Harbor etiquette

[jmauld]

Around here the law enforcement boats are smaller lightweight boats that really can’t make a large wake

 

[Andy S.]

I enjoy being on the water so much I consider it a privilege to own and operate a water craft and I would never operate mine in a manner that would cause damage to another’s. I also don’t want to be that “hey you, slowdown!!” guy.

 

[CaptRonn]

The shit show shenanigans here in Houston have gotten so bad I've reduced my boating considerably. It's a huge risk with all of the drunks and down right mentally challenged bubba's that think it's "macho" to get as close to other boats as possible while running at full speed. And channels? "Get the hell outta my way!" as they come barreling down the channel on the wrong side.

But the local CG Aux gets their panties twisted if the see someone riding on the bow.

 

[Andy S.]

The shit show shenanigans here in Houston have gotten so bad I've reduced my boating considerably. It's a huge risk with all of the drunks and down right mentally challenged bubba's that think it's "macho" to get as close to other boats as possible while running at full speed. And channels? "Get the hell outta my way!" as they come barreling down the channel on the wrong side.

But the local CG Aux gets their panties twisted if the see someone riding on the bow.

A couple years ago a man who had considerable amounts of alcohol in him ran full speed into the outer break wall after the July 4th fireworks, killing him and his family. You can’t just jump on a boat and operate it like an automobile.

 

[Blueone]

I have a slip on a busy channel it’s a short cut from Sandusky Bay into Lake Erie… I have to do a hard Port turn into the marina with countless boats coming at us….. this past weekend a boat actually stopped and held up traffic so we could make the turn… there are nice people out there ….maybe we have them all here in Ohio

 

[Gofirstclass]

Going to need drawings on this

No drawings, but will photos do? Mine is made from 1.5" PVC and with a good solid spud we can launch one all the way from our front yard to the Columbia River, a distance of about 150 yards.

Here is my thing of beauty. It stands about 5' tall.

To make it easier to get spuds down the barrel I chamfered the end of the barrel. When you shove a large spud down the barrel this cuts it down to the size that is a tight fit. You can't see it in the photo but I also chamfered the inside of the barrel a little bit to make for a tighter fit.

Here's the business end of the igniter. I found you don't need all the wire and crap that comes with an igniter so I cut it down to where I could crimp on a small connector like you'd use when attaching a wire to a screw. Adjusting the gap between the igniter tip and the "ground" takes a bit of practice but hey, it's all fun.

Here's the other end of the igniter. It's just a plain old grill igniter. If you notice in the pic above I filled in the gap around the igniter with silicone sealant to keep it from flashing back and burning the hand of the person holding it. I got that idea after it burned our minister one time when I was showing him how to use it.

The cap with the igniter goes into the "side wye" instead of on the other end of the wye so when you stand it up you're not standing it on the end of the igniter.

I almost forgot to mention, I use Aquanet hair spray for a propellant. I've used this spud gun for about 15 years and there's no muss, no fuss from the Aquanet. It burns completely.

I've experimented with shorter and longer barrels and settled on this one. Shorter ones made for a bigger blast but that just means a lot of your propellant is burning after the spud has left the barrel. Longer barrels don't seem to gain anything in terms of distance but are harder to store.
Have fun!

 

[yobub]

A couple years ago a man who had considerable amounts of alcohol in him ran full speed into the outer break wall after the July 4th fireworks, killing him and his family. You can’t just jump on a boat and operate it like an automobile.

That probably doesn't work out too well in an automobile either...

 

[spikedaddy99]

USCG and other LEO boats creep through Sturgeon Bay unless an emergency. Then they fly by on plane, but that doesn't really rock us much. It's the a-holes going 9-10 knots trying to make the drawbridge and are plowing water.

 

[Nater Potater]

Sheesh...this thread escalated quickly. I hope you fellas have some good lawyer buddies. Firearm or not, you launch a potato at a passing boat and you're certainly not going to be on the right side of the law.

I hope you recognize this is just so much venting. As much as I'd like to take a symbolic poke at these jokers, I'd just be lowering myself to their level (possibly lower). While I don't believe in Karma, I just sit back, assuming they'll do something stupid enough that the results will wake them up, hopefully without hurting anyone else around them. Some things just have to be left with the Lord.