Boating Safety - What to Do

rgilfert · 07-10-2013, 07:48 AM

All last week I watched some boys (I'm guessing ranging in age from about 7 to 13) riding up and down the shoreline in a small outboard boat with a <25HP motor. It looked like great fun until the oldest of the group started standing on the gunwale while the boat was bouncing along at full speed and jumping into the water. This happened several days in a row...and what was even more disturbing is that I believe that the parents may have been watching from the shore. I couldn't find anything specifically addressing this in the NH Boaters Guide...but by virtue of the fact that you are not allowed to sit on the gunwales....being the genius I am....I'm assuming (and simple logic says) that standing and jumping from the gunwales would be against the law as well. I'm reluctant to say anything (due to a very close encounter in Center Harbor last week when I spoke up about something that I observed and almost got my "clock cleaned" by the parent) but I would feel absolutely terrible if I stood quietly by and one of the boys ended up getting hurt. What say yee?

07-10-2013, 07:48 AM	#1
rgilfert Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Bedford, NH / Rattlesnake Island Posts: 299 Thanks: 152 Thanked 227 Times in 57 Posts	Boating Safety - What to Do All last week I watched some boys (I'm guessing ranging in age from about 7 to 13) riding up and down the shoreline in a small outboard boat with a <25HP motor. It looked like great fun until the oldest of the group started standing on the gunwale while the boat was bouncing along at full speed and jumping into the water. This happened several days in a row...and what was even more disturbing is that I believe that the parents may have been watching from the shore. I couldn't find anything specifically addressing this in the NH Boaters Guide...but by virtue of the fact that you are not allowed to sit on the gunwales....being the genius I am....I'm assuming (and simple logic says) that standing and jumping from the gunwales would be against the law as well. I'm reluctant to say anything (due to a very close encounter in Center Harbor last week when I spoke up about something that I observed and almost got my "clock cleaned" by the parent) but I would feel absolutely terrible if I stood quietly by and one of the boys ended up getting hurt. What say yee?