Safe boat speed

[matmuller85]

Hey guys i was just wondering what sort of speed you think is safe for a 5.5 plate boat to travel at in rivers ect. I have seen a few boats travelling close to 60mph in river through bends and ect.

[CreelReaper]

Hey mate,
I got this info from the Leisure Marine website. You will probably find that most people don't realise that there are limitations. A few however either couldn't care or ignore these limits and put both themselves and others at risk. Hope this helps.

Speeding
All boats must travel at a SAFE SPEED where you can act to avoid a collision and can stop the boat in time to avoid any danger that arises suddenly. Wash created by speed must not cause any damage to the shoreline.

On the spot fines of $150 or $225 for speeding offences on the water.

Boat operators must consider:
Visibility - drive slowly in rain, fog, mist, smoke and glare. Take special care when travelling at night as potential hazards are harder to see.
Other boats - slow down in busy areas and when near moored or anchored boats, and remember working boats and larger ships may have difficulty manoeuvering.
Navigation hazards - slow down in shallow areas and when boating in unfamiliar water. Water depth can vary and change quickly, particularly in freshwater.
Wind, wave and currents - these may affect the boats stopping and turning abiliy. The type of motor, hull and design will all impact on the boats manoeuvrbility.

Speed Limits
Six knots within 30m of:
boats anchored, moored to the shore or aground, jetty, wharf, pontoon or boat ramp, float or structure indicating that there is a driver below (code A flag)

Six knots:
within 30m of people in the water
within 60m of people in the water when operating a PWC (personal watercraft) in harbours and marinas.

All smooth waters have a 40knot speed limit except:
Moogerah Dam at Aratula
Perseverance Dam, via Toowoomba
Somerset Dam on the Brisbane River
Bjelke Petersen Dam at Murgon
Sandy Hook Reach of the Burnett River
Awonga Dam at Gladstone
Upstream of Barrage on the Fitzroy River
Fairbairn Dam at Emerald
Peter Faust Dam at Proserpine
Ross River and Ross Damn at Townsville
Tinnaroo Dam in the Atherton Tableland
Trinity Inlet in from the Esplanade at Cairns
Marian Weir
Plantation Creek known as Hutchings Lagoon

Speed restrictions are usually indicated by signs, however the rules apply whether the signes are there or not.

Learn how to measure distance. For example, 30m is: ten times longer than a 3 metre boat and fives times longer than a 6 metre boat.

[GBC]

60 mph? that must be some special platey.

Pretty quick for around bends in a fishing boat.

Ours only does 40 odd :'( .