(clipped)

I don't know if licensing is related to horsepower here, but there's one
lake where there's a 10 hp limit. My dealer has repeatedly offered to get
me a different decal for my motor, since (according to him), the only
diff between the 10 and the 15 hp motors is the carb.


My 14' boat with 15 hp was automatically covered under my State Farm home
owners policy. My check on the HP limits for coverage.

You might want to double check that insurance. I also assumed that my
homeowners insurance with State Farm covered boats up to 14ft and under 25
hp. as it stated. However, my agent told me that was just for loss or
liability if it was operated on waters totally within my property. Or was
stolen or damaged by wind/fire/etc. He said that as soon as I pull away
from my dock on the river, the coverage ceases and that I would need
liability coverage to protect from any injury or damage that I might cause
to anyone else. Liability on a boat is pretty cheap. I pay about $70 a
year to cover my 24 ft pontoon boat..well, maybe not so cheap since I only
managed about two weeks in the water this year due to flood waters. I've
been back in this area 5 years, now and this is the second Summer that the
Sheriff has closed the river to boating due to high waters. 50 years ago,
when I was a kid in this same house, nobody ever thought of closing the
river...we just all had the common sense to stay off when water levels were
dangerous. But then, there weren't any million dollar houses with expensive
boats and docks to be damaged by boat waves, either.

Tom G