too fast???????
 

Well since i joined this site today I thought i would find this subject,but its just one of many facing the boats at play and ships at sea.We in the ships end have seen a major increase in speed also.
While speed is a mans given right to achieve, truely many seem to do it in the worst, dumb places.Channels 40 ft wide and full of boats ,no wake zones,etc.Theres so much open water, find it and enjoy it .
Like every thing else we drive, ride,flyor sail.proper places for every thing
AS far as perfornce driving schools for boats, i have not seen any sactioned schools .But for boating, by the dozens!, I'm in teaching .
The last thing we should allow is the states to get involved with the boating liciencing .
these are the people who run d m v.-- ha ha
While there are many private schools for boating most, it seems fail to use them,


While i play on a friends 50 nor tech,at work i dont see boats for days,theres lots of water and all the sea room you want.

Maybe some of the builders could start there own schools and reap another market ?

After all why hurry? it took me 11 years to get my license .

1
 

Puder, i see where your going.. this post should be about self restraint.

if you had the money you could buy an airplane or any other machine..no licence (experimental and fly it into the ground)

The fact of the matter is our sport/hobby is dangerous thts why we love it... too many variables to x-out all. Be safe ,show restaint..oh yeah wear a friggen jacket.

Regards

maximus

Without a doubt we should be licensed. Not only can we hurt each other, but often innocent bystanders as well. I don't wear a helmet when I ride my motorcycle or when I ski, but then its only my head at risk. There's enough numbnuts out there to put all our paint jobs at risk.
Oh, yeah. I get to decide who gets a license.....and who doesn't

Every boat is different, I have been in 100+ mph OL's that almost felt they were still on the trailer and 90mph Baja that I wanted out of. I haven't been in a cat faster than high 80's and always said I am afraid of the blow over, witch seems to be happening more now than ever. It seems that the last two both have similar reports they caught air and started flipping. Weather it was blow over or sideways they flipped. I will stick with the slower glued to water vee's

As for safety gear, the more the better. But I still feel that when it's your time it's your time. I am 33 now and have been riding motorcycles since I was 3 and racing since 10 or so. I have been off my road racing bike more times than I care remember at well over 100mph. I T-boned a car at 120 on the street in 91 and totaled both the car and the bike and every time I got up and walked away with just a bump or two. Last November I fell of my dirt bike in 1st gear and tore my ACL, thats the worst I have ever been hurt and I just got that fixed 2 weeks ago. I have raced cars road and drag and never been hurt.

Would I go fast in a boat, yes if I had a set up OL or boat like that I would go 125 or so after I got use to it. Would I do it with my family in it NO. Could I see myself going 160 in a boat, yes. If I had some training and time with somebody that has done it a bunch in time I would do it.But it would take years. I don't get scared with speed I never have. But I'm not dumb I'm not going to run out and by the fastest anything (except a bike) and go as fast as it would go and I hope nobody else does either, because stupid hurts and dieing sucks.

I hope we all spend more time and money making sure we are as safe as we can be out on the water before they make it no fun out there too. So let's be smarter and faster, not just faster.

Re: KHO
 

I couldn't agree more. There have been a lot of tragedy's around high performance boats lately, and I can't say with any certainty if ANY of them involved human error. The question you are raising here is do we need to be regulated, and if so by who and how much? I think the best we can hope for here is for all of us to look at our actions and say "wow that could have been me, maybe I should consider a few things"

I think it is up to each individual to do what is right. If you and the people with you assume the risk and are fine with it...go for it.

Some of these tragedies involve well seasoned boaters so I don't think it's inexperience that results in so many tragedies. 150+ mph is pushing all the envelopes.

Some people will always have the need for speed and carry the false notion that the unspeakable "can't happen" to them. Maybe that's exactly how they want to live their life.

As for the safey side, I've been around restraint-equipped canopy boats for over 20 years (in OPC), and one rule of thumb we have is to make sure there is a rescue/pick up boat on hand during hard test runs. Getting knocked out without air for just 1 minute is too long to even have a chance at an escape from a harness, even when wearing all the best safety gear you can buy. Always have rescue team on hand, even if it's just a canopied hi-po pleasure boat. Those full air masks can get knocked off too, if the force is hard enough.

Kinda of miss them deep vee, straight bottom, big power days.

Speed selss and these boats will always be built. Even though our country has speed limits I still sell 200+ MPH vehicles legally to people who are willing to spend the coin...

I bet I know who's going "too" respond to that.....

I did a little - ok, a *lot* - of digging on this issue a while back. Turns out the most dangerous type of boats - by far - are canoes and kayaks.

Unfortunately, this is going to be a lot like auto emissions. Instead of putting the effort where it will do some actual good, getting older, high-polluting cars off the road, the gubberment goes for the "soundbite solution" and mandates emissions tests and standards for new cars that put out exhaust that's damn near cleaner than the air that goes in.

In same manner, when the hammer comes down - and I'm sure it will, eventually - who do you think Mr. Fed is going to go after? Neil and Bob from the Sierra Club in their 100% recycled cardboard canoe? Or the guy in the big loud offshore?

I'll give you one guess...