The other problem with these runabouts now is that they are Fast. Most of the new ones go 55 to 60 mph. I cant stand it when they are full out with their bumpers flying and not paying attention to a thing. I have some favorite incidents, but one of my favorites was when i was working at Trexlers marina. A guy in a brand new Charparal(spelling) with the big motor and the whole family just put the boat in neutral and "coasted to the dock." Well coasting or not, he ended up going up and over the dock with his new boat and did some costly damage.

Now there is something I would like to see......Troutly in court :D:D

Well YOUR PUTZ....I mean your honor :D:D

Jon

Speed limits are only good for those that fallow the rules anyhow. If everyone fallowed the rules as they are on the books then there would be no problem. SO if you make another rule it only effects the ones that fallow the rules. The ones that do not......well they are the ones that ruin it for all of us. The guys that are running around drunk at night well they just plain SUCK!!!!!!!!

Jon

O-Limit37~ Ahh yes... it would be nice to put another OL on the big lake, believe me. And I've been meaning to catch you (on the board...) and ask you about your boat. Based on past posts I have gathered that you are running blower motors which leads me to two questions. 1) You must be running 92 or better in it, if so do you use additives in the 89 or do you go to Wolfeboro or Y-Landing for the super? and 2) How do you keep it quiet enough to not be bothered by the lake patrol on a regular basis!? I just sold a 271 FasTech with a 540 Lingenfelter and it was LOUD, even with $4K worth of mufflers. (No Silent Thunder Platform, wouldn't fit with the headers... got kicked off the lake for 96db - OUCH!) What I am trying to decide is, next time do I go for say, 575's or something to that effect or do I just go with motors that burn good ole fashioned 89? I guess to clarify, our house is just outside of Center Harbor, so if Y-Landing decides to stop carrying Super then I have to drive all the way to the other end of the lake for fuel, not really convienient...


cowisl~ Betty must have had a coronary when that yo-yo drove up on her docks! It is amazing what you see up there on the weekends. I worked at a couple different marinas up ther during my college summers (Browns for two...) and there is nothing funnier to this day than watching the public launch ramp in the morning and in the afternoon. Pure insanity! I don't even dock at the Weirs anymore on the weekends, just not worth the risk of damage...

I posted a letter to Paul Hatch over on the Winni forum. With the exception of the radar disagreement between Officer Troutly & I, I would really like to hear your opinions, especially you Winni guys!

On the upsdie I don't attract as much atention as most of you... I only drive a little Donzi 22 Classic...

Woodsy

PS; Troutly, glad I did not come across as cop bashing. Sometimes its hard when reading a response to judge somebodys tone.

Jolly~

As a third generation Winni guy, I have mixed emotions (that would be my feelings, not the Skater...) on this. I feel very strongly that it is the driver ALWAYS, and not the boat. As mentioned earlier in this post, there are people driving 20' bowriders & lake lice that have no clue what the hell they are doing. And there are people driving go-fasts that have no clue, or may be just don't give a $hit about what they are doing. Of course there are PLENTY of responsible owner / drivers in both as well. Will the speed limit cure the problem, nope! Will it help, maybe... but doubtful. BWI is BWI, and as we have now seen, at 25 or 85, tragedy can and has occured. What can / do we do to make it better? Maybe form a committe, pool some ideas and get to some people that can make things happen (read: politicians). We can make a difference, and I for one am ready to do something. Maybe an "Inland Lakes National Safe Boaters Committee". Putting fourth suggestions and ideas to make ALL inland waterway boating safer and more enjoyable for everyone. Whether you drive a 22 Donzi or a 51 OL, and you're on Winni or LOTO or... wherever.

DTM,
We're running 575SC's. Last summer we changed our blower pulleys so now we're pushing ~650hp through the engines. The 575's demand high-test fuel. Goodhues is close by so getting gas is no problem. In fact, I think we're keeping them in business with our huge purchases. :)
Our boat is loud and we were concerned last summer b/c other boats w/575's were pulled over for noise violations. We've never measured our sound, yet our mechanic tells us not to worry stating that we're at the legal limit. We've had the boat on the lake for about 5 seasons and we've only been spot-checked a handful of times. The MP's have questioned the noise, but we've never received a violation or have been summoned for a dB test. We're extremely careful and vigilant while on the lake. We ease back on the throttles when in view of an MP and generally proceed at headway speed in congested areas not to draw any unwanted attention. Basically, we give them no excuse to stop us. It would be unfortunate if we had to install silencers. I know the noise angers a lot of people, but for us, it's pure ecstasy! There are a few Fountains & a Cig. with 575's on the lake. They're great engines!! We noticed a big difference in performance when we upgraded from 500's. High-octane availability is an issue however if the demand exists someone will always fill the void.

Woodsy, your post on winni.com was excellent!! Thanks for making such a strong and thorough case against the night time speed limit!!

Sounds like (no pun intended...) a good deal. I guess that's the bennie to blowers, one pulley change and voila! more hp. I think, if I'm not mistaken I've seen you guys out and about, as there was only one other OL on the lake last year. It looked like a new 42 w/ 900's & #6's... It was coming down Meredith bay the first time I saw it and she was mooooooving!!! But awful quiet, not sure what was up with that. Caught up to it in the Channel and got a look under that hatch, unreal! Do you have the white base with the yellow/lt. purple-ish graphics and painted drives? Sweet ride... Now, if I can convince my wife that the 37OL is a better choice than the 38 TG that she really likes, we're in business... Now, if I can only get that trust fund declaration reworded, it's off to Bristol, RI I go...

We heard about that boat. What was the paint job like?
Also, Mike Fiore had his GTX at the lake at the end of June for Fitzgerald's boat show. Unfortunately, we missed him because of bad weather. Since the lake was desolate we heard he launched his boat and was running across the Broads in the high 120's!!!

Here we are:

[IMG]C:\My Documents\My Pictures\boat\Boat4.jpg[/IMG]

D'oh!
My picture didn't come through. I gotta work on this.
Anyways, yeah that's the boat--white, purple, red, yellow, etc. with painted drives.