Quote:
Originally Posted by TiltonBB
From the NH Boating Guide:
Towing a Person With a Vessel Legally:
Vessel operators towing a person(s) on water skis, tubes, kneeboards, aquaplanes, or any other devices also must obey these laws.
In addition to the operator, an observer must be on board to observe the progress of the person being towed. The observer must be at least 13 years old, able to determine when a skier is in trouble, and able to assist the skier.
I would be very surprised if the Marine Patrol, and the court, do not find that this did not comply with the current laws. There may be some changes needed in the law to consider these "vessels" but the existing laws do not anticipate something like this.
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Thanks for the link Tilton--I would have let this go, but your quote makes it fun. I agree that these vessels were not contemplated, but I disagree with your interpretation on the letter of the law.
SP (the skier) is clearly the operator of the vessel--he is doing so by remote control. Then, in addition to the operator, there must be someone observing the skier.
So my take is that although the law may allow SP to operate and ski simultaneously, it does not allow him to observe while doing either of the other activities.
Ironic that the easier of the two on board tasks is the is one that hangs up the idea. But if you really think about the towing rules, you can see that this whole idea--although very cool in theory--is against the general spirit of having multiple people paying attention.