Garbage-Bag Over Outboard on Non-Combustible Lakes

[LiveAsYouWill]

Hope some of you can throw out some info. I recall back in late 80's-90's, a way around fishing lakes NOT allowing outboards to be used was a Garbage-Bag duct-taped over outboard/removing tank. I have talked to 3 different fishermen out on lakes while I was in my float-tube/them in their nice boats. I would LOVE to take my Whaler out w/ Yamaha 30hp & dual electric trolling motors on lowland lakes w/restrictions.

What i have been told is that you can still do the "Garbage-Bag" and just remove the inline-external fuel tank. Does this sound correct? I called F&G, but they will NOT tell me one way or the other- atleast w/ the two i asked.

[oneshot]

I talked to a a game warden not long ago (i got pulled over, bad tabs on boat the day i bought it)

the motor CANNOT be attached to the boat at all. i said this as a "headsup for the future" as I was brand new to boating and talking about small lakes

[LiveAsYouWill]

Did you get popped on the lake/operating electric or at boat-ramp? What did they do, just give you a warning? It would take me a bit of hours to remove all the controls/bolts/etc to pull Yamaha + building a stand + 1 or 2 to help me lift off & place on stand. I messed up and left ~$400 in float-tubes in my canopy closed and they blew up/blew out canvas...just want to get on the lakes MINUS wakeboarders/etc.

[Easy Limits]

the motor CANNOT be attached to the boat at all.

This.

Read the bottom middle portion of page 16 in your rules pamphlet.

[oneshot]

Did you get popped on the lake/operating electric or at boat-ramp? What did they do, just give you a warning?

the day i bought my boat on the way home i dropped it in over in Kenmore at 68th st to test it out and run the motor for about 30 minutes.. on the way in a coast guard gamie police guy came up behind me at the launch.. i had bad tabs.. i quickly grabbed titles and paperwork and explained i just bought the boat.. they were cool and then begun the schooling, i learned more in that 10 mins than i had ever known about boating.. including the need for a boaters ed card.. they smiled and let me go with a warning only after knowing the circumstances. i had my buddy take a pic of my 1st time ever taking my 1st boat out for spin.. haha

lakewasheriff.jpg (87.4 KiB) Viewed 3469 times

[Mike Carey]

They were very cool.

Yup, the garbage bag thingy is not allowed that I am aware of. And WDFW wouldn't be the ones monitoring/ticketing, I believe that would fall on the local police department.

[hewesfisher]

This is why you cannot "cover" your motor to try and get away with having an internal combustion motor attached to your boat on a body of water that is listed as "Internal combustion motors prohibited", from WDFW 2012 - 2013 Rules pamphlet, pgs 10 & 11:

Internal Combustion Motors Prohibited: Means fishing from a floating device equipped with an internal combustion motor is not allowed.

Motors Prohibited: Fishing from a floating device equipped with a motor is not allowed.

Equipped with a motor: A motor is attached to the floating device, regardless of whether the motor is in the water.

Putting a bag over the motor does not remove the motor from your floating device regardless of whether the motor is in the water.

[geljockey]

They were very cool.

Yup, the garbage bag thingy is not allowed that I am aware of. And WDFW wouldn't be the ones monitoring/ticketing, I believe that would fall on the local police department.

If the prohibition is listed in the WDFW regulation pamphlet for said lake, then I would think WDFW would be the ones monitoring/ticketing.

[G-Man]

In some instances, the no internal combustion motor requirement is a county or city ordinance and not even mentioned in the regs. In cases like this, it is up to the local authorities to determine if wrapping your outboard will satisfy the restriction.

Oneshot - the officers running the county sheriff's boat are stand up guys. We cross paths a couple of times a year and I've never had a bad experience with them.

[Ezlivn89]

Did you get popped on the lake/operating electric or at boat-ramp? What did they do, just give you a warning?

the day i bought my boat on the way home i dropped it in over in Kenmore at 68th st to test it out and run the motor for about 30 minutes.. on the way in a coast guard gamie police guy came up behind me at the launch.. i had bad tabs.. i quickly grabbed titles and paperwork and explained i just bought the boat.. they were cool and then begun the schooling, i learned more in that 10 mins than i had ever known about boating.. including the need for a boaters ed card.. they smiled and let me go with a warning only after knowing the circumstances. i had my buddy take a pic of my 1st time ever taking my 1st boat out for spin.. haha

lakewasheriff.jpg

Talk about a nice bout for the sheriffs, im sure that would be a nice pretty penny

[gfakkema]

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[G-Man]

gfakkema - It is really simple, just grab your cell phone and dial the numbers provided in the regulation pamphlet on page 1 or 13. You can even text in a tip now, so there really is no reason not to report a person who knowingly violates the regs. Which reminds me, I have to send in the GPS coordinates of some derelict gear we spotted this weekend in the Sound.

[gfakkema]

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[hewesfisher]

Don't confuse WDFW definitions of "internal combustion motors prohibited" as being the same for the county or municipality. Since there are no state restrictions for North lake, the state rules do not apply.

King County code covers the motor restrictions on this lake and there is nothing in the code that states an internal combustion motor must not be attached, it simply states one may not be used. "Internal combustion motors attached" is undefined in Kind County code.

12.44.310 North Lake restrictions. It is unlawful to use or operate any internal combustion engines on North Lake; provided, that nothing in this section shall be construed to prevent any public official or construction company from performing authorized duties. The department of natural resources and parks is authorized to post and maintain the appropriate signs. (Ord. 14199 § 155, 2001: Ord. 2875 § 1, 1976).

As long as the person in question didn't use or operate (those are the defined code restrictions) his attached internal combustion motor, he was completely legal, whether or not the motor was in the water.

[Amx]

So, the 'other boater' shouldn't have been such a snot, and told the above poster that having the motor on the boat, but not using it, WAS legal, according to COUNTY LAW, and WDFW had no rule for that lake. But no, he had to be pissy about it.

[gfakkema]

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[hewesfisher]

You are right hewesfisher, the city/county regs are not the same as the WDFW in regards to having internal combustions attached etc. One of my biggest problems is the ambiguity in which the city/county laws are worded. The signs at the launches say "internal combustion engines prohibited". I wish they would have been a little more specific, i.e. "internal combustion engine USE prohibited", but the way that it is currently worded leads me to believe that they would not even like them in the water. Like I said before, I would have been perfectly content had the guy just lifted the motor out of the water just to avoid any confusion. How hard is that? Lift a lever, then lift the motor. I have seen many other boaters with outboards attached and don't say anything because they at least TRY (some more than others) to keep motors out of the water. It was his attitude and laziness that really bothered me.

I understand where you're coming from with regard to how YOU interpret the code. Don't get all wound up because HIS interpretation is not the same, especially since the code does not preclude HIM doing as HE did. King County code simply states it is unlawful to use or operate an internal combustion motor in North Lake. They guy did neither and his attitude and laziness, as you put it, was probably because he knew that.

My biggest problem is cities/municipalities/counties getting into the boating/fishing rule making business. IMO, we have enough rules and regulations as it is without them adding to the overburdening confusion.