Formula Outlaw

Thanks guys for standing up for "us"......

CMG

only wish that the manufacturers were involved in this...

winni laker

A request for OSO members in reference to House Bill 162. Every negative personal attack against supporters of the bill gets directly forwarded to the committee by the supporters to help justify the kind of people they are up against. As hard as it for me to restrain as well, your help is appreciated, the faster's, speedy's are simply here to get things going to get you fired up so you will post some attack and then WHAM they have their post to foward along. They check this forum probably every 5 minutes to see what kind of ammo they can get.

Thanks for your help

http://www.opposehb162.com

FYI, Manufacturers will get involved if you contact your dealer and tell them to contact the manufacturer contacts to help fight this bill. The more pressure from you, the more they will help.

Formula Outlaw

One would hope that the state legislature of N.H. would listen to the facts of the case particularly with the input of the Marine Patrol who, as I understand it, was against the bill before.

In battles that I've fought in similar circumstances I've learned that "woe be me" rhetoric gets nowhere. "The facts mam', just the facts".

Wish OSO would just block that IP of "whoeverthatis". He should change his screen name to "weinieerthanthou".

Keep us posted guys.

Mee-n-Mac

I wonder what the committee would think of FrankM's deceitful tactics ? Seems to me that the honesty of the people reporting excessive speed as an issue, where there's no objective proof, is something to consider. I'd hope they would notice that many supporters have claimed they hope to rid the lake of performance boats, for reasons other than speed, and are willing to use a speed limit to further that end. There are all sorts of posts across all the sites involved that the committee should look into if they want to go that route ... which are more pertinent to the issue than silly flame wars.

Formula Outlaw

ttt

jarhead0341

anyone go to last night's hearing in wolfeboro

CPPerformance

Just saw this about the hearing on 6/29 and thought you guys would like to read it. This is from http://www.meredithnhnews.com/070705Lakespeed.htm

Lake speed hearing held

BY PHILIP LAURIAT
MOULTONBORO — About 300 people showed up at the Moultonboro Academy auditorium last Wednesday (June 29) at the first of three public hearings about House Bill 162 (HB 162), which proposes speed limits on Lake Winnipesaukee.
The House Resources, Recreation, and Development Committee is holding the meetings to solicit input on HB162. Two more public meetings have been scheduled, July 6 at Kingswood High School in Wolfeboro and July 13 at Gilford High School.
HB 162 states that “No person shall use or operate any powerboat, motorboat, or boat equipped with any type of power motor at a rate of speed exceeding 45 miles per hour during daylight hours and 25 miles per hour during night hours on the waters of Lake Winnipesaukee . . . . Any person who violates the provisions of this section shall be guilty of a violation.”
Rep. James Pilliod (Belmont) drafted the bill in April. Supporters of Pilliod's efforts say high-speed boating is unsafe and inconvenient for slower-moving boats, fishermen and swimmers. Opponents say the bill discriminates against certain types of boats, might be costly to enforce and could hurt tourism if people with fast boats stay away.
At last Wednesday’s hearing, 65 permanent and seasonal residents from the Big Lake had their say. Many in favor of the bill spoke about personal experiences with reckless speed boaters, their frustration about not feeling safe on the lake anymore, and their doubts that any boater needed to ever exceed 45 miles per hour.
Laconia’s Mary Hutchins relayed a story about her friends’ small fishing craft that capsized as a result of a speedboat wake. She said she doesn’t enjoy boating on the lake the way she used to.
“My small boat is like taking a tricycle out on Route 93,” she said.
Alton Bay resident Martha Jane Peck said she could not count the number of times she witnessed dangerous situations involving speeding boats.
“I worry that some day it won’t be a near miss,” she said. “My neighbors and I are afraid of speeding boats. We are forced to retreat and stop the activities we should be able to enjoy without fear.”
Bruce Bizanski, a resident of Little Bear Island, commented that the most enjoyable Fourth of July in recent memory was the year the water level was too high and boats were forced to travel at headway speed. He said he would have liked to stay for the entire hearing, but he had to get his boat back across the lake before it got dark, because he did not feel safe on the lake at night.
Sandra Helvie said she has seen the lake change in her 42 years as a Bear Island resident. She and her family no longer take the boat to restaurants at night, and don’t boat at night much at all anymore.
“We have become very stressed and afraid when we cross the channel,” she said. “We literally fear for our lives.”
Thomas Hillbank of Tuftonboro, who said he was speaking for 20 families, said HB 162 would give marine patrol and objective way to enforce safety on the lake, that it’s easier to determine if a boater is speeding than it is to determine if they are reckless. He also questioned why 45 mph is not fast enough for some people.
“Why do you need to go over 45 miles per hour? Because it’s fun? Because you want to? Those aren’t the persuasive arguments I was hoping to hear,” he said.
Harold Lyon said he had been fishing the Big Lake for 65 years, and the biggest change has been the emergence of speed boats. “Our once-tranquil lake is now an accident waiting to happen,” he said.
Opponents to HB 162 included Captain Janice Powell, a U.S Coast Guard licensed captain and boating safety instructor, said that boater education should be the issue, not speed.
“The comments in support of the bill that you have heard and read about contain a consistent theme of issues not relating to speed,” she said. “Our efforts should be on boater education. The state has taken a tremendous step with the implementation of the current boating education law. I’d really like to see this law go fully into effect and give education a chance.”
Chip Barringer, speaking for the NH Recreational Boaters Association, said its members were against the bill, and he called for increased enforcement of the existing laws.
“We are supporters of increased enforcement of the current rules and regulations,” he said. ‘We must remember that we have safe passage laws, we have reckless operation laws, and we have noise restraints on the lake already. Implementing a new law that is just as difficult to enforce as the ones that exist doesn’t help the situation. What we really need to do is increase funding for the Marine Patrol.”
Laconia’s David Wood was discouraged that HB 162 does not contain language relative to the cost of the new regulation. He cited officer training and court costs as two of the costly aspects of instituting a speed limit.
“There is one issue that it does not address, and that is cost,” he said. “There has been no proposal or discussion as to how HB 162 is to be funded.”
Wood spoke about Lake George in New York, where a speed limit is in effect. He said the state pays for the law by charging fees to use the lake.
“Do the people of New Hampshire want Lake Winnipesaukee to become a fee-based resource?”
Hancock’s Dick Smith, representing the NH Bass Federation, said he was opposed to HB 162 because the law would keep tourists away from Lake Winnipesaukee.
“Winnipesaukee has 283 miles of shoreline,” he said. “We feel Winnipesaukee is big enough to accommodate everyone’s recreational interests. Boating generates some $400 million in out great state. Winnipesaukee is the crown jewel of the Lakes Region.”
Rob Kiner, who has summered on the lake for 50 years, said he has seen countless instances of reckless operation, including boats traveling side by side, but he opposes HB 162.
“If everyone would adhere to the rules, the lake would be a safe place to operate,” Kiner said. “Boaters of all speeds are largely discourteous. None of these problems would be solved with a speed limit.”
Jack Irwin, owner of Irwin Marine, echoed the sentiments of many opposed to HB 162, saying that poor seamanship is the cause of most accidents on the lake, not speed.
“We do have existing laws that can cope with these problems,” he said. “Lake Winnipesaukee has always been known as a pleasure power boat lake.”
The House Resource, Recreation and Economic Development Committee will consider input from the three hearings, but will not vote on a recommendation for HB 162 until the fall.

Formula Outlaw

All performance boaters in that area need to make every effort to attend the final meeting. Remember, if you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem.

If this bill passes, and you did not make the attempt to fight it, you have no right whatsoever to complain about it later. Fight this while you still can. Good luck all.....Russ