The town’s harbor master and harbor advisory committee proposed changes to the town bylaws that they believed would make rules around jet skis more enforceable.

Harbor masters, town officials and many Island residents consider them a safety hazard and an annoyance. Users buy and rent them as recreational vehicles and for the fun of riding Vineyard waters at high speed.

The two colliding positions run to the heart of a longstanding Island and national dispute over use of personal watercraft, better known to many as Jet Skis. Now state legislative proposals governing the use of these watercraft may be changing.