Sometimes folks just can’t see it in themselves. Years ago my father In Law was aghast that my wife and I were going paddling on a lake without helmets. He and his wife had just ridden the Harley ~1,000 miles to see us…without helmets.
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Every time I go paddling my wife says " Be careful out there". She’s referring to paddling but most of the time I’m headed to I-85.
I won’t discuss probabilities with her.
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Now it’s just a matter of time until the “woke” crowd in our idiot congress stumbles onto this website. Of course the first step will be to apply a confiscatory tax on all things concerning water sports.
On the other hand, maybe the water hazard at our southern border will finally be patrolled effectively to keep the illegals the hell out of here. And what about those nasty assault kayaks?
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On the off chance that you were serious (You original post sounds exactly like sarcasm about gun control issues), I’ll say this much:
I have spoken in Legislative hearings twice on this issue when I was president of a Sea Kayaking club. And as always, there were less than honorable, and somewhat illegal, intentions behind the bills. Both times, kayak (Not canoes or other human propelled craft) control and resulting taxation were the main issue.
The bills were sponsored by a legislator who represented a district that contained a large group of islands off the coast. Said legislator admitted in the hearings that his “Constituent” that was behind the bill recently bought several of the islands, and wanted to force kayaks to be registered and display numbers on their hulls, so that she could report anyone that she thought came too close, or trespassed.
As an aside, she wasn’t even a Connecticut resident. She lived, and was registered to vote, in New York. Reason I bring that up is that the bill was not intended for safety, liability issues, or any other supposed noble intentions - it was specifically for harassment and control by certain property owners of a single class of craft and operator thereof that general boating and criminal laws already applied to.
Boat registration exists in its origin to be able to identify large and motorized watercraft that can inflict significant damage or bodily harm to others based solely on size and potential speed of the boat. Paddlecraft and other small non-motorized boats in general are incapable of destroying docks or other boats in collisions, nor are they capable of injuring or killing anyone other than their occupants in a collision or other incident. That’s why they have historically not been forced to register in most states. And in states that they are forced to register (That I will never paddle in), taxation and harassment are the primary reason.
I am already required to follow general boating laws as they apply to human powered craft. I have been inspected numerous times regarding rules that I already obey, and exceed in regard to personal safety. I can already voluntarily list my boats with the state boating authorities, and apply ID stickers to them internally. My choice. Simply writing owner ID with a permanent marker or a sticker in the cockpit will be as effective.
There are plenty of laws that already apply to me. There is a certain point where ignorance and sense of entitlement cannot be controlled, and there are already plenty of laws that cover that as well that cannot be effectively enforced. And most importantly, the percentage of incidents in paddling is tiny in comparison to those in much more heavily regulated activities. Will I need to register to walk next?
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Okay, that’s it. These “Jimbos” are getting out of hand. --And 80 percent of Americans agree with me.
Either you register as a “James” or “Jim,” or off these paddling forums you go.
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there’s only one Kayakerjimbo
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the people who need kicked off this site are the John Dowd’s of this community… being all reckless n’ “stuff”…
It’s a brave new world.
James/Jim/Jimbo
The uniformed kayak operator poses a danger to both himself and potential rescuers.
Uniforms?
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Must be attempt at humor. The Coast Guard for 2019 lists 246 casualties for canoe/kayak for the entire year.
I am reminded of the Florida group that wanted the canoes and kayaks to all be registered and monitored by the Tax Collector offices and FDOT system. The program management and cost was going to be bigger than the revenue.
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Indeed . My Uniform is stellar, I looked like a deep sea diver, astronaut, nascar driver.
Wasn’t it the Florida Turnpike Authority who spent a million $ to go after delinquent tolls. In the end they recovered about 600K…
The registration thing was refused by the state tax collector. They said they weren’t going to do it. It was good to hear.
Not sure which debacle you are referencing. Here is a link on the latest $50million…
Toll by plate was amusing. My wife’s van was often sited for driving in Tampa toll roads when it was locked up in the garage in NE Florida. Looked similar Honda. But her’s had a roof rack.
They tried to get a bill passed here in NH requiring flags. No mention of the height, size or color of the flag in the bill. It got shot down.
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Might as well ban high capacity gray things, while we are at it. An the Wanda Tibbs of the paddling world, need a ten day cooling off period, before buying a new kayak. No heat of the moment purchases.
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I can see potential in this. In the old days of out west, people branded their cattle, licensing it so to speak, so everyone would know who they belonged to. It seemed like a great idea and everyone but one particular person was for it. That person’s last name was Maverick. He was completely against this and didn’t brand any of his livestock.
Now you know where the term “Someone’s a maverick” comes from.
Oh, and what was left out of this story is that he then could lay claim to every unbranded cattle out there…
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We had fun with FL toll roads but dod not seek to cheat.
We never got biled; the bike rack losdedteith bikes obscured the license plate
I’ll think of you the next time my credit card gets charged to refill my Sunpass… 
We weren’t conspiring; we were just blissfully ignorant
I’m just happy I never get behind anyone who misses the basket when throwing their quarters… like in the old days…
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I might have had a pass on that in another state before the “E-Pass” . Now there are 18 states I go through that recognize me with out seeing the plate.
There is a express lane in Jax that only takes Sun Passes…and/or E-pass. You get a “by plate” pass it will have a $25 fine plus the toll. The reality is though, it isn’t that much EXPRESS most of the time.