ticket. This is what our ordnance says
"No person shall operate a vessel, in a "No Wake" zone on any designated waterway within the parish, at a speed in excess of that which creates a wake greater than fifteen (15) inches in vertical height measured from the ambient tide level to the crest of the vessel's bow wave at a distance not less than twenty-five (25) feet from the vessel"

there is not much wave at 80 anyway