LAKE WINNIPESAUKEE, N.H. (AP) – Although Marc Bourgeois’ $500,000 Fountain power boat can whip through Lake Winnipesaukee at 100 mph, he rarely goes that fast.

But Bourgeois often pushes his boat – a 47-foot, three-engine beast dubbed the “Summa Humma” – to 60 mph as he crosses through the Broads, the wide stretch of water between Gilford and Wolfeboro.

“Winnipesaukee is pretty much the lake in New Hampshire for boats like this,” he said. “You can’t show me a little boy or a little girl that doesn’t see a power boat and go, Wow, wow, wow, I can’t wait to go for a ride on it.”‘

But this could be the last summer for Bourgeois to speed across Lake Winnipesaukee without breaking the law.

Supporters of speed limits on the lake want lawmakers to set a 45 mph daytime speed limit and 25 mph nighttime limit, pointing out speed limits already exist on Squam Lake and New York’s Lake George.

Legislators are hanging onto the bill, introduced last January, while they gather input from people who use the lake; they plan to hold three public meetings, on June 29 in Moultonborough, July 6 in Wolfeboro and July 13 in Gilford.

Proponents say speed limits will make the lake safer and more enjoyable for swimmers, canoers and families taking it easy in pontoon and other slower boats. Jeff Thurston, a co-owner of Thurston’s Marina in Weirs Beach, believes speed limits on Lake Winnipesaukee are an inevitable reality.

“Forty-five, for most people when they’re out on a boat, is faster than most people would prefer to go,” he said. “I do think the days of high, unlimited, unbridled speed probably are going to close.”

Others predict a business loss if speed limits are established. Rob Frye, president of the New Hampshire Bass Anglers’ Sportsman Society, believes fast boats are a necessity for fishermen participating in tournaments.

“The tournaments only last so long,” he said. “It’s going to take forever on a smaller motor.”

Boaters like Bourgeois, who have invested fortunes in high-speed watercraft, say the state should focus on enforcing current water safety rules and say Winnipesaukee’s size, 44,486 acres, means there is space for slow and fast boaters on the water.

“You can see everybody from so far away,” said Bourgeois, who added that with proper lighting and eye wear, it’s reasonable to go up to 50 or 60 mph at night.

“If you’re out there where you’re running at high speeds, you won’t find canoes there,” he said. “These super-speeders aren’t in these coves. They’re not buzzing shorelines.”