"Beginning with registrations issued for 2010, non-motorized boats are assessed a $5 Waterway Conservation Fee."

Now that takes the cake. Any explanation for this idiotic thinking?

Ian

: Looks like I steered the political hornets nest with this one...
: But it is interesting to see others take on it.

: A few notes I forgot in my original post:

: They also issue you a Hull ID number when you first take it in for
: inspection to prove it is actually a home built water craft.

: It is all about money the registration law was past in the mid
: 1980's to intercase the states share of federal excise tax on
: ammunition and fishing tackle which is disturbed based on the
: number of hunting & fishing license sold and the number of
: boat registrations sold regardless of type.

: If you are caught in ANY water craft (blow up raft, knew kayak
: pedal boat, etc... i think their is an exception for
: inner-tubes) with out a registration and not form a state that
: does not require registration it is a $95 fine.

: The idea that it cuts down on theft is bull! A group I volunteer
: with had 5 kayaks stolen a few years back and Ohio department of
: natural resources who controls registration and the police told
: us they were probably in WV or Indiana already and sold where
: their is no registration requirement.

: Yes the stickers look obnoxious but 99.99 % of the hand powered
: boats around here are either alumnus canews or cheep plastic
: wall mart kayaks . . . And it is the government think they
: care... pay up and shut up.