Mo's Battleship Viking Tempo II

[stooders]

Hi guys. I'm new to the forum and have been looking around to see what kinds of yaks people are using. There are some really interesting craft out there.

The topic of engines on kayaks is an interesting one. It looks like the people you spoke to at VicRoads about registering your yak, shouldn't really be working there because they don't know what they are talking about. About 12 months ago, I taped a segment on this topic for the TV show, River to Reef. (Did anyone see it? I haven't met anyone yet who has! - so much for my TV career)

In Victoria, any vessel fitted with a motor capable of propulsion, is deemed to be a powerboat and must comply with all powerboat regulations (rego, boat license, pfds, safety gear, lights etc.). It doesn't matter whether the motor is petol or electric. So, if you operate with the motor fitted, you are in a powerboat. If you operate without the motor fitted, you are in a kayak.

[maverick]

In Victoria, any vessel fitted with a motor capable of propulsion, is deemed to be a powerboat and must comply with all powerboat regulations (rego, boat license, pfds, safety gear, lights etc.). It doesn't matter whether the motor is petol or electric. So, if you operate with the motor fitted, you are in a powerboat. If you operate without the motor fitted, you are in a kayak.

I believe and I am happy to be corrected, tenders to larger boats are exempt.......I just don't think I could convince anyone my yak is a tender to the stinka....

[bilby]

You don't need rego or a licence for a boat with an electric motor.
Bilby.

[stooders]

Hi Maverick. Tenders are interesting too. They do attract some concessions from powerboat rules and the Yak could qualify but then you are restricted to using it within 300m of the mothership.

Bilby, I'm not sure where you are getting your information about rego and electric motors from, but you have been misinformed. I'd hate to see anyone ordered off the water or fined by Water Police just because they didn't know the rules. Call Marine Safety Victoria on 1800 337 222 if you want this clarified. Craig

[Jenko]

There was a write up in one of the fishing magazines stating that the fitting of a electric or petrol motor to a kayak means that the kayak will have to be registered and you may have to have a boating license. When I bought mine from Neil at Geelong K&K I asked him if this was right and he replied, yes!

[bilby]

I always thought that if the boat /vessel went under 5kn (10km) rego and licence weren't required, and thats how boat hire places get away with daylight hours (rego only) and no licence required.
Bloody rules, i'm taking up knitting.
Bilby.

[HaTTerS]

Can you knit me a new PFD?

[Yuz]

There was a talk about getting cyclists to pay rego... not long now, we'll have to pay for/rego kayak and boat licenses

[stooders]

The 5kt rule exists in NSW but has never been adopted in Victoria for Recreational boats. You are right about applying the system to hire boats but they are Commercial vessels and treated very differently. Stooders

[bilby]

Thanks for the info mate.
Bilby.