Manatee-saving measures

[_Kurt_]

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Sometimes a written message loses something in translation. I was not trying to be rude, and certainly don't mean to come across as such. Ask anyone on this board who knows me. I meant that the proliferation of no wake zones and irritating water cops who use them as a license to print money (no, I have never been ticketed, and don't violate no wake zones, I just don't like the politics of the whole thing) is a real pain in the a**.

It's not boasting if you qualify your comments here. I saw a Texas poster on this thread and felt that you were giving your opinion based on conjecture. If you had made some mention of your Florida boating experience, I certainly wouldn't have made that comment. I would apologize for it, but it was based on the information I had at hand. I DO apologize for coming across as rude. Manatee zones are a real hot button issue here, as you well know. I'm not going to rehash the whole debate here, as others have done so much more eloquently than I ever could. They(manatee zones) are extremely irritating and insulting to responsible boaters. I am around manatees all the time- I am in their presence on Crystal River, where I boat all the time, and on the Suwannee River where I am almost as frequent a boater, and I do not need a sign or a watercop with a radar gun to get me to respect their space. I don't think prop guards are the answer, period. I think they are legislated band-aids that will cost boaters more money with little or no noticeable results. I'll get off my soapbox now, before Wendy takes umbrage with my comments about watercops! I also said that Boat/US did a fairly well written report and wasn't too supportive of it, but didn't dismiss it out of hand either, which really surprised me. I didn't remember exactly what they said, so I didn't want to misquote it. That's why I said I'd look for a link and haven't had time to look. Thank you for the links- I will look at them. I will say, as I have before, I think prop guards are a band-aid. I do not have the answer (I don't have the time or energy to even try to solve it), and don't pretend to. Whatever the answer is, it will be complicated and expensive. We didn't get to this point overnight and won't find a solution overnight, either.

Again, I am sorry if I came across as rude, I merely wanted to impress upon you that it is a complex issue and not easily solved. Had I known you were an experienced Florida boater, I would not have made it. I should have thought through my reply better.

I am sorry to hear your friend was injured by a prop, but it could have been prevented without a propguard. That prop should NOT have been turning so close to him when he was in the water! Propguards are NOT the answer to the problem, especially when confined to outboards only. What about sterndrives and inboards?

Kurt

 

[archman]

Apology accepted. I don't normally visit the Conch Divers forum, unless something interesting pops up.

Before you drop shrouded props, why don't you read a little more up on them? A lot of improvements have been implemented over the years. Engine performance is impeded less than 8% on most models, and at least one model IMPROVES it. The costs for adding one are slight in comparison to the engine itself, and if the things get mainstreamed like four-strokes, expect that cost to drop even further. A prop guard is touted primarily as a safety feature, just like seatbelts, airbags, and antilock brakes in cars. All these features elevate vehicle prices, but people still buy them (they HAVE to). And they DO save lives.

As for watercops and the enforced speed zones, I sympathize. On Big Pine Key we have those teeny Key Deer, and the cops are merciless 24/7. But that's where the animals live, and the speed zones really DO prevent mortalities. I don't view it as harassment if I get pulled over for speeding, on the contrary I'm surprised our "paper tiger" environmental policy is actually working somewhere. I wish there were more watercops in the lower keys... I'd go weeks without seeing one, and most "enforcement" was left up to the charter captains and other responsible boaters... both a distinct minority.

Tighter government regulations historically follow "incidents" that reach the political level. Just wait till some senator's kid gets slashed up, you'll see the public opposition to shrouded props evaporate pretty dang quick.