Not sure how this thread got twisted
and sorry for adding to it as I don't have anything useful to add to the thread as titled, but one "quick" thought about the last few posts,,,
I am NEVER driving my boat(s) actively thinking/worrying about any other boater (renter or not) And I think we should not be assuming renters are all inexperienced or bad boaters, many are very experienced. I may be the odd man out, but I assume other boaters are in control and know what they are doing until I actually see them doing something wrong.
I am however more likely to be far too actively thinking/worrying about all the formal rules and that there could be a marine patrol around the next bend.
There are even times when I have found myself paying too much attention to trying to determine distance to another boat/land/etc and NOT focusing on far more important things like if the kids or dog are sitting down, or that the ropes are all in the boat and not dragging behind, or any other number of things I should be more concerned about other than getting a ticket for being a few feet too close to something or 5 MPH over some speed limit.
When there were less formal laws/rules boating was a more natural activity, it has become a lot more stressful activity not because of other boaters, but because of all these finable offences that are being introduced by people who probably shouldn't be boating in the first place.
I personally think its far more important to understand the basic mechanics of your boat and paying attention to that than any speed limit. Yet we have created a situation where anyone who can make a payment is now driving a boatful of people around and who wouldn't know how to change the prop on their boat if they even know it was bent, but they get laws passed telling me how fast I can drive at night!
And while I have to admit I don't think I have ever been over 35 MPH at night in my many years of boating, I hardly think a speed limit will make my night time operation any safer, that is one of the last things of concern for me when talking about night operation of a boat.
Well that’s one persons rant,,,
Sorry,,, Just venting (and using up all the smilies I can in one post),,,