[brk-lnt]

Originally Posted by Evenstar

The problem is not my lack of visibility, because I am very visible – the problem is that some powerboat owners are traveling at speeds that are greater than their ability to see smaller boats in time

Yes, clearly the problem is everybody else. If your argument were trues, we would be hearing stories every single weekend of various boat collisions on the lake. You already know of course that boating accidents on the lake are minimal for the amount of boats/activity. So it can't really be that the whole rest of the world is culprit, and you are the sole person who has no reason to adjust or change their behaviors.

And this happens regularly enough to create a real danger to people like me, who use smaller boats on the lake.

And yet from this perceived danger there is not a proportionate number of accidents occurring. You are extremely lucky! I would suggest that you spend your time buying lottery tickets instead of arguing your case here! Your incredible luck is going to waste.

Here are the facts:
1.) Visibility has NEVER been a problem for me on Squam Lake

Excellent! It seems you have found an ideal place to enjoy your sport.

The surface area of one of my bright orange paddle blades is greater then any of those flags – and my moving paddle blade extends higher above the water! Yet when I stated that the most visible part of a kayak is the moving paddles, people here jumped all over me. The problem is most of you haven’t even been in a sea kayak, yet you and others have all sorts of “good” advice for me.

Your paddle blades extend above the water for only brief periods of time, the flag is always waving. It seems from your posts though that you are unwilling to even try using the flag and measuring it's effectiveness on increasing your visibility? This is surely a great way earn the respect and admiration of other boaters. Let's see how deeply you can plant your feet and refuse to move or adapt.

3.) If these flags are so good, where are the endorsements from major kayak and paddling organizations?

Perhaps you can be the first official endorser? You certainly seem to enjoy being a strong and vocal supporter of the things you believe in. Imagine all that you could do for your sport!

4.) A sea kayak is long and narrow. My kayak is only 22 inches wide! I control it with thigh braces . . . and by leaning (which is called “putting it on edge”). Paddling a sea kayak is a constant balancing act. A flag that would be large enough and tall enough to actually make a difference in my visibility would make my kayak very unstable – and it would make my kayak practically impossible to steer in even a moderate breeze,

Hmmm, it is starting to seem like there may be some waterways where it is just not practical for you to operate your craft. I would like to come boat with you an Squam, but my boat is considered a "houseboat" there, so I am unable to operate on Squam. I had considered rallying against them, but then I realized there are so many other places that I can use my boat, it wasn't worth the effort.