I Need To Vent!
 

Back when I was kid road my motorcycle in old peach orchard next to my house 100+ acres. Cops would come out with their cars and try to catch us (1970's). When I got old enough to drive got into lifted 4x4 trucks (1980's). Got hassled by the cops everywhere I went on and off road. Next got into standup jetski (1985) got pulled over just about every time you would pass the marine police. In 2002 finally I could buy a Skater after seeing them at the NY boat show in 1984. Is it just me or is anybody else notice that the fun police are everywhere especially at the lunch stops waiting. This cat and mouse game is getting old.

knock on wood, i havent been pulled over by the marine police in 4 seasons...22' big block Avanti, 29 Scarab, 30 Spectre w O/B's, 353 Fastec etc...

When I was in my early twenties I used to get pulled over (18' Donzi), I think just because I was young and it was a Donzi (this happened primarily in the Avalon to Wildwood, NJ area). But, when I was boating in my father's 15' Whaler witth my friends, I never ever was hassled. And there were times we probably should have been hassled when I was in the Whaler. Noisy boats, or hot-rod looking type boats get the officer's attention.

Now my father had an excessively loud 27' Magnum, and he was only stopped once in 18 years (on Barnegat Bay, no ticket issued). If you are older they seem to cut you slack. Just my $.02

Well they suck down here, you gonna get f'd with just about everytime you go to the sandbars.
They used to be scared to mess with the bigger boats with fancy paint jobs for fear of scratching them, that ain't the case anymore is it ROB:evilb:

Hell they even tried to give our passenger a bui- lol dumb azz game warden didn't realize the wheel was on the other side of the boat.:p

I think it depends on where you are. Around here, I think the cops realize that most of the drunks are the ones with 9 people in a small cruiser, or a big cooler strapped to the swim platform on a bowrider. Most of the guys with the really fast boats are more responsible because they know they can get in trouble in a hurry.

Yep - I'm tired of it. Give me back my freedom.

Not to be a smart a$$.
But the only common factor in your "problematic encounters" with the police seems to be............
You.

Sometimes it's better to keep a low profile.

I can pretty much plan on being pulled over almost every time out whether I'm in my boat or my parents party barge. A group of young people having fun just seems to attract a lot of attention. Now that I've been checked a few times and the usual deputies and w & f guys know I have my schit together they don't bother me as much.

My jet-ski buddies and I plan on getting pulled over everytime we are on the water,,, we are also all boaters and know and pretty much obey the water rules. They watch us like hawks and follow us around like lost children,, while boats fly in and out of the ramp, pass closer than 100 feet, makes wakes in no wake zones,, ridiculous.... We just dont stop for them anymore, pretend we don't see their little blue light and just plain ignore them..

I got stopped this weekend past , said my regestration numbers were hard to see , black on red hull , guy was a a$$
it was a normal saturday and i had had 4 or so beers over the course of probably 6 hours , so doing the math i was a long ways from being impaired , but the 21 year old marine police man could not figure out how to use his breathaliser machine
he had the nerve to tell me that i had luck on my side , and wrote me up for abstucted view of reg. numbers and told me that he didnt want to see me on the water till i had that fixed , and the next time he saw me he would have figured out how to test my breath.
aint that some chit

Venting
 

I knew my x girl friend would call somebody and tell them to say it's all my fault. lol

I never really had a problem when I bought my first boat 10 yrs ago. - 26 yrs. old, 25' Baja with a flashy custom Checker paint job 454 with wide open exhaust. Boat was loud as hell.
The CG always walked our docks at the begining of the season offering courtesy inspections - or if they happened to be there at another time, you could request one. Showed them I was all good on the Regs for my boat, Lifevests etc. They give you a big ugly decal to stick on the boat saying you've been inspected. After that, the season always went trouble free.
Of course, I was also a considerate boater. I followed all the No-Wake rules, and didn't try to "bump" the speed.
I turned down the stereo to reasonable levels when at idle.
And, I didn't act like an A-hole around other boaters.
Didn't have much trouble.

you've got it nailed buoyhunter; i used to go 'round with attitude "laws are for everyone else" and i attracted trouble; just take it easier today and no problems w/ cg or water patrol. -jeff

It's just YOU...

Ive had my Cig since I was 19. Every weekend for the past 6 years I cruise the same busy channel loaded with water cops hastling boaters. I obey the laws and follow the rules most of the time and Ive only been stopped once.

If you play with fire, your going to get burnt.

A good friend of mine that i grew up with decided that he was going to be a cop.Hes been on the force for about 5 years and he now works at my shop on his off days.He comes out on the boat,comes out in the race [street] cars to the car shows and places in general.Its like having a licsence to steal!!!Get pulled over and we laugh.I would suck without him.P.S. we got pulled over in a 28 Skater with 300Xs this weekend by marine police with him.It sucked because he would shoot the sh1t with them for a half hour.:drink: And he was drinking:eek: :drink:

I got pulled over once and the guy asked how fast my boat was and I told him 55 mph. I asked how fast his was and he said 56 mph. That's the only time I ever laughed at what a cop said! I now actually hang out with 4or 5 cops. They are handy to have around!

Don't want to get pulled over, Try having on Lifejackets, and obeying all the laws such as wake. What they look for in my area is a boat load of people no lifevest on and it will equal to getting pulled over for a safety check. If you have on vests why would they stop you. It worked for me in my LOUD blower boat and now that I work the water it works for others, wearing you life vests shows you are a better boater than most. With the outboard the noise law is not a issue so you have 2 things in your favor already. Don't give them a reason to pull you over and they won't unless like me I want to see what you have and BS with the go fast owner(s) and he knows that in a few seconds when I ask him to raise the hatch so I can see what he is running. This also lets me know if I want to race him later LOL

I usually have a bright orange walmart PFD and a captains hat from overtons on and they leave me alone they can tell I'm a pro :) lol........ don't be a idiot and they leave you alone in general

An IAFF sticker might be more effective.:D

I've got a 28 Skater and I'm an old guy. I don't get stopped at all. But... I wear, and require me passengers to wear, a "real" life jacket (lifeline), have my kill switch hooked up, obey no wake and 5mph laws, don't drink and drive, and avoid as much other traffic as possible at all times. I go fast in the flats, away from other boats, and have all required safety equipment in a pair of waterproof satchels, aside from my Fire extinguishers which are conveniently mounted. I frequently wear a doorag and sunglasses so the marine police probably don't know my age, but the life jackets stand out, as does the behaviour.

Last weekend, I had a kid on a wave runner try desperately to get my attention. He was jumping cruiser wakes and running in and out of no wake and 5 mph zones on the State Boat Channel on Long Island. In short, he was acting like the typical nuisance wave runner owner. I ignored him and actually looked away from him as he zipped from the starboard to the port side of my boat, while I idled through a speed zone. After coming out of the speed zone and into clear water, I planed off and he tried running next to me weaving back and forth. I slowed to almost a stop and as he looped around to come back yet again (This guy obviously can't take a hint), I got on it hard. I discovered that 100 plus mph in a 1-2 foot mixed chop makes Wave runners disappear.
I finally looked back and a marine patrol boat had him pulled over......... as well they should. He probably has no idea why and will undoubtedly tell his friends how unfair the Bay Constables are because they ignored the guy in the big fancy Skater and "picked on" him.

Bottom line...Act like a grownup and you'll be treated like one. Act like a child, and be prepared to be spanked.

T2x

I couldn't help but read the rest of you're post without using a Popeye voice in my mind after that one line:D

But, you're absolutely correct.
Mind the laws, and don't be an azzhat, and you should be fine.

"Mind the laws, and don't be an azzhat, and you should be fine."

Wish it was that easy around lake st. clair. While I (knock on wood) have not been pulled over yet, it does seem like the patrol is just upset that they have to be working on a weekend and are bound and determined to wreck someone else's also. While I'm not worried about them, because I have everything I need and more, it's just annoying that they can't just leave us alone. A buddy of mine got a ticket for having red numbers on a white hull! They said they blended in and they couldn't see them from a distance. They were just bound and determined to ticket him for something. Two weeks ago a guy in a Scarab went running by a sandbar, with his exhaust off, it was not a speed zone or no wake zone and the sheriff just took off after him. What was he doing that the SeaRay's don't do all day long? I have no idea. It just really sucks that they have to idle around and make you nervous and basically ruin your day. Even with nothing to hide, they're just a nusence. My .02

Nkissau - I used to run Maumee River, Erie, and the Detroit River. I never made it up to St. Clair.
They were always pretty cool were I was running.
I've heard alot about St. Claire, and I imagine if you're hanging out in the area's where all the problems are on the lake, you're going to get watched.
If you head to Cumberland and enter 76 falls (well - not this year) - expect to be watched.
If you hang out in areas a little tamer, and just enjoy your boating, they'll leave you alone.
Did you get into boating for a wild party? or because you enjoy the water?
And don't take this as any kind of hit, I'm just speaking from my experience, and I never got nervous around LEO's up in that area.
I don't know, it may have changed.

"I yam whad I yam" ;)

I work the waters in St.Clair county and am on Duty almost every Friday and Sunday during the weekend. I can assure you I do not "chase" after anyone for going accross a sandbar. While I was not the one who went after the scarab I will bet there is more to the story. As for the number I also would think there is more to that, try reading black number on a white hull at "a distance". You can't read them either. PM me if you have more info, If someone is indeed hasseling boater in St, CLair county I can have a discussion with them. We are a very hard working group and most of us have boats so this just doesn't add up to me. Please advise if it was Macomb or St. Clair county that did the above mentioned.

If thats the case I would seriously consider complaints to the elected officials and chamber of commerce in the area and KEEP COMPLAINING!!.......you and your friends should call and tell them about your bad experience (with names) and that you may just take your boat and go spend your money in someone elses area......if its anything like around here boaters are a big source of revenue for the local economy and the mayor and the CofC especially does not want to hear that this source is being run off by overzealous water cops........I dont care what job your in, nobody needs constant complaints about their job performance.

Just to add a little fuel to the fire, LOTO was horrible this 4th of July. The DNR was pulling people over left and right, even ones just idling along. Surely, all these people were not all breaking some law???

I asked a couple of the local business owner's how things were going. They both said business was off and attributed it to the local water patrol and their zealous interaction with the boaters. I know, I know, someone will say it's the gas prices. But, the locals are telling me otherwise.

I have been going to LOTO for 7-8 years now, usually 2-3 times a year. I am not going back now, except for possibly the Shootout. The other two trips, I am going to find another body of water and place to spend my dollars. It has just gotten ridiculous... my $.02

Too funny... I was thinking the same thing! :p

I have asked him to e-mail or reply to me as I am on the water working almost every weekend and I have no reply as of yet. But then again I am sure he is working while I am playing here on the website. as for complaining, where you have suggested he would have to contact the county as the sheriff patrol is a county concern not city or township. I do hope he contacts me if it was in St. Clair county and I can take care of the issue.

The DNR? Are you sure it wasn't the Water Patrol of Coast Guard? And if you were referring to the no wake area under the bridge, I can believe every one of them was breaking some law. I would bet they only pull over about 1/2 the boats doing something wrong; no wake, DUI, improper registration, riders on the swim platform, lights, etc.


You might want to consider the weather. It rained almost every weekend between memorial day. I'm guessing that probably had more effect than the WP.
I know WP will "remember" boats that have been problems in the past, ie DUI drivers, and give them a little "extra attention".

Hmmm, never really had a problem and I go every weekend.

Rdoactive,

Just giving my perception as I had never seen it like this before. The weekend before the 4th, I did hear it rained like crazy. That entire week and next weekend was nothing but sun and hot. The business owners were the ones telling me the WP (is the Missouri State Water Patrol your version of DNR?) was affecting their business. I didn't volunteer info, they relayed it it me.

And, wasn't just in the no-wake zone under the bridge. It was every morning, afternoon, evening throughout the whole week. We were staying at 11MM, saw almost everyday come into that cove in the morning and start pulling up to boats/ jet skis. A couple of people, it was obvious that they were to close to the docks throwing wakes... most didn't appear to be doing anything wrong.

Would it happen to be Davis peach farm on the Island ?