New Missouri water law.

[bottomless pit]

I hope Blake will forgive me for this Small Info I just run across. But We will all agree that it is in the Safty Dept and here it is :eek
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Mandatory Education Bill Signed by Gov. Holden

Jefferson City - Boating safety took a big step forward Thursday, June 26th , 2003 when Governor Bob Holden signed into law Senate Bill 1. The new law mandates that operators of vessels on the lakes of the state born after January 1, 1984 must take a boating safety education course that is approved by the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA). It further requires boaters of any age convicted of certain offenses such as Boating While Intoxicated and Reckless and Negligent operation to take a course and not operate a vessel until the course is passed and recorded with the Water Patrol.

Operators that fall under the requirements will have to carry onboard a card issued by the Water Patrol proving they have met the requirements of the law. This law goes into effect January 1st, 2005. There are several methods in which an operator can take the approved courses. The following is a list of those methods.
I really hope they drag the PWC guys into this.
...PIT...

[jal4sas]

Michigan has a similar law. PWC drivers must have course certificate unless they were born before a certain date. I think its a great idea.

Those 14 years of age or older:
•A person born after December 31, 1978, may operate a
PWC only if he or she has obtained a boating safety
certificate.
• Those born December 31, 1978, or earlier may operate
a PWC without restrictions.

[missouri]

They are not only included but the primary reason for the legislation according to the water patrol...almost every colision now involves a PWC....

What i have experienced is people hate these things so much, that they will come at you or intentionaly cut you off if you are on a PWC...I don't buzz boats but when I ride mine I have had some real close shaves...
I am not complaining because I hate them too when I am in my boat but they have become such a nuisance in the channels people go after them.....

[eddie]

We were taping ASH's .38 this July with his wife driving in the main channel and came up on five ski's going the other way. One of them came off the group to make me move away from them further into the channel. I didn't move or slow down and I missed him by five foot off my bow. Now I should of moved or stopped, but I didn't think he was going to come from my left to the right to get me to move. It was way too close, we have most of it on tape and then he "chased" me until he saw the camera or decided that I wasn't going to stop. I didn't want to talk to the guy if he was crazy enough to come across our bow while I was rolling 45 mph....By no means was I going after them and they had plenty of room to move over to the bank or stay where they were. I understand the mentality now that they think boaters are coming after them!

[bottomless pit]

PWC fatality LOTO this past Friday. and several other incidents involving PWC. www.mswp.state.mo.us/news...&ID=030102 (http://www.mswp.state.mo.us/news/NRDetail.asp?District=2&ID=030102)

[jal4sas]

I don't make a habit of making light of other's misfortunes, but this is just plain ____.

Man's First Outing On New Watercraft Turns Tragic
1 hour, 5 minutes ago Add Local - WLWT ChannelCincinnati.com to My Yahoo!

The search continues at this hour for a local man who presumably drowned Tuesday evening while test-driving his new personal watercraft.

The 40-year-old Covington, Ky., man slipped under the surface of the Licking River about 8:30 p.m. in Ryland Heights, WLWT Eyewitness News 5 reported.

The victim's name has not been released. He reportedly purchased the watercraft just hours earlier.

Members of the victim's family, including his wife and two sons, witnessed the accident. His 7-year-old son, who may have been on the watercraft with his father when the accident happened, reportedly called 911, according to WLWT.

The man was not wearing a life jacket and did not know how to swim, WLWT reported.

Rescue crews looked for the man until about 4 a.m. Wednesday before calling off the search.

The search continued at about 9:30 a.m., with two teams of divers using underwater cameras in the muddy river.

The searched focused on an area near the Locust Pike boat ramp where the victim was last seen and where search dogs picked up his scent, WLWT reported.

The victim's family waited at the boat ramp while crews looked up and down the river, WLWT reported.

Authorities said the search was difficult because heavy rains recently caused swift, strong currents in the river, WLWT reported.

The watercraft was found Tuesday night several miles from the accident scene, police said.

Stay tuned to WLWT Eyewitness News 5 and ChannelCincinnati.com for updates throughout the day.

[missouri]

It's not imagined, if you are running along the no wake buoy's that people use for their docks, boats assume you are gonna come after their wake and they will buzz you....
I am on both sides of the fence and I hate the damn things...I had one cut me off and then do a 180 right in front off me, he was so shocked to see me coming right at him he frooze...I just backed off a little and made him move......
You can't ride anywhere now without them coming from every direction but when I ride with my kids on it I get the frustration taken out on me too...these kids have made it a lot more dangerous for people who just ride them. The water patrol on the Niangua is constantly ticketing PWC for getting too close to boats, I am amazed they let it go on the most crowded part of the lake....maybe they are keying on big boats swamping people and DUI's with all the boats that have sunk this year in that area..
I'll take the PWC's, I can bully them, I have to run from a 50 footer with a 6 foot wake! :D
The fatality was a 14 yr old from Illinois who was at the lake with a friend and riding his friends ski..they ran into each other is what I heard...

[bottomless pit]

Just think:
This guy "40" wouldn't have had to attend the class.
I don't mind them Jumping my wake, But It takes some distance to stop a 12000 lb boat at 35 to 40 mph.:x I don't like beeing cut off.
>: ...PIT...:evil

[missouri]

Even Worse ..2 boy's had to watch their dad drown because he didn't think!

We saw a guy unload a PWC on the meramac river when it was swollen..he pulled back to the shore, got off the back of it and got pulled under by the current and drowned.....but this was right around the spring floods and the river was really running fast and you couldn't tell how deep it was at the banks!
Another guy was walking the sandbars on the mississippi in front off hundreds of ppl...the current was cutting under the sandbar and it gave way...he was held under the sandbar by the current....could've been anyone there.

This sh!t happens, doesn't necessarily make them stupid...people just don't understand how dangerous the water is....

[bomar76]

Apologies in advance to the 10% of jetski owners that are responsible riders >>>>

90 % of jetskis I see have morons on them doing donuts in the swim areas, racing at top speed through the swim area all the way to the beach, blowing through all the no wake areas at 40 mph, pulling tubers with no rear facing spotter, jumping the wake 10 feet from my stern, playing "chicken" with me head on, making 90 degree turns in front of me without even a sideward glance, and on and on and on..........
That is when they are not just doing donuts all alone for hours on end because they have come to the realization that they are just water dirt bikes and there isn't a whole hell of a lot you can do with the pathetic little boat wannabes.
Sad, because it doesn't have to be that way, they could be fun little gizmos if they would limit ridership to people with some common sense.
Evidently, they cater to the dumb arses.

[ckmansell]

I think some people forget that PWC's are boats and boating is a 360 degree sport!

[Seize n Ticket]

Yes, they are boats. I think you will even admit they are less than courteous drivers. I have lost count on how many times I have been cut off by a PWC. The bad ting is some of them get so involved in jumping the cruiser wakes they never see you. In these cases you have to take evasive action causing you passengers to be tossed around. I agree with Dennis on Missouri State Water Patrol (MSWP) stopping boats in the no wake zone "Drunk Hunting" and not doing something about an actual complaint. I seem to remember Dave being stopped by MSWP for clearing the props on his 28' Skater