GLAD MY BOAT IS SLOW

[2500]

I was out on Lake Murray last night looking for a few bass for a nite-tourney next week, I am one that runs very cautitous at nite and I grew up on the lake. I really get nervous when theirs a holiday weekend cause someone assumes everybody see's them. Not to beat a dead horse but because we have the "go fast" boats we are even more scrutinized and everyone thinks it WOT all the time. I was cruising at 20 mph last night and got close to a main channel that is a "highway" for the boating traffic. We have several large Cig's and Catts that run at night plus some big cruisers, well as I was easing along i thought I saw a flicker of light (this lake has thousands of lighted docks and its hard to see a Dumb A** trying to warn of my approach at them. They had no lights and it was not electrical, just Stupid is as Stupid does!!!!
I hit them with a spotlight and they ask what the H*** am i doing. We had a little one on one briefing (USMC DI came out in me then )

anyway they turn on their lights and their we set all lite up and here comes a 30 ftr Cig strolling along around 60 and came right at were they were just sitting. I hope to be a nice guy but when my safety and OUR style of boat is always put as the cause of a accident (SPEED) I will be nasty and heck maybe it saves a life or two. Just tread lightly and be careful this weekend and everyone after that.

It was a accident last week on the lake where a bass boat was "speeding" but as it turned out the boat hit him and the pleasure boat said they didn't see the bass boat, they ran along and hit the bass boat as he was cruising (ran up from behind) and tried to turn away but still hit the bass boat. At first the public says bass boat flying up the lake at night! but then the true comes out and its not even reported.

anyway sure is nice to cruise on pad at 19ish

[letnereat]

Good post we've got alot of novice boaters down hear and they don't realize that there are no brakes on the water

[Largemouthlou]

Just like on the road, ALWAYS watch the other guy!!!

[dr.6]

This is very important. So many new boaters to the night thing think that since they have a GPS they are clear to haul ass in the darkness, heck I don't see them even using the spot light.

I can't even begin to tell you how many times I have come around a corner(blind corner) and feel the hair stand up on my arms when I hit the guy with a spot light and he is off the point in the channel fishing without lights on. Its crazy what people think out there or not think at all. I have been out and was fishing a bank when I heard the ting of a sailboat mast in the wind. Out in the running lane of the river is a sail boat with zero lights just anchored and sleeping.

WHen I do come by someone without lights and fishiing in a running lane I use my spot as a laser beam and just try to fry their cornea out.

[Uncle "T"]

Amen! Bring some of those rookies up to High Rock Lake, NC after some heavy rains; once they get a look at all those floating and half submerged trees they'll slow down at night. He"ck, I'm scared to run WOT in the daylight! Lower units are expensive! Great post 2500".

[Jav400sd]

2500 will tell you that at night my boat doesn't get on plane. Gun shy. I hit a bouy head on one night. After that I never want to hit something again. I thought I had hit a boat with its lights not on. I was using a spotlight but I had put it down for just a sec to zoom in on gps. That was one of the most horrible feelings I have ever had. I was scared to turn around cause I thought I was going to come up on a bloody mess. But I turned around and found it was a bouy.
Its not just at night either. When the fog is thick you got idiots that will fly through it cause they have gps.

[2500]

Hate that happened although the Jav is pretty quick boat now
still hate to think of hitting someone

[Bob La Londe]

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by dr.6 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">This is very important. So many new boaters to the night thing think that since they have a GPS they are clear to haul ass in the darkness, heck I don't see them even using the spot light.</TD></TR></TABLE>

I run a river system from time to time at night. A few years ago I would not have even tried, but now I know the home 25 miles or so of it pretty well. That being said, I thought GPS was going to be a great help for getting back to the marina at night. I have to turn the darn thing off becuase that darned backlight is too bright and damages my night vision. Even at the lowest setting its too bright. Wish I could turn my instrument lights down too, but fortunately they are atleast muted and off color so they don't blind me.

Now... the GPS has helped for high speed AM runs upriver. I can make a trace when I am prefishing and mark the current position of the sandbars, and then combined with my knowledge of the river I can just follow the trace and run flat out during an AM run in a club tournament.

Anyway, yeah... lots of folks don't understand that lights are necessary... even lots of bass boat owners.

[21XDC300]

Years ago a buddy of mine was camped on Lake Cumberland. It was dark, they heard a boat speed by and all of a sudden a crash. They ran square into a rock island. Then silence until the screaming broke out. Kids and adults all in the water. Our friends cranked up their boat and saved them. One woman was a mess, knocked out, they stat flighted her out from the dock. They never heard her outcome. Seems they too were beginers out for a pleasure cruise.