Braun Bay Rafting Bill

[Dave R]

Originally Posted by Yosemite Sam

What are some of the laws that keep you and your family from having a good time on any Lake in NH? Also how will any of the proposed laws keep you and your family from having a good time on any Lake in NH.

I know that there are some laws and proposed laws that will change the way some people use the Lake, but just which ones effect you.

I can’t think of any law or proposed law that will keep me from having fun on any Lake in NH.

Thank you

I know question was asked of another, but I feel compelled to answer from my point of view.

Here's one affects me directly:

"270:77 Squam and Conway Lakes and Silver Lake in Madison. – No person shall at any time place in or upon, or use, or operate upon, Squam Lake or Conway Lake or Silver Lake in Madison any houseboat. Whoever violates any provision of this section shall be guilty of a violation. Boards of health and health officers of towns abutting said lakes shall have power and authority to enforce the provisions of this section."

I have a trailer boat that happens to have a porta-potti and sleeping berths which makes it a "Houseboat" under 270-A:1 (see below). I'd love to take my boat on Squam Lake for a day, but I cannot because the lake front owners on that lake petitioned the legislature for this law to keep the lake off limits to the likes of people like me.

270-A:1 II. ""Houseboat'' means any ship, boat, raft, float, catamaran or marine craft of any description upon or within which are located sleeping and toilet facilities, regardless of whether such facilities are of a permanent or temporary nature.


Here's another:

270-A:3 Where Overnight Mooring Prohibited. – No houseboat shall be beached or grounded, or tied to the shore of any of the inland surface waters of the state for an overnight period or any part of an overnight period, except as permitted in RSA 270-A:2 or in cases of emergency. No houseboat shall be anchored on any of the inland surface waters of the state for an overnight period or any part of an overnight period except as permitted in RSA 270-A:2 or in cases of emergency.

No such law exists in any other state that I know of. My family and I routinely enjoy quietly anchoring overnight on inland waters in ME and MA without any problems. I also enjoyed doing so as a kid aboard my parent's boat on Winnipesaukee when the law was revoked briefly during the mid 70s. I would love to now, but I cannot.

Originally Posted by Dave R

Here's one affects me directly: "270:77 No houseboats on Squam Lake or Conway Lake or Silver Lake...
Here's another: 270-A:3 No Overnight Mooring...

I don't know exactly what caused these laws to be enacted, but I'd bet my last dollar that in every case it was not so simple as "the rich lake front owners petitioned for this law to keep the lake off limits to the likes of people like me." More likely, some obnoxious jerks continuously misbehaved and abused a freedom and ruined a good thing for everyone. If you investigate, you'll surely find a history of a problem getting worse and worse and good people exhausting all other means to contain it, and the legislature finally having to resort to a broadbrush law that inadvertently limits the freedoms of the non-jerks in order to limit the misbehavior of the jerks. As I've said over and over again about every one of these laws...Your anger should be directed at the jerks. They ruined it for you. It was not the good, passive people that simply couldn't take it anymore and just wanted some peace that ruined it for you.