The NMMA is saying “yes” to the idea of requiring boat manufacturers to install emergency-stop lanyards (ESL) on every new
model less than 27 feet. They may be a little late to the party,
though, as 90 percent of boatbuilders already have the ESL
included in new boat designs. The issue is a big one because a
single-handing boater can fall off a boat while underway and the
boat will keep going if the helmsman is not wearing an emergency-stop lanyard. That makes for a runaway boat threatening anyone
and anything in its way, and it can make for a long swim for the
boater. Critics of the idea say if a boater isn’t going to wear a life
jacket, they aren’t going to attach a lanyard. Others contend it’s
another step toward a “nanny state.” Proponents argue such a
device, when properly used, will quickly stop a boat.
More “No Parking” Stories
Pontoon Beach, Illinois, residents are taking a look at whether
they should fine-tune rules about parking boat trailers and RVs on
city streets. Under a proposal being reviewed by the city council,
no trash can be stored in boats on trailers, no parking would be
allowed on city streets, and if a boat trailer or RV is parked next to
a residence, it has to be moved at least once a year.
And in the New Jersey borough of Wildwood Crest, work
has begun on a solution to a problem that is becoming all too
common in small towns around the country: where to park a boat
trailer? According to Shore News Today, a plan to limit allowable
lengths to no more than 26 feet when residents pointed out that a
boat on a trailer is on average 6-7 feet longer and does the 26-foot
rule apply to total length or boat length? Borough commissioners
have agreed to meet again and fine-tune the rule.
ONLINE EXTRA: For more on this perennial parking story,
read this article online at www.BoatUS.com/Trailerclub/magazine
Location Location Location
Michigan City, Indiana, on Lake Michigan’s southern shoreline,
wants to attract fishermen so it’s considering construction of a
six-lane boat ramp, 129 spaces for boat trailer/tow vehicle park-
ing, restrooms, a boardwalk, and a fish-cleaning station to replace
an existing two-lane ramp near the city’s harbor. The cost? $10
million. The proposals? $2 million over the budget. The plan?
Make some changes and rebid the project. The new location is
on property on the western shoreline of Trail Creek, owned by
the Northern Indiana Public Service Company and closer to Lake
Michigan. The existing location is in Washington Park, scene of
numerous festivals and beach parking that combine to make it
difficult to park a boat trailer and tow vehicle. In recent years,
the lanes have been filled with sand blown across the ramp when
Lake Michigan’s northerly winds occur (see above).
Texas and North Dakota
Texas has been in a serious drought for most of last year while
North Dakota has been dealing with nonstop rain. Case in point:
Devils Lake, North Dakota, has risen 32 feet in the past 18 years
as a result of precipitation. It’s a natural lake with no dams that
can be used to adjust water levels. The Grahams Island boat ramp
on Devils Lake had to be raised an extra four feet last year as a
result of rising water. Our readers in Texas no doubt wish they had
that problem as boat ramps had to be closed for low water levels
near Austin in 2011.
So Far, So Good
The second year of boat inspections at Colorado’s Ruedi Reservoir
near Aspen has resulted in some good news. Of the 3,000 boats
Boaters in the “Land of 10,000 Lakes” already have zebra mussels in two dozen of their waterways and state
and local efforts are underway to ensure that
number doesn’t increase. “If we’re going to
allow local units of government to do inspections,” DNR Director of Ecological and Water
Resources Director Steve Hirsch tells the
Minneapolis Star Tribune, “we need to have
consistency so that boaters know what to
expect when they’re going to different areas.”
Meanwhile, the state effort has been underway with three “decontamination units” using
140-degree water to power-spray hulls at 10
boat ramps in 2011 and another 20 will be
added this year. There’s no fee if boat ramp
inspectors find zebra mussels, unlike in
other states.
