R Addiction

Speed is why we finally got out of poker runs. Too many boats, driven and maintained by people I don't know, running balls out in close quarters. I guess I'm just an old fart. [/B][/QUOTE]

So Tim, does this mean we won't see you at the Thunder on The Bay? Tell Ian We said Hi!!

CAP071

Speed as in R Addiction drinks TOO MUCH TOO FAST?

Sonic30ss

Too fast?, It depends on who is driving.
I've been running fast on bikes and in cars on the street and the track for 20+ years, most nongearheads think I'm crazy, but I know my limitations, and I don't endanger others. I would not get in an Indy car and try to run 220, but there are those that do and feel comfortable at speed. Personally 180 in a boat is just not in my comfort zone, and to a sailboater 40 is too fast. I guess what I'm trying to say is it's all relative.

The question of too fast is going to lie with the insurance companies and probably the state governments.
I agree with reckless288 We all have the right to live how we want, but the non power boating public just doesn't't get it. Someone will have to stick their nose in...

Offshoreracr

I agree with Warpaint. I think we should discuss this at a later date.

MitchStellin

This may not be the best time, but when is, this seems to be a regular event and it needs attention. We were talking about this this weekend about sleds. It is a touchy subject and a matter of free will. Too fast is faster than you can handle or have experience at. You can get in trouble at 60 or 140, it is all relative so the question will never be answered because there will always be someone who wants to go faster, it is human nature. The space shuttle goes 17,000 mph. It could hit something or in a recent case something can hit it. There is no way to avoid some situations so we just have to know our limits. The two gentlemen who recently lost their lives were as close to a professional as you can get, they knew what they were doing and something still went wrong. We don't know but driver error in this case does not seem likely so they were not going too fast, they just ran into a problem that took control of the situation and left them without an option. I know, I have been there, just not on the water. May God rest their Souls, and lets hope we find out why so we can correct the problem.

cigarette1

Not Mine

C_Spray

iTrader: (2)

It may or may not be the "right time" to talk about speed, but safety is ALWAYS a timely subject. Look back over the last several months - we've been talking about this subject (speed/safety) since well before even the St. Pete tragedy. Every one of us bears the burden of preparing ourselves and our equipment before we go out, for behaving responsibly, and for making wise decisions. Still, no matter what, "accidents" will happen through equipment failures or a combination of circumstances that make them unavoidable. We all owe it to ourselves and to each other to control everything we can,and to back off when we don't have absolute confidence in the situation. We also to each other to tell our friends when THEY are out of line: Friends don't let friends do stupid things".

I don't mean for a second to imply that anyone in these recent crashes did anything remotely "stupid". It's just that no matter how much we try, if we push our luck the law of averages will catch up with us sooner or later.

MitchStellin

These gentlemen had all the safety you could get. Canopies and safety straps were on and attached. it must have been a violent crash. Look at Dale E Sr, his crash looked routine but something still went wrong.

robyw1

First of all what kind of training is going to prepare you to run 160 plus? There are only a handful of people in the world who have driven these speeds. I have never been half that fast and I think at those speeds you are so close to the edge that anything can happen. When anything does happen you are just along for the ride preying it won’t be your last. There really isn’t anything you can do except for the obvious; take safe boating classes, learn to read the waves, weather and so forth. Oh you could legislate license requirements but then getting the government involved will do nothing but cost you money and offer NO benefit for our beloved sport. Such a government program would last 1 year before the revenue it created would be redirected elsewhere - no longer benefiting our sport. Should a class be required? Well I feel yes in a way but boating courses such as http://www.usps.org/ while offering a much needed boater education for the newbie; won’t coach you how to safely operate at high speeds. I seem to remember that Wellcraft had such a school for their Scarabs but I don’t know if it had any success. Performance boating education is not something you can be easily taught. It is a skill acquired from many years of hands-on experience. I never want to see us in a position to where we couldn’t own the boat of our dreams just because we might not be “certified” over 160-MPH. If I could afford one I wouldn’t want any regulations standing in the way of me and my Nor-Tech 5000 Supercat.

Roby

X-Rated30

NO!!!
The fact is, boating is the last place we should be regulating speed. With cars and motorcycles, generally, there are other vehicles or houses or pedestrians present (racing included). The reason we may want to regulate speed in those arenas is the safety of others -- not the safety of the person desiring to go fast. In the two most recent high-speed boating accidents, the only persons in the "zone of danger" were those that chose to be there. These were responsible boaters that were not putting others at risk.

There are very few areas of life left that are unregulated by government. My idea of freedom is one that involves government staying out of my affairs unless there is some compelling state interest that would justify Puder, Troutly, or Catmando interfering. Limit my speed when I am a danger to others (on a race course or on a highway), not when only my fate rests in my hands -- for that is when some of us feel most alive. In this respect, go-fast boating is singularly suitable.

I would be glad to argue the economics of safety with anyone. We could make cars perfectly safe by lowering speed limits to 5 mph, but at what cost? Perhaps ALL boaters should wear PFDs by law regardless of age or speed. For every safety precaution you demand, there is a corresponding cost, economically or in terms of freedoms given up.

These tragedies involved people that died participating in something they loved. I would submit that Puder's suggestion would be rebuffed by any of the deceased. God's speed, gentlemen... God's speed.