2 anglers flying out of boat at 75!

[tjm]

Aren't no speed limit and no drivers license on water holdovers from the days of row boats and small outboards?  When enough people die the laws will change? 

I imagine the simplest speed limit is a horsepower limitation. How fast does a 40HP go?  is it as fast as 400HP?

 

[mixermarkb]

What’s that speed limit going to be?
 

70? 65? 55? 45? 30? 

I’m all for self regulating, because there are just too many variables. My current Champion 203 tops out at 72mph gps. On most days with nice weather on Bull Shoals, 72 mph in that boat is completely safe. 72 mph in the very same boat on a LOZ summer weekend with a gazillion other boats and jet skies would be a fatality waiting to happen, as it would running WOT across Oakland on Bull Shoals with a 40mph March wind out of the North.

There are just too many variables for laws to really be effective. Take the 30mph nighttime speed limit for example. My boat is actually safer running about 35-40 on a night with good visibility because the bow fully drops and the boat is up on the pad where it’s more maneuverable, but that’s on a uncrowded lake, not LOZ going home after a July 4th fireworks show with 1000 other watercraft.

If lawmakers have to step in and come up with a speed limit, I can tell you right now, it’s gonna be lower than it needs to be, because it’s going to come from the worse case scenario, AND  they are going to see the enforcement of it as an opportunity to make money for the government coffers. 

[mixermarkb]

5 minutes ago, tjm said:

. How fast does a 40HP go?  is it as fast as 400HP?

40HP on a 12’ drag boat hull made of potato chips and epoxy will go pretty “fast” while 400HP on a 40’ LOZ or Mississippi River cruiser is gonna burn a lot of fuel but hardly be “fast”.
 

As I said, too many variables to easily regulate.

[Flysmallie]

19 minutes ago, mixermarkb said:

What’s that speed limit going to be?
 

70? 65? 55? 45? 30? 

I’m all for self regulating, because there are just too many variables. My current Champion 203 tops out at 72mph gps. On most days with nice weather on Bull Shoals, 72 mph in that boat is completely safe. 72 mph in the very same boat on a LOZ summer weekend with a gazillion other boats and jet skies would be a fatality waiting to happen, as it would running across Oakland on Bull Shoals with a 40mph March wind out of the North.

There are just too many variables for laws to really be effective. Take the 30mph nighttime speed limit for example. My boat is actually safer running about 35-40 on a night with good visibility because the bow fully drops and the boat is up on the pad where it’s more maneuverable, but that’s on a uncrowded lake, not LOZ going home after a July 4th fireworks show with 1000 other watercraft.

If lawmakers have to step in and come up with a speed limit, I can tell you right now, it’s gonna be lower than it needs to be, because it’s going to come from the worse case scenario, AND  they are going to see the enforcement of it as an opportunity to make money for the government coffers. 

Always finding an excuse for something not to work never solves anything. 

[mixermarkb]

4 minutes ago, Flysmallie said:

Always finding an excuse for something not to work never solves anything. 

Be careful what ya wish for is all I’m saying- 

[fshndoug]

Even if speed limit laws were enacted you wouldn't see them enforced as they aren't enforced on our roadways. I saw 2 or 3 people speed by me just yesterday on the interstate going at least 80-85 mph in a 65 mph zone.

[dtrs5kprs]

58 minutes ago, mixermarkb said:

Be careful what ya wish for is all I’m saying- 

Come to the Dark Side, my brother. We have cookies.

[dtrs5kprs]

49 minutes ago, fshndoug said:

Even if speed limit laws were enacted you wouldn't see them enforced as they aren't enforced on our roadways. I saw 2 or 3 people speed by me just yesterday on the interstate going at least 80-85 mph in a 65 mph zone.

Right they'd be used after a collision. That's about it.

Only lake I've been on where I've seen a speed limit enforced was Minnetonka, years ago. No idea if they still do. Cal could probably tell you.

[fishinwrench]

1 hour ago, mixermarkb said:

I beg to differ. When I made the jump from a pretty quick little Champion 18’ with a 175 to a Champion 202 “light n dry” with a hopped up 225, Kerry from Kerry’s Marine in West Plains followed me to the ramp on Bull Shoals, and spent about 20 minutes showing me how to drive it to  control the chine walk. It still took me most of the summer practicing to get the hang of it fully, but the chances that I would  hurt myself or someone else in that boat had I not had that on the water lesson would have gone up dramatically. 

Chine walking is not advisable, and IMO anyone teaching people to do it in a fishing boat is irresponsible.    

If you're into RACING then race, and set the boat, and yourself, up for racing..... instead of fishing.   A bassboat lacking an aerodynamic cover over the bow, and having rediculous weight distribution, is NEVER going to be a proper vessel for truly high speeds.      But hey, go ahead and keep on being ignorant, I don't GAF 👍

[mixermarkb]

39 minutes ago, fishinwrench said:

Chine walking is not advisable, and IMO anyone teaching people to do it in a fishing boat is irresponsible.    

If you're into RACING then race, and set the boat, and yourself, up for racing..... instead of fishing.   A bassboat lacking an aerodynamic cover over the bow, and having rediculous weight distribution, is NEVER going to be a proper vessel for truly high speeds.      But hey, go ahead and keep on being ignorant, I don't GAF 👍

Well, strictly speaking, he showed me how to keep it from happening.

Which is exactly my point.

Darn near every brand of 20-22’ bass boat hull with the 225-300+ horsepower motors that are sold these days are fast enough to chine walk and get away from the driver if the driver doesn’t have the skill set to balance them on the pad.
 

It’s totally irresponsible for a dealer to take someone who have spent their boating life so far in a 60 horse tin rig and expect them to hop into a brand new BassCat, Triton, Skeeter, Phoenix, etc etc and run near 80 without some instruction, but it happens every day. Combine that with a little ego about not wanting your $90k tub to be slower than the other $90k tubs in the club and you have a recipe for getting people hurt.