The New Boating Laws..

[Leonard]

Did any one hear about these...

State wide for Missouri...

1. blood alcohol level was lowered. to .08 from .10.... they figure why should it be any different then the roads... (how long did it take to figure this one out?)

2. Any emergency vessel must be giving a wide area of 100 feet when lights are on ( this will fallow with a no wake zone near the vessel also)

3. a 30 mph speed limit is in effect ( this could change alot of night tournaments at night)...

this is what I heard on the radio on my way to work..

Leonard

[Chief Grey Bear]

I thought I heard that the speed limit is only for night time operations. Question is how many will abide by it and how often will it be enforced?

[Dutch]

We have had the 30 mph night limit for a while. They give out several tickets on TR every year.

I for one would like to see the alcohol rule be changed to none on board. I have had some close calls from drunken operators on TR and Stockton.

[Chief Grey Bear]

I talked to a friend of mine several years ago, when the limit dropped to .08, that is a law officer and I asked him if he thought it would have any effect? He looked right at me and with a half smile said no. You will never stop drinking and driving.

Sorry to hear of your trouble Dutch. I have had the same trouble too. Only I don't think they were drunk. They just had a bigger, faster ego, I mean boat.

[bigredbirdfan]

Interested in hearing the night fishman's perspective on the 30 mph change.

.1 to .08 is a one beer change and they will never go zero tolerance because some people go out to Big Cedar or Landing for dinner and have one-two glasses of wine and they are just fine to operate boats.

Maybe this is all squat anyway because they don't have the budgets for the fuel and manpower to do much anyway and they ought to start with catching thieves stealing off of docks.

[Dutch]

Interested in hearing the night fishman's perspective on the 30 mph change.

.1 to .08 is a one beer change and they will never go zero tolerance because some people go out to Big Cedar or Landing for dinner and have one-two glasses of wine and they are just fine to operate boats.

Maybe this is all squat anyway because they don't have the budgets for the fuel and manpower to do much anyway and they ought to start with catching thieves stealing off of docks.

The 30 mph has been around for several years on larger lakes. Some guys I know with "lead hands" have quit fishing night tournaments because of getting several speeding tickets on Table Rock. They don't have to spend much fuel just run a radar gun at a confluence area.

I don't mind the 30 because my boat will plane at 25 mph so 30 is ok. It gives me time to look around at shore lines and keep my eye on the sonar and gps units. In my experience, most of the people on the waters where I fish are running close to the speed limit at night. Of course all of God's little creatures don't have common sense and I don't go to LOZ.

[bclift65706]

I thought the speed limit was 35 at night and they lowerd it to 30