rbcoomer
Well-Known Member
Don't often post over here, but thought I'd stick my head above the parapet! 
I wouldn't like to draw any conclusions from the picture as the wash appears pretty 'short' and thus I wouldn't like to guess speed. It does look to me however as if it's semi-d rather than planing, so probably within the speed limit? (Albeit probably an 'unsuitable' speed.)
From my observations as a relative newcomer to boats, it seems to me to be the bigger stuff as mentioned above that seem to be the worst offenders, but I guess this will depend on location? I also suspect that for the odd few marina based 'occasionals', it might have been years since they actually sat at water level with perhaps 5"-6" of freeboard and maybe have lost sight of the effect they are having?
We have a 14' Fletcher so will perhaps be deemed to be on 'the dark side' with red eyes, horns etc by many here, but we often potter on the Dart when the weather isn't particularly good. We tend to plod along at idle as if we were to run at the speed limit, the boat would be pushing a fairly reasonable bow wave - and that's where I think the problem is. Some see a speed limit as a required speed, much like they do on the road
rolleyes and yet the 10kts of some areas is entirely unsuitable for some vessels in respect of wake. (Not forgetting the extra fuel they're burning whilst 'almost planing') I love speed and have the view that there's enough space for us all to enjoy (even Jetskis 
), but everything in the right place and a little thought for others costs nothing.
Those of us in small boats (mobo's or raggies alike) perhaps appreciate the wash issue more because we're closer to it and have much less freeboard than those in bigger vessels? Whilst I personally couldn't care less if we spill drinks, a swamped boat or losing a child overboard is a real possibility on occasion. We've been thrown about by an overtaking sailing boat (under power) as well as mobo's and the worst I witnessed on the river was an inflatable tender that passed us as if we were standing still through the moored boats at Stoke Gabriel - the couple aboard were actually having difficulty seeing over their bow as it was riding so high! (Obviously in a hurry to get to the pub before they stopped serving...
)
A guy due to attend our rally at the beginning of June lost his 20' Fletcher on the Exe the week before the event - it was found sunk on it's mooring (Flipped over). The insurance assessor could apparently find no mechanical fault and put in his report that it was assumed to have been sunk by the wash of a passing vessel!
We've had quite a few storms and thus he was checking daily, but the night it sunk was fairly subdued... The worst thing about the wash on a river is that it nearly always hits the moored boats broadside.
I wouldn't like to draw any conclusions from the picture as the wash appears pretty 'short' and thus I wouldn't like to guess speed. It does look to me however as if it's semi-d rather than planing, so probably within the speed limit? (Albeit probably an 'unsuitable' speed.)
From my observations as a relative newcomer to boats, it seems to me to be the bigger stuff as mentioned above that seem to be the worst offenders, but I guess this will depend on location? I also suspect that for the odd few marina based 'occasionals', it might have been years since they actually sat at water level with perhaps 5"-6" of freeboard and maybe have lost sight of the effect they are having?
We have a 14' Fletcher so will perhaps be deemed to be on 'the dark side' with red eyes, horns etc by many here, but we often potter on the Dart when the weather isn't particularly good. We tend to plod along at idle as if we were to run at the speed limit, the boat would be pushing a fairly reasonable bow wave - and that's where I think the problem is. Some see a speed limit as a required speed, much like they do on the road
rolleyes and yet the 10kts of some areas is entirely unsuitable for some vessels in respect of wake. (Not forgetting the extra fuel they're burning whilst 'almost planing') I love speed and have the view that there's enough space for us all to enjoy (even Jetskis ), but everything in the right place and a little thought for others costs nothing.Those of us in small boats (mobo's or raggies alike) perhaps appreciate the wash issue more because we're closer to it and have much less freeboard than those in bigger vessels? Whilst I personally couldn't care less if we spill drinks, a swamped boat or losing a child overboard is a real possibility on occasion. We've been thrown about by an overtaking sailing boat (under power) as well as mobo's and the worst I witnessed on the river was an inflatable tender that passed us as if we were standing still through the moored boats at Stoke Gabriel - the couple aboard were actually having difficulty seeing over their bow as it was riding so high! (Obviously in a hurry to get to the pub before they stopped serving...
)A guy due to attend our rally at the beginning of June lost his 20' Fletcher on the Exe the week before the event - it was found sunk on it's mooring (Flipped over). The insurance assessor could apparently find no mechanical fault and put in his report that it was assumed to have been sunk by the wash of a passing vessel!
We've had quite a few storms and thus he was checking daily, but the night it sunk was fairly subdued... The worst thing about the wash on a river is that it nearly always hits the moored boats broadside.
