I Just Don't Get it...
 

Sometimes I wonder how people got their boating certificate...

Coming back from Paugus Bay this morning we were in the Weirs channel. The current was really moving because the dam is open and water is being let out of the lake. The current had to be going 8 or 9 mph maybe faster and there were wakes and waves simply from the current. Anyway we come up behind a boat who isn't moving in the middle of the channel right in front of Thurston's gas dock. He is swerving left and right but not moving forward with little to no steering. I come up behind the boat and ask him if he is waiting for gas, he casually looks over at me and says no. I then tell him to please let me by as he is going too slow and I can't maintain steering at this speed. He proceeds to inform me that this is a no wake zone and I should not be causing a wake!! If this guy had any clue at all he would realize that a boat anchored in a 9 MPH current is going to leave a wake and in order to move forward you must be going faster than the current. This isn't rocket science! Are people really this stupid??

This guy gets the Darwin award for stupidest boater of the year!!

Dan

da rules is da rules ya know

This kind of weather brings out the loonies. Especially with all this build up.

Hmmm, I don't think that water travels that fast but it really doesn't matter.

When you are in moving water your boat becomes part of that moving mass. If your engine is off you will move with the water, as fast as the water is moving for all practical purposes. With the prop engaged at idle your boat moves the same speed relative to the water whether the water is still or moving. If your boat steers in still water at idle speed, it will steer in moving water at idle speed. This is true whether you go with the current or against the current. The only difference you will notice is your speed relative to land or stationary objects. If you are going with the current you will be moving faster than your idle speed relative to land, if you are against the current you will be moving slower relative to land.

The fastest point in that water is maybe 4 or 5 mph when the dam is wide open, at least from what I have seen. My boat will travel about 6 or 7 mph at idle. If I use the lower speeds for my example, my boat will travel at 2 mph relative to land going toward Meredith bay. Traveling toward Paugus bay, my boat would be traveling at 10 mph relative to land. Either direction, as far as the boat is concerned, it is going thru the water at 6 or 7 mph.

Let say the water is going 9 mph in my example. Then at idle speed, my boat would still steer fine going with or against the water, the only problem is that I would be going BACKWARDS relative to land at 3 mph if I travel against the current. In that case I would have to speed up my boat, but I have never seen the channel flowing that fast.


Pulling out from Thurston's heading toward the Weirs can present some problems if you are not careful, but that is another matter.

We slip our boat at Thurston's and went out yesterday afternoon. According to my chart plotter, our normal headway speed through the channel, when the dam is closed down, is about 4.8 mph. Yesterday it was reading about 2.4 mph as we went under the bridge.

And yes, a wide-open dam makes for some real challenges there, both coming and going!

Without doing any math or scientific analysis...

I usually go through the channel comfortably at about 800 RPM to maintain no wake.

Went through about 1:30 AM on Friday night/Saturday morning and was at about 1400 RPM just to get 2.4 knots (about 2.75 MPH). I've never seen the current flowing like it was last night.

Yes !!!!!!!!!!

And we are all people, right?

Isn't that when you get out the water-blaster and give the other boater a good fast soaking........take that......you slow poke!!! Probably, just a a 5-gal bucket, 1/2 full, could be used to go soak the other guy fast!!! That would get him to move away fast!! Words are just words, but a bucket of tossed lake water sends a more potent message!!!:eek:

I trust the suggestion about a good soaking was a joke. I would hope that no one would resort to this provocative behavior.

That pretty much duplicates my experience as I normally go through at around 1000 RPM and today I needed around 1600, exactly the same difference in RPM as you. :)

I too have never seen the channel flowing as fast as today.

Dan

Winnisquam
 

I am slipped over at Martels....on the Winni river.. Pulled my boat yesterday due to the fact that the river is raised and will raise over the docks! I am parked across for the Public launch........ and i can tell you it is clipping. Had to power surge on a back out trick into the river to miss the tied off boats quite fun! Pulling in was even more of a challenge.. One MP kept crashing into the covered slips over and over.. Crazy fun had for all.. :liplick:

Long Island Bridge Area
 

I just watched the "Crowd Pleeza" ride by....I hope he's pleezin the crowd!

Yikes, yesterday was a rough day; the floor nurse left early or something and I never got my regular 11-am meds until 11-pm......what-can-I say?:confused:

Sorry keeping control over you boat and/or avoiding an accident always trumps no-wake rules! Or pretty much any rules so far as I'm concerned.

Always remain in control and do almost ANYTHING to avoid an accident!

Others will disagree I'm sure,,, :(

If no one was coming the other way, I would pass someone like that and move on. He obviously doesn't get it.