Quote:
Originally Posted by Kracken
I think I see your logic; maybe a graph at 45MPH and 120MPH would be good as a reference. So you are stating these charts as maximum speeds under ideal conditions? Obviously factors such as wind speed & direction, currents and visibility would be factors that would increase reaction time as well as physical condition of both boat and driver.
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I wouldn't say they represent some proof of maximum speed allowed, just that such high speeds aren't beyond human or boat abilities. Certainly the other factors you cite will affect the ability of the boat and/or driver to perform to the level (relatively low IMO) I've presented. For instance - the sun in your eyes might reduce visibility to below the 1000' I used but then it's pretty commonsense that when that happens you don't go bombing along at 100 MPH. Same thing with sea (lake) state or a number of other variables. But just as the State expects the car driver to recognize and apapt to the road conditions, it should expect the same from the boat pilot.
For that matter while I'm pretty sure the numbers I've used for sightline and reaction time are conservative (ie - WinFabs used a perception & reaction time of 1.5 secs), the numbers for "cornering ability", 0.33G, may be wildly conservative. Race boats, when trimmed properly, routinely pull 3-5 Gs, as good as the best race cars. More mundane performance boats can exceed 1G but the question is how much time is needed to put the boat in the proper state to do that. Could well be that an avoidance manuver starts just like I've outlined but a couple of seconds later the boat settles and pulls 0.8G. I may be underestimating what might typically be done. To that end I'd like to do actual testing with a number of boats and have real life numbers to back up the theoretical. And of course the examples I've presented are very simplistic but perhaps it gets people to start thinking about more complicated situations.
In any case what I hope to do is begin to put some numbers and facts out there. People "fear" being run down. The boat speeds quoted by the supporters of the SL have ratcheted up as they read the latest high speed test done someplace. 100 MPH, 130 MPH, 160 MPH, 200 MPH, as if these are typical speeds we'll see almost every day here on Winni. I might well be concerned about a 200 MPH boat, if it did that speed very often. I'm not too concerned about a 100 MPH boat, provided the capt exercises a modicum of care and diligence. Why ? Because it doesn't take mad boat skilz to avoid running over another boat at even that high speed. And I'd bet that speed is at the outer 0.001 % of speeds you'd ever see here on Winni.
Of more concern, at least pertaining to speed, is whether the capt uses good judgement in how fast he/she goes when in traffic. There are plenty of occasions where 45 MPH is too fast. I'd rather see a method to address that than a blanket speed limit.
Waaaay back when I stated that while I didn't see the need for any SLs, I wouldn't be opposed to some rational limits. 25 MPH is too low IMO, but even just a bump to 30 MPH would make it more tolerable. 45 MPH is way too low and overly, and unnecessarily, restrictive. If people wanted to compromise then leave the Broads open (or restricted to 120 MPH, same thing) and make the other parts of the lake limited to 45 (?) MPH. It kinda like what your parents did when you kids squabbled. Each got sent to their own room.
Or it's like what we do on the roads, we have "high" (ha !) limits on the highways and lower ones around town.