Jump to content

Lake Maintouwabing at the highest level ever...


SteveH

Recommended Posts

Doonut

As a cottage builder / Dock Builder in the Muskoka area I have to agree with on the light colour issue , as it is the norm to have a red light on docks and boathouses , But if you check with the coast guard (the feds ) you will see that a YELLOW light is the legal light to have on these structures , some may not agree with my opinion but a red light in the distance across a lake DOES look like a place to head for shore or safety , WRONG , stay away from these lights as they can be missleading and dangerous , I only install the AMBER coloured lights on any structures I build in the Muskoka area

MM

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Doonut

As a cottage builder / Dock Builder in the Muskoka area I have to agree with on the light colour issue , as it is the norm to have a red light on docks and boathouses , But if you check with the coast guard (the feds ) you will see that a YELLOW light is the legal light to have on these structures , some may not agree with my opinion but a red light in the distance across a lake DOES look like a place to head for shore or safety , WRONG , stay away from these lights as they can be missleading and dangerous , I only install the AMBER coloured lights on any structures I build in the Muskoka area

MM

Funny, I was searching the fed web site trying to find the actual laws governing bubblers and useage and safety and I came up blank. You have any links to info for that stuff Dave?

PS, thank you for NOT using red lights.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Doonut

As a cottage builder / Dock Builder in the Muskoka area I have to agree with on the light colour issue , as it is the norm to have a red light on docks and boathouses , But if you check with the coast guard (the feds ) you will see that a YELLOW light is the legal light to have on these structures , some may not agree with my opinion but a red light in the distance across a lake DOES look like a place to head for shore or safety , WRONG , stay away from these lights as they can be missleading and dangerous , I only install the AMBER coloured lights on any structures I build in the Muskoka area

MM

I appreciate the Coast Guard information and your advice on this subject, MM, and will change the colour of light on my boathouse/dock accordingly ...but can somebody please explain to me WHY a red light would indicate "...a place to head for shore or safety". I just don't get the logic of that, and would expect many (maybe most) people to have the opposite reaction...i. e. they would interpret it as a hazard, and keep their distance. Apparently I'm not alone in that perception, given that so many bubbled docks have red lights. Our dock builder, who is very experienced and has been in the business a long time, was the one who urged us to use the red light, and to post a "Danger: Open Water" sign, both of which we did. Apparently he wasn't aware of the official Coast Guard regulation on this either.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I appreciate the Coast Guard information and your advice on this subject, MM, and will change the colour of light on my boathouse/dock accordingly ...but can somebody please explain to me WHY a red light would indicate "...a place to head for shore or safety". I just don't get the logic of that, and would expect many (maybe most) people to have the opposite reaction...i. e. they would interpret it as a hazard, and keep their distance. Apparently I'm not alone in that perception, given that so many bubbled docks have red lights. Our dock builder, who is very experienced and has been in the business a long time, was the one who urged us to use the red light, and to post a "Danger: Open Water" sign, both of which we did. Apparently he wasn't aware of the official Coast Guard regulation on this either.

What colour is the tail light on a car or sled? RED When travelling the ice at night, red lights seen in the distance can be confusing. It could be the road you think you were looking for. It could be the buddy you lost site of in the snow dust. It could be a vehicle travelling across the ice. NO cars or sleds have flashing YELLOW lights on them. Flashing Yellow lights cannot be confused with a car, traffic on a road or a sled tail light.

I will always remember my first encounter with a bubbler on Lake Muskoka years ago. Travelling a route close to shore that I had travelled hundreds of times before, myself and two friends were running along when a sudden burst of snow came down. Hard to see where you are going to say the least. I was following the shore line by watching cottage lights and then I see a pair of red lights about one eigth of a mile ahead of and to my right. I assume its my travelling companions and speed up to catch them. Good thing I did because I quickly found myself crossing OPEN WATER in the dark and snow. Apparently, my compadres lost site of my tail light and ended up on the outside of an island so they couldn't see me nor I them. The two red lights could have been the cause of my demise had I not cranked the throttle and hung on tight once I saw my headlight reflect of the water.

I hate those friggin things with a passion. More and more of them are turning up in small bays and small lakes where they DO NOT NEED TO BE USED. Poory marked, some not even marked nor lit. Red lights beckoning lake travellers to head towards them in the night. All around terrible things they are.

If I remember correctly, one of the members of OC drove into an unlit one a couple seasons ago when heading along a familiar route home at night. Luckily he survived his swim in the dark.

One of these days, someone will not be so lucky as I or he.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Steve, I was at the cottage on the weekend on lake Maintouwabing and the ice is down to normal. It snowed a lot and now we have slush on the lake. I am back up this weekend, stop over for a beer and see the new cottage.

Ryan

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...