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Hello Everyone,
As everyone know the Boat Trailering issue has been a
hot topic as of late. I have talked to a few people this weekend
and all is not lost for those of us who trailer boats on a regular
bases. Apparently the boating and recreational fishing industry
has been making contact with the legislators in North Carolina
to try to come up with a solution to this problem. Boat dealers
have the most to loose because of the weight and width
requirements that have been imposed over the last couple of months.
Things may change and from what I have heard changes can be made
if everyone works together. We need to contact our legislators and
express or concerns to get things done. I would suggest that we all take
a few minutes to write a short letter and send it to our lawmakers as
well as the Attorney Generals office to make a change. Below are a few
links to the legislators and AGs office. I don’t believe anything can be done
till march but this gives us the time to write and let others know about the
problem at hand. I know the pressure is on for changes to be made and
if everyone takes the time to e-mail their concerns to the following links
things will happen. Remember it is not just the large boats in question.
There are many 20-25 ft trailer boats that are affected as well. The way
the law is written now if you extend the mirrors of F250 all the way out
you could be considered a wide load because they extend out to make the
overall width of my vehicle almost 10ft!!! Go figure!!
Please take the time to write you legislators…
Tight Lines, Mark
I agree Mark and I will send the letters off. I'll be the a$$ from the other side of the state raising hell.
For everyone else, I have a good friend that owns the liscense tag office here. He also is a Captain with the Sherrif's Dept. here (deputy's have no authority over this issue, but he has contacts). For years, he has assured me that towing your personal boat for recreation exempts you from the weight requirement, the same as campers/fith wheelers. He has made at least a dozen calls to Raliegh for me and no two agency's can get on the same page. The enforcement arm says we must all pay for our weight. Other departments say we are excempt.
The AG definately needs to here our voice.
One more thing. The way I figure, almost every guy that tows a boat is over the 9000 lb. limit. An F-150 with a bay boat and gear will push the scales.
Thanks,
Alan
__________________
2002 Sailfish 236 w/ 250 Yamaha OX-66, Garmin 3010C, XM Weather, Furuno 582L w/ B-60 Ducer, SportTeaser Teaser Reels, Lee's Double Riggers, Center Rigger, Birdsall Mega Launcher... and Ford F-250 7.3L PSD.
Remember just because you have a boat that is 8'6" or less does not automaticly make yoiu legal!! If you have standards (boat guides) on your trailer and they measure over 8'6" you are considerd illegal. So it is not just large boats that have a problem. There are many boats and trailer combinations that are in this category....Mark
I don't mind paying for the combined vehicle weight thing on my liscence tag for my truck, and I have a Class B drivers liscense.....the law is clear on those things.
But the width restriction thing at 8'-6" ?
I can't live with that and all the confusing permitting and fees and restrictions involved for "wide loads". Not for just recreational use!
My letters are gone out as well!
All Im really asking for is a clear definition and simple way to be in compliance for a recreational wide load. Do you think my boat trailer could have a recreational tag that would give me maybe another foot in width. But, that would certainly be too simple for the lawmakers to understand!!!
__________________
Dog Tired
I'm for a government that is by the people and for the people!
Mark,
Been following this with everyone else , I will send the AG letter . I was also thinking that late this summer when we got the pogie bill passed Bonnie Stiller , NC Rep. House really kept it moving along with Rube Mcmullan OIFC . I sent my letters then too. This is Bonner Stillers address bonners@ncleg.net , sorry I don't know how to highlight it . I will send him one also.I will find out who we have Representing Buncombe up here , spread it out a little bit . We are pulling boats from down from all directions , the more they hear from us ( not just from the coast ) maybe we will get attention quicker.
Thanks Butch
Let me get this straight. I have a SeaHunt 202 and tow it with my Toyota tacoma. The combined GVW is around 8000lbs. The width may be wider than 8'6". The trailer has guides and the hull is 8'1" wide. If it exceeds the 8'6" measurement then am I in some kind of violation?
Yes you are according to the HP. It is the overall width of the trailer including fenders and guides....Mark
Wrong.
This topic was also posted on the Boating Forum. You guys may want to check it out if you didn't see it already. Overwidth is regulated by the USDOT but you purchase overwidth permits from each individual state.
Maybe this link will help. Check out the part about width.
"On the National Network, no state may impose a width limitation of more or less than 102 inches. Safety devices (e.g., mirrors, handholds) necessary for the safe and efficient operation of motor vehicles may not be included in the calculation of width."
Oh boy... what a crock. Just fully read the rules and the chart depicting the stages of oversized (width) regulations. Talked with someone at DOT Permits and according to the rules anything over 8'6", at the widest point on the trailer requires a permit that costs $100.00 per year. The catch is this.... She could not tell me the towing limitations, i.e., days, sunrise/sunset, etc. Also there may be a requirement for flags up to 10'-1" width, as well. All of this is outlined on your permit and the permit is required if your traveling on NC roads daily, or for 1 mile. Boats fall into non-divisible general commodity. The same category that controls construction equipment, farm equipment, sealed ship containers, and on and on and on. State of registration of tow vehicle does not apply. So, I guess it is conceivable that travelling from the old north state to Florida, you may have to have 4 different permits, depending on the rules of neighboring states.
Yes you are according to the HP. It is the overall width of the trailer including fenders and guides....Mark
Wrong.
This topic was also posted on the Boating Forum. You guys may want to check it out if you didn't see it already. Overwidth is regulated by the USDOT but you purchase overwidth permits from each individual state.
Maybe this link will help. Check out the part about width.
"On the National Network, no state may impose a width limitation of more or less than 102 inches. Safety devices (e.g., mirrors, handholds) necessary for the safe and efficient operation of motor vehicles may not be included in the calculation of width."
Not according to the tickets they were writing in October!! Maybe someone should tell the HP this we all know what you stated. As has been mentioned in all the threads the HP are writing the tickets and letting the judge figure out the laws....Mark
Yes you are according to the HP. It is the overall width of the trailer including fenders and guides....Mark
Wrong.
This topic was also posted on the Boating Forum. You guys may want to check it out if you didn't see it already. Overwidth is regulated by the USDOT but you purchase overwidth permits from each individual state.
Maybe this link will help. Check out the part about width.
"On the National Network, no state may impose a width limitation of more or less than 102 inches. Safety devices (e.g., mirrors, handholds) necessary for the safe and efficient operation of motor vehicles may not be included in the calculation of width."
Not according to the tickets they were writing in October!! Maybe someone should tell the HP this we all know what you stated. As has been mentioned in all the threads the HP are writing the tickets and letting the judge figure out the laws....Mark
I never saw anything written about anyone being ticketed for being overwidth simply because of mirrors or trailer guides. Care to point that out for me?
Look guys, I don't have a horse in this race, but everything to do with wide load regulations is federal. To answer the other member's question, yes, you do have to purchase a wide load permit for every state you run in, but the rules for wide loads do not vary from state to state as per the regs I listed.
You dont have a horse in this race that is true. Apparently these officers do not consider standards a safety item because they are not!! They are just guides to put the boat on the trailer and are part of the overall width of the trailer. You are lost here on this one. There was a parking lot full of boats that got tickets not just the one in the other posts. And no one said that this was in the other post. I stated that " As has been mentioned in all the threads the HP are writing the tickets and letting the judge figure out the laws." Just because the laws are on the books does not mean that they are being inforced properly. I know of three boats that received tickets in Morehead and one of those had the standards to wide and he received a fine for this. Now since you are so bright about this subject maybe you can tell us why that ticket was written. Why do you think these threads were started!! They were started to let NC boaters know what was going on. Not for guys like Lex -TN FREEBIRD and others to bust up the threads. If you wish to bust up a thread please go start your own to bust up. You dont know the facts in these cases and you can post links all you want but those links dont explain what is happening in NC. .....Mark
Who's trying to bust up a thread? I saw it pop up again, and I looked at it.
There are three seperate threads on this same subject on THT. You guys want to bitch and moan about getting tickets for breaking the law, then you get your panties in a wad when somebody answers questions raised in a thread. I've read these threads and have yet to see anybody being ticketed for the violations you mention. If they were, then I have given them the means with which to contest the fine and win their argument.
I have a CDL, I've pulled overwidth boats in NC, TN, GA, and FL, and I know what the DOT regs are because I have a DOT registration number for my company as I have run straight trucks as well as tractor trailer trucks in this business. Nobody is paying me for offering advice on subjects brought up on a boater forum. Sorry if you don't like the answers I've given to questions on this subject, but I don't make it a habit of answering questions I'm not qualified to answer.
NC BOAT TRAILERING ISSUE (READ)
