hovercraft question

[Mooney driver]

Maybe it's the pentup rebel in me, but I got to thinking about this the other day. I boat in Florida where slow speed/ no wake/ miminal wake zones seem to spring up like spring daisys. The idea of course is to protect our beloved manatees and keep the wake from somehow destroying cement seawalls. So would you be able to zip through these places if you had a hovercraft with no wake? I'm sure that if legal to do so, it would only take one emergency session of state to pass another law. Still it would be fun. It would also be a great opportunity for boat dealers to expand their business. What do you think out there?

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: hovercraft question

i don't know where you are but no wake zones are for other reasons than manatee's, high traffic areas. ever been thru Daytona, on a Holiday?

 

[mthieme]

Re: hovercraft question

Maybe it's the pentup rebel in me, but I got to thinking about this the other day. I boat in Florida where slow speed/ no wake/ miminal wake zones seem to spring up like spring daisys. The idea of course is to protect our beloved manatees and keep the wake from somehow destroying cement seawalls. So would you be able to zip through these places if you had a hovercraft with no wake? I'm sure that if legal to do so, it would only take one emergency session of state to pass another law. Still it would be fun. It would also be a great opportunity for boat dealers to expand their business. What do you think out there?

I had a similar thought of ripping through all the canal down there in my hydroplane. At 6 knots, she plows through the water with the nose up throwing a wake like a barge. At full speed, she's out of the water only throwing a ripple.
It's been my experience up here in Chesapeake land that residents complain. It mainly the noise upsetting their serene environment though.
All it takes is one complaint and 25 signatures.

 

[ziggy]

Re: hovercraft question

in my area, the no wake zone sign reads 5mph + no wake, which to me is a contradiction as at 5mph my boat has a wake.. but if dnr don't get ya for one violation, the other is there to pick up the slack so they can still pull ya over for an inspection and violation...

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: hovercraft question

Ziggy very true, my pontoon throws a big wake at 5mph, my 14 footer just a ripple at 5 mph.

also here in the inter coastal, there are signs that say resume safe operation, then a speed limit of 25 mph.

 

[marquette]

Re: hovercraft question

in minnesota hovercraft are illegal in waterfowl production areas even in areas that allow traditional boats. i would check your game and fish laws to see if they have any obscure rules against hovercraft. and always keep in mind that logic has nothing to do with regulations.

 

[erikgreen]

Re: hovercraft question

always keep in mind that logic has nothing to do with regulations.

Worth repeating.

Hovercraft are legally considered boats in most states (even the Wing In Ground aircraft ones) so probably you'd get ticketed heavily.

It's a nice idea, but really the only way you can avoid having to slow down in no wake zones is going somewhere else. For me, half of why I go boating is to not be around a dozen other boats, so I typically go much farther out of town.

Erik

 

[mthieme]

Re: hovercraft question

The neat thing about a hovercraft is when DNR comes up behind you, you can go ashore and keep gettin' it!

 

[fdmsiv]

Re: hovercraft question

Hovercraft do produce a wake and lots of spray. The hovercraft works just as a regular displacement boat does. Instead of a FG or wood hull, the HC uses air to displace enough water to support the weight of the craft. The problem with HCs is the amount of spray they produce. You would think that spray wouldn't matter, but to homeowners along the No Wake Zones, it really does when all of the plants within 10yrds of the canal start to die.