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I live on the Connecticut River in Massachusetts where there is shallow upper section that power boats typically avoid. I have always boated and fished this area because I am familiar with running it. Recently, a law was passed putting a 15 mph speed limit for this 12 mile section along with the words "no jet skis or similar jet craft". Is a jet boat considered a "jet craft"? In the dictionary, a jet craft is one of those things that drops bombs on the Taliban. Are they legally talking about us? Have any of you had special interest / pseudo outdoor groups / politicians trying to spoil your fun?
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Sorry to say,the part about (similar craft) kills it for ya...to bad, some ass wipes on wave runners or the like probably caused the reason for the new law,Or maybe they (the law) feels the water ways to shallow for high speeds...again, may have been brought on by those water rats!
[This message has been edited by HammerDown (edited December 25, 2001).]
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I don't know about the situation in your area but where I'm from in Alberta Canada, we've gotten an riverboat association together with most of the areas in the province covered. We have tried to get as many people to join the group (you don't need a boat) as possible. The canoe clubs, fishermen and treehuggers have the right to apply to the Federal Government to impose speed limits on the rivers we boat on. Then it is advertised for opposition. My jetboating buddies and me spend 50 times the hrs on the rivers than 99% of these pricks. They come out for their yearly canoe trip on the river and think that we should not be there. We get all sorts of abuse from these guys. We also pick up their garbage, fishing bait containers, beer cans, picnic garbage and have allso helped the odd one out when their canoes tip over. And the thanks is shitty letters to the local newspapers. They can all kiss my ass. With the old saying "strength in numbers" we hope to fight any hope they have in banning us or imposing speed limits. We have got a lawyer who up to date on this sort of thing as part of our group and we are ready if it ever takes place. I feel your pain. It is the only reason I have a boat is to run the shallow rivers. I don't think driving around in circles on a lake is that much fun after doing this type of boating. Alls I can say is try to gather a petition a fight. But once a law is opposed it's tough to un-do. Sorry to be long and drawn out but this sort really pisses me off.
Jungle Out
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Rivernut, check out this link. Altough I couldn't find anything that pertains to your area, this is the place to find out who, how, or why an area gets closed to power boats. You may want to contact them and ask if they are aware of the situation. They have a group of lawyers that fight unfair legislation targeted at motorized boats (that means PWC's too) in any state. Some people feel that PWC or "Water Rats" are to blame and are the reason for getting banned from a boating area. This is not true. We are just an easy taget. The real enemy are the tree hugging super liberal groups that hide behind the word Environmentalism. They simply want ALL power boats off the water.
Hope this helps.
http://www.watercraftassociation.com...&t=freedom.htm
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I think when they say similar craft they mean personal water craft. call and make sure Jim
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This is a copy of the email that I sent to the guy in charge of political fun spoiling in Massachusetts. It came out spaced oddly after I sent it, but it is readable.
I am an owner of a jet boat and operate my
boat in a safe
and responsible manner. I object to laws now
being passed by local
municipalities that are not based on scientific
evidence nor objective
studies conducted by those towns, but merely on
outdated and
incorrect information garnered from websites.
These laws are
thinly argued by special interst groups that
would like to exclude
others from a public area. They are trying to
create a "Waldon Pond"
at the expense of public. Most of these people
want passive recreational
vessels on the waters only. I have very few
places that I can take my boat
already. I also own a canoe and I do not mind
boats nearby as I canoe.
One such law was recently passed where I live
and have boated for
many years. I am now an "outlaw" if I go out on
the river to enjoy a day
of fishing or guide others in a safe manner to
help them appreciate the fish
and wildlife in this area. Jet boats are the
staple of transportation in many
fragile ecosystems such as the Penbscott River in
Maine, the Snake River
and other rivers in the Northwest, and many
Alaskan rivers. Jet propulsion
is a safe and proper mode of transportation in
these areas. Those that use
arguments about the environment (such as sturgeon
"endangerment" here)
are not being truthful. Shame on those
supporting these laws
I am a fisheries biologist and I have worked
on the Connecticut River
for many years. I also guide on it. water jet
craft do not dump or spill
fuel into waterways. A brief examination of the
way the engines work
would reveal this -- but the municipalities in
question refuse to further
investigate or do studies of their own. In
addition, my inboard jet boat gets
better gas mileage than my old outboard boat of
speed. Outboards are not
affected by these these local bans.
The right to access state waters is important to
me. My personal
choice of boat to access these waters is just
that: my own. I resent the
fact certain groups that do not approve of my
choice try to use
junk-science and other misinformation to give
credence to their selfish
desires to keep me out of "their" water.
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I am insulted that my jet boat is assumed to be "similar" to a jet ski.
I live in Washington and I'm surprized that some bleeding heart liberal hasn't shut down our waterways yet. I work in roadway construction and will soon be starting a job to replace a large culvert that crosses underneath a road. The plan says that the culvert is to be filled 1/3 with river rock, then strategically place large 500lb rocks into the culvert. This is a plan some wacked out environmentalist dreamed up that would help the fish navigate the water. I went to the job site a couple of weeks ago, and wouldn't ya know it, there's no water in this ditch! - just black mud and puddles of cow piss from the near by dairy.
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yeah I know what you are talking about! over here on the Merrimack both the Ma and NH marine patrol are saying that jets are not welcome here either because supposedly we break the speed laws! When ever anyone sees my big block they automatically assume fast speed crazy lunatic. When I had my outboard nobody even blinked twice and that was 10 mph faster! Go figure! That mentality is beginning to spill over to the lakes up here in NH too... talk about sad!
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There is a move to make rivers "historic sites". The Connecticut River has been deemed an "American heritage" river. With this comes good in preserving the land around it, but also there is more regulation. All it has done so far is cause conflicts between boaters and kayakers. Lots of "altercations" at boat ramps these days. Usually involves the greenpeace types all upset at the big bad villian boaters.
