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GeneD
05-27-2000, 07:08 AM
Okay everyone...
Please make certain that all your safety gear is in order for this weekend. You just KNOW the Coast Guard and Marine Patrol will be all over the place this weekend pulling over all Donzis and hotboats checking for bad fire extinguishers, life jackets, ect.
I don't want to hear that anyone has gotten a ticket for anything so trivial.
And you Florida guys, stay out of the Manatee zones. I heard that a bunch of guys got tickets last weekend for blasting through the zones and received $500 summonses. For 5 bills, you could be buying a new prop, carb, or some such accessory that you previously thought you could not afford.
Let's be safe and not sorry. Be the envy of all your friends and get pulled over first thing.
In fact, insist on it!!!!

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GeneD
007
Melbourne, Florida

[This message has been edited by GeneD (edited 05-27-2000).]

Frank Civitano
05-27-2000, 07:21 AM
In NJ a new law. Anyone under the age of 13 Must be wearing a lifejacket? This is now a fine from the NJ State Police (mo money)

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Frank Civitano

GeneD
05-27-2000, 07:30 AM
UNDER 13?
What maniac pushed that through? Some mad mother?
It used to be 6 in NY, and I thought that was a bit stretchy, especially in a 30 ft flybridge sportfish you know?
Let me say this, any 13 year old that can not swim, should be left at the dock until they get thier Red Cross certification.
13...pull-ease!

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GeneD
007
Melbourne, Florida

jon v don z
05-27-2000, 03:31 PM
Devil's advocate: If you flip and dump your Donzi at 70 mph, your proficiency as a swimmer might not matter, as you could easily be unconscious. Thus, floatation devices for all occupants. Logical, just not fashionable.

PaulO
05-30-2000, 08:22 AM
I am going to put my 2 cents in now on this life jacket thing:
There is a practical limit where safety can override the enjoyment of any motor activity. One person's practical limit may exceed another's. Ask yourself this; "where should it end?". Should we legislate every safety option available? Why not? Would you complain if we all had to wear crash helmets while driving our cars? Why is this not the law? Surely it would save some lives. Is this beyond the practical limit? Next time someone talks about legislating expanded life jacket rules, think how silly you would feel wearing a life jacket in your swimming pool. Sounds funny but, there is no difference.
Counterpoint:
The reasons that anything safety-wise is legislated at all are pressure from 2 sources.
1. Stupid people who will take no precautions and kill themselves or their kids
2. Insurance companies trying to manage their payouts.
Paul

jon v don z
05-30-2000, 11:04 AM
Paul O: I'm not recommending that adults be required to use PFD's. Firm believer in freedom, etc. The reality is, however, that as we run WOT in our high powered toys the likelihood of being rendered unconscious and unable to swim if we "crash and burn" is greater than if we putted along. Race drivers are protected, so might we not at least consider putting on, say, a stylish ski vest (color coordinated to match our boat, perhaps) before we nail the throttle? Purely voluntary. While I don't necessarily fear death, I wish to delay the event as long as possible: experiencing first hand Camus' "benign indifference of the universe" would mean that my Donzi driving days are done. OUCH. In truth, I have yet to put on a PFD, but it sounds good...in theory.

PaulO
05-30-2000, 01:38 PM
Jon,
My reply was not in reference to your post. Actually, I am shopping for a suitable vest to wear along with my lanyard while speeding around. I do though, have a fear that legislation will take the fun out of everything eventually. The truth is that the inherent risk in certain activities are what gives us the "thrill" that we all need in varying degrees. We should be responsible for making our own choices.
Paul

Varyak
06-01-2000, 11:07 PM
My $.02,
I wear my PFD whenever I'm in the boat alone, and I'm hooked to the cut-off. I'm a particularly good swimmer, but am unable to keep up with the boat, should it eject me. I prefer my friends to wear theirs as well if WOT is going to be the norm for the day.
But then I also love my car seatbelts, and find them quite a comfort when I consider the average moron on the highways abilities to avoid an accident is basically zero. The PFD is also a comfort - and it looks just like the REAL offshore racers on ESPN who wear them. Fast racy boats look even faster if the occupants are dressed for speed.
Mark

Barry Phillips
06-02-2000, 07:36 AM
I good nailed for a distress flag 2 years
ago. I did have flars, whisle and a paddle
to wave around, but boats 18' and over
in NY State have to have a distress flag.
The officer pulled me over for speeding,
I had just dropped off of plain and was
coasting under a bridge and he was sitting
on the otherside. I have been boating all
my life on this lake and always slow down
under this bridge, just common sense.
The $20 fine for the flag is a lot cheeper
than a speeding ticket, which I would have taken to court since thier was no posted
speed limit around the bridge and he was not
using radar, I would have felt better if
he had called the stop a saftey check.
I am really ticked off with NY State. The
officer was professional and a nice guy,
he gave me a handbook printed by the state
on required safty gear and running under
structures like bridges. My point is why
did I have to get a $20 ticket to get this
booklet? Why did'nt NY State include the
booklet with my registration renewal?
Makes one wonder.
PS, I will not leave the dock if young kids
are not wearing life jackets on my boat.
It's funny I have been running powerboats
since 9 and had a C class raceing runabout
when I was 14, I never wore a life jacket,
I guess I am a little wiser now.
SO-SLO