Damage caused by boat wakes

[JLG]

Below is an article that might be of interest to many on here. I follow a lot of articles at LOTO and the wake issue is big talk, and is actually being looked at by a few legislators in Missouri. Puts a whole new perspective on a persons wake!
IMO common sense goes a long ways but it appears its just one more thing ppl can sue each other over.


http://www.boatus.com/seaworthy/maga...-liability.asp


http://lakeexpo.com/boating/the_lake...8b4d4e3a7.html

[JohnZ3]

Each boat owner is responsible for their wake. That's the rule I've read and have been told.

Surfers have torn my local marina to **** by surfing back and forth in front of it all summer.
As a surf boat owner, I try to stay away from launch ramps, marinas, and smaller fishing boats.

It's only a matter of time before marinas like mine start writing down bow numbers and calling a lawyer to sue for dock and boat damage.
The cost to fix the damage this year is BIG. Six figures big.

We all need to be careful with our wakes so the laws do not get more strict against our type of boating and force us into one small part of the lake.
Or off the lake all together.

Just my .02.

[Ewok]

X2 JohnZ3!

[sandm]

surfers put up big wakes, but in markets that have 35-45ft cruisers, theirs are every bit as big as surf wakes.

2 boats go by:
1-cabin cruiser at 25 throwing 3ft rollers. boat is full of 50/60-somethings all out enjoying an afternoon cruise waving and smiling at all they pass, drinking beers. you do not hear anything from them and cannot see them drink from the size/depth of the boat.
2-surf boat at 11.4 throwing 3ft rollers. boat is full of younger people, drinking beers visibly due to the smaller boat with a shallower draft, tunes cranked from the rev-10's and wrapped up in having fun watching the guy surf not waving at others on the waterway.

which one has the "perceived" large wake that is damaging the shoreline?
I believe that we are all battling against stereotypes that a few bad eggs are forcing on us that is traveling around the nation as the single biggest problem.

[dakota4ce]

Iowa, the land of boating rules, has a 300' rule. No speeds in excess of 10mph inside 300' from shore. However, public perception is "no wake" inside that zone. It is also enforced in that way by patrol boats.

I don't know if this helps our shorelines, but there is a buffer zone. (I live in Dakota, but boat in Iowa for those scoring at home)

And IMHO the constant 15mph "bow high" cruising by 28-30' Cobalts whilst sipping beer and wine is much more to blame for waves on our lake than is the surf population. But we are used to it, and don't have people up in arms about waves making problems. We are built to withstand rough water--docks, shorelines and attitudes.

[Greeko]

bah,

All these silly lake and state restrictions... Just makes it frustrating

[all2matt]

Ill aggre with dakota 100%

back when I lived in the iowa city / cedar rapids area and grew up boating on coralville lake it was all the cobalts and crownlines plowing that caused much bigger rollers then what our surf boats do. Up here in NORTH dakota :-) we have big yachts, fishing boats, pontoons or wake boats so the pleasure boat market doesnt have no where near the effect as back in THEE HAWKEYE state so if they push those rules up here it will actually be because of our wakeboats, which I guess is atleat fair.

[Dandy]

Believe it or not, this is one of several reasons that we recently sold our wakeboat. The stereotypes are not helping any. My wife and I are concerned that with the restrictions that are being considered and now with the invasive species issues that wakeboats and ballasted boats may have a more difficult time getting onto lakes for those of us that trailer. At a local lake we go to, they are now having us turn on the ballast pumps and if ANY water drops out, they have the right to refuse us access to the "clean" lake. If some of this continues, the value of these boats may drop considerable and when we were sitting on a G23 with payments, I didn't feel we could afford the risk any longer. Now we just chill with a 15' Whaler and have no issues or concerns on the lake...I sure to miss surfing though. Assuming that I am not the only person with thoughts such as this, I hope the wake boat manufacturers start to do some lobbying.

[Ewok]

I know this thread started with LOTO, which is a huge lake, but I think the majority of land owners who are mad about shoreline damage come from smaller lakes without big cruisers who see the wakeboats getting too close to shore. I see a valid argument on both sides and as long as I've been boating the boat driver is responsible for their wake. How that is enforced is difficult and subjective, but it's been a long standing courtesy and law of the land in boating.

Where I boat in WA and ID I believe the buffer from shore is 200' but I try to stay even farther away than that, and I look for non-populated areas of the lake as well. With that being said, sometimes on a windy day the only clean water for wakeboarding or surfing is in a nice quiet cove with some nice houses. If the cove or bay is big enough I might try a surf run but I start in an area where my wake dissipates out into the bigger lake, but all these discussions are totally situational dependent.

Long story but the meaning of my post is that I don't see wakes as a problem on big lakes (like LOTO and CDA) with big cruisers, but on smaller lakes or back bays and coves where cruisers don't go. You just have to be aware of your surroundings and think about everyone around you, even boats that are rafted up together in a cove. You wouldn't pull a surfer or wakeboarder real close to a group of boats tied up in the cove would you (unless they were part of your crew)? So don't get so close to shore and mess up water rights for the rest of us (not that any TigeOwners would do that, it was more of a rhetorical statement).

Disclaimer: I do not own lakefront property, but I hope to in the next 5 years.

[Ewok]

Believe it or not, this is one of several reasons that we recently sold our wakeboat. The stereotypes are not helping any. My wife and I are concerned that with the restrictions that are being considered and now with the invasive species issues that wakeboats and ballasted boats may have a more difficult time getting onto lakes for those of us that trailer. At a local lake we go to, they are now having us turn on the ballast pumps and if ANY water drops out, they have the right to refuse us access to the "clean" lake. If some of this continues, the value of these boats may drop considerable and when we were sitting on a G23 with payments, I didn't feel we could afford the risk any longer. Now we just chill with a 15' Whaler and have no issues or concerns on the lake...I sure to miss surfing though. Assuming that I am not the only person with thoughts such as this, I hope the wake boat manufacturers start to do some lobbying.

There is a filter system for wakeboats that allows you to go in and out of infested and clean water, and I think it's a factory option on Nautiques.

[skibumsd]

We have friends that have had a private lake based house since the 70's in Northern cali and they recently banned wakeboats completely. Its kinda funny since half the docs had them in there and a few pro riders grew up there and learned to ride. It only takes a small handful of people that are pissed off about shore erosion, dock damage, noise or whatever they are pissed about to ruin it for everyone. Be respectful when out riding and try to diffuse situations so our sport isnt banned!!!

[IDBoating]

We live on a lake in North Idaho. It's one of those narrow, "snaking" lakes as opposed to a big round shape. As a result, it is impossible to honor Idaho's normal shore buffer zone and for this lake the required no wake distance from shore has an exception that allows shorter distances.

Because of this narrowness, we are very careful about where we "throw" our wave. We keep the wave toward the center of the lake so it has a chance to dissipate somewhat before reaching the opposite shore. We also practice Ewok's advice above about hanging out in less populated areas; one shore of our lake has boat-access-only cabins that are empty 95% of the time, and the shoreline on either side of those is timber company property with no improvements at all, so nobody complains about them.

Sadly, this attitude is not universal even on our narrow lake. Some boaters surf within yards of our dock, their waves cresting over the top of our dock and splashing down onto its top. Our equipment is set up to tolerate that, but many people's isn't, and the damage must be pretty severe if they're getting the waves we do.

We try to gently educate people about this problem. Even if they're just passengers in your boat, teach them why this matters. They will be passengers in someone else's boat someday, and hopefully spread both the message AND why it is important to wakeboat owners.

[dakota4ce]

As a tangent, I would think a boat length limit on our lake would do multitudes more to limit wave damage than would a wake boat ban. The length of boats has gotten out of hand. All you need is credit and a pen and you are free to show that you're somehow better than the rest with your huge boat.

Its the lake equivalent to showing off your colorful plumage, I guess. The irony is that larger boats are not more entertaining or fun, they're just bigger and in many ways a bigger pain in the *** to drive and park. I can point out several retirement aged couples that have a 30-32-34+ boats with twin IOs on a chain of lakes in IOWA (Iowa, c'mon people) of which the biggest is 4000-ish acres.

Its ridiculous human posturing at its finest.

If we had a clean and deep water alternative within the same distance, I would be there. I love the lake, not so much the people strutting their stuff over there.

[JohnnieMo]

We spend some of our summer at a lake front cabin each year. I can say for certain that when my kids are playing on the beach it is ALWAYS the day-time cruisers who fly by and create waves which knock them over (all the while waving and smiling). The surfers all go out to the middle of the lake or find a un-inhabited cove (of which there are hundreds on Shuswap Lake)

Actually there is one neighbour who always has to pull his kids in front of his dock... right next to ours, so he makes a mess too. He runs a Monterey.

It comes down to courtesy and not what kind of boat you use.

[IDBoating]

It comes down to courtesy and not what kind of boat you use.

Sadly, that distinction is often lost on those who wish to restrict our freedoms....