hyper701

i am so tempted to run my boat at the local pond, but i think it may piss people off.
there is a pond in the middle of town where hundreds of ducks and wild life live, and people go for there daily walk by the water. it is hands down the best place in town to run a boat because the water is always so flat, and its fresh water (i live in a costal area so all the water is salt water).
do you think people will get anoyed with me if i went there and started reving around with my boat?
do you think people will think im a ***** for scaring the ducks off?
and last of all do you run your nitro boats in places like that?
your honest opinion would be great thanks, cheers

WakeBoardnBash

if u run a nitro, jut put a muffler on your pipe. worst thing that can happen is you chicken out and not try it out

Justaddwata

My Feedback: (3)

You can be guranteed that you will get the wrong kind of attention and not only have issues at the local pond but quite possibly a lesser alternative.

If you have to ask people who dont know the spot about it I have to think it is a bad idea.

mopartybob

My local inland lake is full of ducks and duck lovers,sometimes i'm approached and asked if it bother's them (ducks[:-]) LOL,duck people are weird,I just tell them with the most straightest face I can muster that it stimulates them into breeding,flying,and crapping into other parts of the lake and they like it..... just don't be a jerk and start chasin 'em around(ducks),even though they will soon leave after your arrival, and use a quite pipe or stinger muffler also ,just so's these duck lovers can still hear them a quackin......

gooycheese

Where I run my boat there are tons of geese and some ducks, it really doesn't seam to bother them. They get out of the water and sit on shore and watch, not 10min after my boat is out of the water and they are back in the water. The wildlife I don't think is really an issue it will be the noise and if people really mind. You could try like the town hall and see if they mind, it is an idea.


Paul

Ron Olson

My Feedback: (1)

I try to use the sanctioning body guidelines for safety even when I'm not at a race and one of those is not to run where waterfowl is present. An area club had a district race and there were some ducks swimming near the course. I yelled to the CD about that (I only yelled because I wasn't near him) but some moron with a gas 'rigger went way wide on the course going right threough the flock, badly injuring one duck. They has messed up in front of one person not to mess with, a daughter of a retired DNR officer. She reported the club to the DNR, the city police and the county Sheriff's Department. The host club got a $1,000.00 fine for trying to cover up the incident.
As tempting as it sounds, I myself wouldn't try it.
BTW, since that incident, running R/C boats is against city ordinance since that happened in public waters.

4wheelinrevo

It matters if it the pond is an area of town that people consider "old town" like the old fashioned part of town that people hang out and go for walks in and the town considers as "prestine"

if it is one of those type on area's then dont do it. the whole point that those type of area's are built is to make there town have a nice clean quite area, not only would running a boat in this type of area be rude but down right mean. and also if it is one of these type of areas of town im sure someone will call the police and they have ordinances against noise, every town has them, im sure they will be appling that ordinance in your case if you run your boat there.

now if its just a part of time that looks like any other part of town then go for it, the wild life wont be affected by it.


while you should have fun with the hobby of R/C you just have to be considerate at the same time, in my area (chicago suburbs) we are pretty considerate of where we drive are R/C toys at and me and my friends have never run into any problems at all, actually last weekend we were at teh forest preserve and mea nd about 10 other guys were driving our nitro cars/trucks and after about 1/2 hour we ahd a crowd of 60+ years olds watching us and asking us questions, i even let one of them drive my truck for a min or 2, its all about consideration, if you you a little common sense the town will have a positive reastion to you driving your boat, car, helicopter or whatever it is your hobby is.

Instead of being known as the guy who reiuns a nice time walking int he town be known as the guy who drives a boat that is pretty cool, after people see that you are considerate they will be nice too you and more tolerant of where you drive your boat.

just use common sense thats all. The one question that i always ask myself is this, " if i was in the other peoples shoes who i want this r/c to be driven here?" go by that rule and you will have no problems

piper_chuck

My Feedback: (12)

I read several articles last year about a club in Washington that had either lost, or was losing, their pond. One of the primary reasons being used against the club was the risk of injuring ducks on the pond. Do not underestimate the ability of a person, or small group of people, to prevent us from enjoying our hobby.

Square Nozzle

My Feedback: (1)

These are the kind of stupid things that "Modelers" do that lose privileges for the rest of us. Running a powered boat on a pond with ducks, geese, swans or whatever is irresponsible. All it takes is a news article about a model boat injuring a duck and the general public will be looking to linch you and anyone else running a boat responsibly. Do youself a favor and find a local club that has an accepted site. You'll learn that there is more to boating than running RTR's and going around in random circles.

TIA

Some of my wife's friends have kids that were interested in boating so we picked up a bunch of electric boats exactly for that purpose.

We go to a little pond and drive around at one end. All the ducks seem to swim over to the other end while we are running the boats around. Elec's are quiet so nobody is bothered. BTW my wife and her girlfriends meander over to the other side & feed the birds bread while we're playing as well. Just a tip!

Get an electric RTR for the small duck ponds and leave the fuel burning boats for the designated boat lakes.

Thats my advice.

Let us know what happens.

mopartybob

GREAT ADVICE !! test the water's AND attitudes so to speak......

rcBPman04

I would think that you would not want to disturbed that peaceful area even though it is very tempting. I live on a huge lake but my home is in a small cove with only 5 homes in it. It’s the perfect place to run my boats when the lake is being occupied by 30 to 50 foot boats, so I just run them off my dock. I only have a problem with one neighbor because he can’t stand the noise, but he has to understand that I can run my jet ski for 2 hours outside his home that makes just as much noise and he can’t do anything about it because it’s a public lake, as the same thing goes with the boats. Everyone else loves the rc boats and planes that I run so he is not going to stop me from having fun for a couple of hours once or twice a week.

Its all up to your own judgment on whether or not you should run the boat, just be safe an don’t hit any birds, turtles or people.

sleepy306

My Feedback: (1)

You have to be very very careful. Duck (or animal) lovers feel very strong against boaters and no matter if done accidentally. I've hit a couple of ducks before and got yelled at one time. I apologized for the incident because it was truly my fault. So be very careful. I've also heard that one of the rc'ers actually got out of the hobby because of the flack he was getting. He ran gas riggers and scared some ducks away. Someone reported to the sheriff that he was intentionally trying to hit a bird. So be careful.

some are very weird though...my pond has a boat launch area specfically for rc boats. One time when I was running, this person started feeding the ducks in my area...out of all the open areas, the person decides to feed a duck in front of me...

As I said...very weird so be cautious.

What get me is that they allow fishing at the pond I go to. The state stock the pond during the cooler times of the year. What get me are that these birds sometimes swallows the bait and hook on these fishermans line ending up with a hook stuck in there throat which can pose more a problem for the bird since they may not be able to eat anything without discomfort. Again, duck lovers forgive the fisherman who definately out number the boaters at my pond.

Weird.

wave waker

i run my boats in all the city park in my place, got no problem,,i don't threat the ducks, i tried to keep distance from them and i called the park incharge if i can run boat and got a green light for it.

try calling the park board or whoever incharge and talk to them, in that way u don't feel like guilty running boats.

Sean Bowf

The ponds they stock here are off limits to any type of gas engine...I got chased off one by the police.

Sean

hyper701

thanks for the replys, i dont think im gona run my boat there + my wife wont let me, so i will have to stick with the salt water and clean the boat every time i use it, cheers

Ron Olson

My Feedback: (1)

Get yourself an aerial map of where you live and see if you can find some previously undiscovered waters. I've looked at aerial maps around me and was surprised at all of the little lakes and ponds that I didn't know existed!

hyper701

good idea, i will look on google earth, but still i dont think i will find fresh water.

tcb-77

I run my boats at a local pond that sounds the same, mostly I get intrest, the ducks dont even leave. Even fishermen want to talk, want me to run there lure out to the middle.

skymortar

if you piss people off at this pond the powers that be will remember when you try to get permission for the next perfect pond.i run my boats exclusively in salt water,lots of open water,not a big noise issue but you dont just pack up and go home.FLUSH EVERYTHING

Flabum

Look for a retention pond in an industrial area. We have a few here in our area the guys run at. In a small industrial park, nobody is going to complain of the noise or wildlife. Just don't tresspass.

SpinnerVision

Just call city hall or the local cops & ask if it's legal... That's what I've done around here, and have had to do it a lot because one pond and or river may have totally different rules than a nearby pond and or river on exactly what's allowed or restricted for use, such as time of year, time of day, electric or fuel, muffled or unmuffled, size of hull, size of engine, type of hull, speed of boat, distance controlled from, size/width of pond/river, depth of usage area, noise level and/or distance from any animals and/or specific animals at all times and/or breeding season, whether zoning of surroundng property is residential, business, farm, industrial, etc jus to list the major ones that I've come across most often... there's still many more.

Vertical3-D

My Feedback: (20)

The pond I run in is in town on the outskirts of a small park, some houses around and such, but its a small town, 3 cops total, never more then one on duty, a few ducks and geese, so generally I run nitro maybe 3 days a week at most, and 1 day is saturday, I dont run early or around dinner time, and if there is an goings on nearby in the park I will ask them if they mind and let them know that its loud before they say yes or no, sometimes the cop is sitting in the parkinglot and I just drive on by...there a quarry also thats much more secluded but they close it during the colder months, dont want anyone near the deep cold water I geuss...I usually have a positive reponse from people. A few people have even parked and got out in the snow just to watch my 1/4 scale gasser airboat(it was an ice breaker that day)

misshydro

You lucky that you dont live in Ohio!![:@] Theres 6-7 cops that work in the small towns.[:@]They will bust you for anything even them piddly stuff to in Ohio.[:'(] plus The sheriffs also does partros too!![:'(] Me and my boyfriend used to live in PA,Wattsburg!!So I know about small towns cops in PA,alot better then they are here!!In PA the Sheriffs up there only does warrants and does work for the court houses,If the small town cops wasnt on duty,the state boys covered them.[8D]Ohio is a cop happy place!![:'(] people call cops for every thing in the books around here[:@].So I'm very carefull were I run my boats!![>:] I'm lucky that I have a friend who's has a pond for me to run in!!

Vertical3-D

My Feedback: (20)

yeah, they have never given me any trouble, usually if they stop to talk to me they end up joking about something, but we also have a friend with a pond, but its a bit smaller and farther away...I may find out what township or burough is in charge of the quarry I mentioned and try to get permission and a key to use that during the cold months, I think If I make a good case and they realize its good intentions and that Im not stupid enough to jump into a freezing cold quarry, then it may actually work...