News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 14, 2003

Personal Watercraft Users Can Enjoy NH Waters This Summer
Legislation to Discriminate Against Family-Sized Watercraft Thwarted

Contact:
Elinore Boeke, 202-721-1621
Brian Berry, 202-777-3524

Washington, DC—The proposed legislation that would single-out personal watercraft from other types of motorboats and ban their use throughout the state, was voted "inexpedient to legislate" and subsequently discarded by state senators last week. As a result, thousands of New Hampshire families who have purchased a personal watercraft (PWC) with the protection and comfort of the law can rest assure that their PWC will have a place on the water this boating season.

The Personal Watercraft Industry Association (PWIA) lauds the decision by the New Hampshire State Senate to table further debate on this issue. The legislation, known as "SB 106," has been exposed in recent days as an attempt to restrict some taxpayers’ access to public waterways based simply on the physical design of their recreational choice instead of science or rationale.

“SB 106 was nothing more than an unfair attempt to ban the popular family-size, three and four passenger PWCs from New Hampshire waterways," said Christian Gullott, State/Local Government Relations Manager for PWIA. "Families ought not be banned for choosing an affordable alternative to larger powerboats.”

A decades-old law in New Hampshire has a unique definition of "ski craft" (vessels that require a user to straddle the boat's hull rather than sit within it) based on size and passenger capacity. SB 106 sought to amend the definition of "ski craft" to include the family size, three and four-passenger PWC models in the laws that currently restrict the use of the smaller, one and two-passenger models. Sales and usage of three and four-passenger personal watercraft in New Hampshire have contributed millions of dollars into the local economy over recent years. Three-passenger models alone account for 75 percent of the total retail market nationwide. PWC owners in NH have contributed nearly $60 million to the economy, an estimate that does not take into account the retail activities and fuel tax revenue that also drive the local economy.

Modern PWC have evolved into one of most environmentally-friendly motorized vessels on the water today. The facts are clear and proven: Modern PWC, specifically the larger models targeted by SB 106, are among the cleanest, quietest motorized vehicles on public waterways today (with a 70 percent sound reduction and 75 percent reduction in hydrocarbon and NOx emissions since 1998). And Coast Guard statistics show that 99 percent of PWC are operated accident free each year.

The decision by the full State Senate comes with the recommendation by the New Hampshire Senate Wildlife and Recreation Subcommittee on March 25th that SB 106 be discarded.

More information on personal watercraft is available at www.pwia.org.