Jet Ski legislation on the way?

[lustyd]

I see you've got nothing sensible to contribute, and you're contributing.

I'm curious the value you thought you were bringing with this pointless bullying post?

 

[MystyBlue2]

Yes, really. tyres spread weight fairly well on most vehicles whereas hooves concentrate it to a very small area, ensuring the maximum damage is done. Most places where there are well worn ruts from vehicles will also have very clear damage from horses. As a keen cyclist I've often been told off for damaging paths which showed no sign whatsoever of ever having been ridden over by a bike, yet were completely ruined with horse tracks. I've also never witnessed this huge damage supposedly inflicted by 4x4s, although it's probably hard to see next to the 6" deep tractor tracks!

+1 most HUGE ruts are being made by the tractors and farmers plant machinery. If they can drive through and ruin the ground then us 4x4 drivers can certainly have a drive through on a sunday afternoon on a BOAT. Byway Open to All Traffic.

We aren't braking any laws but the farmers actions to keep us away is breaking the law.

 

[Gary Fox]

How many swimmers in the UK are killed every year by Jetskis? The only statistic I could find included deaths of the Jetski users themselves, and that was 6 deaths over a decade so hardly a problem needing a solution. 9 people accidentally drowned in their own bathtubs in 2010 alone. What we need is education, not legislation.

Personally, I don't think the miscreants would respond to 'education', there's plenty of well-meaning advice aimed at them already.
I'm the last person to call for more legislation, and there are already laws in place which could be used to deal with this menace..they just need need enforcing.

 

[Ian_Rob]

+1 most HUGE ruts are being made by the tractors and farmers plant machinery. If they can drive through and ruin the ground then us 4x4 drivers can certainly have a drive through on a sunday afternoon on a BOAT. Byway Open to All Traffic.

We aren't braking any laws but the farmers actions to keep us away is breaking the law.

The differences lies in that farmers use vehicles for purposes other than fun.

 

[lustyd]

I'm the last person to call for more legislation, and there are already laws in place which could be used to deal with this menace..they just need need enforcing.

Completely agree. I think any and all new legislation should include funding for enforcement before it is allowed to pass, or just allow generic laws to cover the scenario.

The differences lies in that farmers use vehicles for purposes other than fun.

Wear is wear. Why should fun have a lower priority on a public right of way?

 

[ashtead]

Education is no solution for this menace - comparing deaths in baths misses the point. I don’t see why other innocent swimmers ,paddle boards,yachtsman and other powerboat users should be exposed to acts of untrained,uninsured unlicensed jetski. It’s rather like allowing anyone the ability to buy a semi automatic weapon . By all means allow people to rent in a jetski area with insurance and training but they just need confining to areas where they won’t put others at risk in summary . I agree policing would help but I’m sure local Hampshire police have better uses for their time really. Hence my suggestion for greater powers to be given to QHM to police in busy areas like the Solent so jetski just operate in remote places. (Hence education by moving on in summary by ceasing unlicensed craft ) There are many places off the south of IoW or say Dorset coast around say Lulworth which could be designated ski areas.

 

[Scotsailor]

I’m a bit confused by this thread now. Is it about jet skis? Or motorbikes? Or off road vehicles? … a general point seems that many people seem to think that any enjoyable activity should be heavily regulated … unless it happens to be the activity that they enjoy of course!

 

[ashtead]

I agree we seem to drifted away from the need to have jetski legislation rather like the current government but I guess they might have a few other matters to occupy them.

 

[madabouttheboat]

To start saying "If we legislate against jetskis we will get penalised ourselves" is missing the point. Yachts & Motor boats are already the subject of legislation ie colregs & through being classed as vessels, its been this way for a long time. Has this caused us any problems? No.
PWC's are not classed as vessels through a legal precedent in a court case where an ill informed judge cocked up.
Three years ago I was involved in an incident during the Round Canvey rowing race where three of the participating boats were assaulted by a bunch of pwc's, Our boat was nearly swamped twice in two near misses & If we had been hit it would have resulted in serious injury or death.
The same bunch had been doing similar for months all along southend sea front, they did similar to a class of 7 & 8 year old kids in oppies also exposing themselves.
It took a long time for us to get enough photographic evidence & a video of them speedng & eventually Essex marine section found out where their hooky launching site was. Two of them got massive fines. It took nearly two years.
It should not have to be so dificult to nail these people. High time this law went through.

That is quite shocking behaviour, but if the PWCs had been classed as vessels, and subject to the same rules as Mobo and Yachts, would it have made a blind bit of difference to the way they acted?

 

[Babylon]

I’m a bit confused by this thread now. Is it about jet skis? Or motorbikes? Or off road vehicles? … a general point seems that many people seem to think that any enjoyable activity should be heavily regulated … unless it happens to be the activity that they enjoy of course!

No, just potentially dangerous and destructive activities that share a space with other people and their own equally valid activities.

Yes its essentially about jet-skis, but there appears to a parallel with some off-road vehicles...

 

[lustyd]

comparing deaths in baths misses the point. I don’t see why other innocent swimmers ,paddle boards,yachtsman and other powerboat users should be exposed to acts of untrained,uninsured unlicensed jetski.

Ah, perhaps we should compare with cars then. How many deaths are there caused by untrained,uninsured unlicensed cars? I'll bet it's more than 6 in a decade.

Moving them to remote places doesn't reduce risk, it increases it since swimmers in remote places won't be looking over their shoulder. In the Solent people are extremely careful when swimming precisely because it is busy.

 

[madabouttheboat]

Personally I think the problems caused by PWCs are hugely overstated. When I am out on the water I have far more issues with other water users in various guises than I do with PWCs.

Inconsiderate and entitled MoBos and Wafis, dinghy racing in confined channels, paddle boarders with no idea about other water users, commercial vessels that think rules don't apply to them, even swimmers in and around areas of heavy boat traffic all cause me more problems than the odd PWC. In fact I am trying hard to think of the last time a PWC got up my nose, and I honestly can't remember. Yeah they are noisy and spoil our peace, but so do light aircraft and, similarly, they are usually gone after a couple of minutes. They often head straight for me and use my wake, but that doesn't affect me at all, as they stay behind me. They can produce a wake at the wrong speed, but so do plenty of other boats and in comparison theirs is small.

Ultimately, its a few bad apples that given them a bad name and the answer is enforcement, but who's going to do it? There simply are not enough water bourne figures of authority. At least you can take comfort in the fact that the few that are caught and prosecuted, are treated very harshly by the courts. Unfairly harshly, in my opinion, when compared to other land based crimes of violence and antisocial behaviour that are often let off with a smack on the hand.

 

[MystyBlue2]

Personally I think the problems caused by PWCs are hugely overstated. When I am out on the water I have far more issues with other water users in various guises than I do with PWCs.

Inconsiderate and entitled MoBos and Wafis, dinghy racing in confined channels, paddle boarders with no idea about other water users, commercial vessels that think rules don't apply to them, even swimmers in and around areas of heavy boat traffic all cause me more problems than the odd PWC. In fact I am trying hard to think of the last time a PWC got up my nose, and I honestly can't remember. Yeah they are noisy and spoil our peace, but so do light aircraft and, similarly, they are usually gone after a couple of minutes. They often head straight for me and use my wake, but that doesn't affect me at all, as they stay behind me. They can produce a wake at the wrong speed, but so do plenty of other boats and in comparison theirs is small.

Ultimately, its a few bad apples that given them a bad name and the answer is enforcement, but who's going to do it? There simply are not enough water bourne figures of authority. At least you can take comfort in the fact that the few that are caught and prosecuted, are treated very harshly by the courts. Unfairly harshly, in my opinion, when compared to other land based crimes of violence and antisocial behaviour that are often let off with a smack on the hand.

+1 well said!

 

[Blue Sunray]

Personally I think the problems caused by PWCs are hugely overstated. When I am out on the water I have far more issues with other water users in various guises than I do with PWCs.

Inconsiderate and entitled MoBos and Wafis, dinghy racing in confined channels, paddle boarders with no idea about other water users, commercial vessels that think rules don't apply to them, even swimmers in and around areas of heavy boat traffic all cause me more problems than the odd PWC.

Hear, hear.

 

[[70521]]

Inconsiderate and entitled MoBos and Wafis, dinghy racing in confined channels, paddle boarders with no idea about other water users, commercial vessels that think rules don't apply to them, even swimmers in and around areas of heavy boat traffic all cause me more problems than the odd PWC. In fact I am trying hard to think of the last time a PWC got up my nose, and I honestly can't remember. Yeah they are noisy and spoil our peace, but so do light aircraft and, similarly, they are usually gone after a couple of minutes. They often head straight for me and use my wake, but that doesn't affect me at all, as they stay behind me. They can produce a wake at the wrong speed, but so do plenty of other boats and in comparison theirs is small.

Don't forget the kite surfers doing their best to impale themselves on masts and bowsprits.

 

[JumbleDuck]

In my experience the vast majority of damage is done by horses, are you also suggesting those people should "do what's right"?

I think everybody should do what's right.

 

[lustyd]

I think everybody should do what's right.

I'm quite certain the majority do do what they feel is right. That's why we have laws, to tell them specific things which as a society we decide are not right. Riding a horse or a jetski is not really wrong and on balance doesn't do much harm to many people.

 

[mjcoon]

I'm curious the value you thought you were bringing with this pointless bullying post?

I rate that as a mild assessment. Certainly not pointless! Perhaps you should get out more?

 

[mjcoon]

... on balance doesn't do much harm to many people.

Statistics rules OK!

 

[Caer Urfa]

And what about any training , maybe a RYA Personal Watercraft Proficiency Course min for all users, no it will not cover everything but its a good start and if you can afford a jet ski then you can afford to do the course.