Actually... Its not up to the officer. The law is the law and the law gives up to 6 MPH. Its a pretty easy concept...

In places like the Weirs Channel 6 MPH is pretty impossible due to boat traffic. Its places like that where a 5 MPH zone would be way more safe and effective...

Woodsy

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

Go as slow as your boat can go and still allow you to maneuver.



Simple ehh ?

Now let's see how many can tie up bandwidth making this more complicated than it really is.


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Phantom...

The problem with that philosophy is that in places like the Weirs Channel where there is a current it can cause issues. Because boats all idle at different speeds.

Boat A (a large cabin cruiser) idles thru the channel at an easy 1-2 MPH... There are 26 other boats behind him that do not idle that slow. They are forced to shift in and out of gear and get pushed sideways by the current... Maintaining steerage is difficult.

Woodsy

Wow!
 

I've been on the lake for 50 years, driving boats since I was a child. NWZs have never been complicated and I've never had to parse the language of the law to know what to do. I guess common sense isn't so common after all - nor is understanding the intent of the boating rules. This thread does make an interesting read - not sure I want to meet all the posters in a NWZ, though!:laugh:

I agree, wow! Woodsy is either being stubborn or just doesn't get it. Gillygirl, we just can't get it through his head, but thanks for the help! Yes, Phantom, simple, but some people just can't seem to understand. Yes, Garcia, courtesy should be enough but it isn't-sometimes.

Also, 7 years is a lifetime in matters such as this.

Here's why that can't be right:

If your boat can maintain steerage at 3 MPH and you are going upstream in a 4 MPH current in a NWZ, and follow your interpretation of the law, you will be going backward at -1 MPH. Anyone that's ever docked on the Piscataqua River understands this.

The law doesn't care what your speedometer says.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

GPS Speedometer
 

Regardless of the current, wind etc. The GPS speed is the exact speed you are traveling from point A to B. Your boat speedometer does not compensate for this.

If the MP clock you with a laser gun it will get you theoretically the same reading as a GPS speed. Angle of boat, surface reflections etc does throw the accuracy off.

If the MP reads your speed by eye, i.e. the size of your wake, this is essentially the same as reading your boat speedometer.

The major problem with the headway speed (6 mph) law is that it does not state whether it means the traveling speed from point A to B or if it is the speed of the boat going from point A to B in regards to conditions.

Savvy?

Geeze Louise...just DON'T MAKE A FREAKIN' WAKE WHEN IN A NO WAKE ZONE!!
Speed schmeed...NO WAKE!

where the hell is the "THANK YOU" button when I need it most !

THANK YOU - HillCountry --

was kinda my point in post #82 ... I just should have added without making a wake... you said it even better!!

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I guess some you just do not understand just how the law as written works... Oh well! The 6MPH wording is in there for a reason, it is not just an arbitrary random number... subject to an MP officer's interpretation. They don't get to "interpret" speed limit either. You are over 45 MPH or your not over 45 MPH.

Woodsy

Agreed, Hillcountry said it perfectly! Very simple, just don't make a wake in a no wake zone!

No wake is no wake. I do not understand why once an area is designated no wake people feel the need to create a wake. I am sure if it affected their own boat or property they would not create a wake. It's following the law and simple respect for others. I may not like the new extended zone but out of respect for others and the obligation to follow the law I will.

That's the problem Joey...

270-D:1 Definitions. – In this chapter:

VI. "Headway speed'' means 6 miles per hour or the slowest speed that a boat can be operated and maintain steerage way.

VIII. "No wake area'' means an area where a boat is to be operated only at headway speed.

6MPH is not some random number chosen by the legislature... it is a definable speed limit for a No Wake Zone.... just as definable as 45MPH/30MPH is elsewhere on the lake!

And to further this because some people just don't get it.. per the letter from MP...

"In the early 1990’s Marine Patrol began patrolling our seacoast. It was recognized by our officers that the tidal currents in the state’s coastal rivers often exceeded 6 mph and therefore safe steerage for a vessel fighting the current would need to exceed the limits of the law. "

So the law was rewritten to ALLOW you to go FASTER than 6MPH if the conditions so warranted it. (think springtime in the Weirs channel with Lakeport Dam wide open)


Woodsy

It would be a fairly simple change to simply say max speed is 6 MPH "per GPS" then it wouldn't matter if you were going against a 20 MPH current...

Let's not overly complicate (too late for that!) a simple rule that has clear intent.

Dan

So if your boat can maintain steerage at say 3 MPH, can you go 6 MPH or are you limited to 3 MPH? The law does not say the greater of 6 MPH or the slowest speed, etc.

Winni83...

Precisely... you can go up to 6MPH its a definable number. The issue is every boat is different so while 3MPH steerage works for you, the guy behind you might need 3.5-4MPH yet the guy in front of you might only need 2-2.5MPH. The legislature agreed on a 6MPH limit. Per the MP letter above, it was found that there are times that you need to exceed 6MPH due to conditions (tides/current). So they legislature rewrote the law to allow you to exceed 6 MPH if necessary.


Woodsy

Woodsy

Not sure about your conclusion. In my example the maximum headway speed might well be 3 MPH and not 6. Also not sure whether it is 6 or 3 makes much of a practical difference in the real world. My speedometer does not even register under 10 MPH and unless I have my gps on I look at my wake, or lack thereof, and maybe my tach.

Thank you Woodsy. Interesting quote from the MP

In all the years I've been going through no wake zones, I have never looked at my speedometer. I do turn around and monitor my wake and adjust my speed accordingly. It's simple and it works for me.

Winni83

No Wake Zones are defined by RSA 270 as "Headway Speed Only"

BUT...

Boats come in many different shapes, sizes and hull designs. Every boat has a slightly different minimum steerage speed and the boat wakes generated are all very different. What combination of throttle/speed works best for you to maintain steerage does not necessarily work for best someone else.

The legislature recognized this and settled on the definition of "Headway Speed" as 6MPH as it is easily measurable. They added the other language at the request of the MP as I stated above so you could exceed 6MPH if necessary.

If you think No Wake means 3 MPH or slower... tell that to the people who have to get out of the way of the Mount when she glides thru the NWZ between Eagle Is & Governors Is. at 5-6MPH. Or the Doris & Sophie.

In the real world its probably not that much of a difference... unless you need 4MPH to maintain steerage ant the guy in front of you in the channel only needs 2MPH..

Woodsy

Next Up, A Four-Lane Channel?
 

Heaven forbid they have to change the pitch of their props, and thereby restrict themselves to...um...45-MPH.

:rolleye1:

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Woodsy, nobody is saying there are not certain times when you might have to go 6 MPH. But when you don't need to, don't. Simple. Just like KDL said, look behind you and see if you are making a wake! How hard is that?