Trying to Ban Wakeboard Boats

[waketime]

Our city council is planning to ban all wakeboard boats on our lake and I need to educated on the old 210 hulls.. I know some of the older ski nautiques have the same hull. I need the years that they are the same because when these yahoos start picking and choosing what is a wake boat and what is not. I want to be prepared because there are a bunch of old nautiques running around on our lake and i want them to know that it is the same on the bottom as the newer 210s. If I have to go so do they, new or old its the same. You cant cut the top of an apple and put it on an orange and call it an orange can you.
There is currently about 35-40 people on our lake who have wake boats and actually have homes or summer homes on the lake. Right now we have a no ballast ordinance but they are gonna try to ban them entirely at the next meeting in early June. Any ideas or comments would help..

[SkiTower]

RE: Trying to Ban Wakeboard Boats

That sucks, and reeks ignorance! As is stated on most forums I've read, inboards are some of the most considerate and competent boats on the lakes and ramps. If they go, they need to ban ALL powerboats. What do they find acceptable? What exactly is the complaint? Is it the noise from the mega-stereos or the extra large wakes? This sounds like a detail nightmare trying to specify what is and isn't acceptable.

I doubt the hull will be the specification on what is banned or not. It will probably either be the sport itself (no wakeboarding at all) or the official label of the boat (cross-overs allowed?)

[clubmyke]

btw, you might want to confirm this - the mastercraft x-1 and older x-2 are based off a older prostar hull.

[BigBald]

what is the name of the lake?

[gride300]

if i were you i would get a lawyer. it's a violation of your right to enjoy yourself and stay healthy/ in shape. let them get the marine police out there if they have a problem with weighted down boats. maybe you should try to get shaun murray to come talk to them. if anyone can convince them it might be him. what are they going to do? buy your boat from you for high blue book value? hearing this bothers me to no end. i agree, if they ban wakeboard boats they have to ban any power boat that is more than 19' long. if you don't win for some reason send everyone a box of poo

[sacramentia]

First off, small town government can really suck if not part of the inner circle.

The old 210 has the same hull as the 1997 and earlier Sport Nautiques. If I were you, I'd spend my time trying to understand what is bothering the neighbors instead of trying to make them look dumb when they try to define what a wake board boat is.

If you are out enjoying your morning coffee by the lake and a wake boat with a massive sound system goes by playing a song you don't like -- that is annoying -- now if you like the song it is whole different story.

Good luck.

[Quinner]

Good suggestion by Sacra, we have quite a few whiny old farts on our lake, already implemented a no wake until 10am and always seem to be trying to squeeze more time from the skiers. From my experience the issue is simply any wake so I would imagine they are focusing on that or more specifically the XL wakes associated with WB'ing and Surfing.

Good luck, you are probably going to need it!

[MikeC]

All these posts are on target. I was on the lake the other day (and this happens all the time) and a small cruiser went by at about 10 mph - HUGE wake - bigger than my surf wake. We also get buzzed by jet skiers all the time - they're like flies, not harmful but annoying anyway. It seems to me that if their problem is with the wake, they need to ban a particular size of boat - not a type of boat. If it's noise, then they need to place some limits on that. But if it's a particular sport, you need to get a lawyer. Unless they can put their finger on exactly what the problem is and why they are banning it, it's discrimination. The same thing has happened on the ski slopes with snowboarding the old die hards didn't want that type of person around, they thought they were a bad influence and bad for business.

You may want to contact USA Waterski and/or WWA and see what kind of resources they have. Keep us posted, I'd like to know how this one comes out.

[JoeCos]

Good Suggestions above. Also, why not ask the boat manufacturers to get involved. Afterall, it is their business that will be affected.

[gride300]

personally i listen to alot of music, but since i have a crazy loud tower setup with alot of throw i try to not put on anything with consistent foul language. i go for some modest mouse, allman bros, or just anything that isn't upsetting to people, esp. with little kids, even though they are just words. also, i know that every serious rider or skier i know makes an effort to minimize wake impact on others if at all possible by idling by when someone's boat is tied off to the dock, or turning some in the appropriate direction to wash the wake out. in my experience on the water for 11 years it has been fisherman and just plane in experienced boaters who make things obnoxious or unsafe for others.

[waketime]

It's lake williamstown in Ky.. and sacra you hit the nail on the head.. its a very small town and it is ran by the good ol boy system. they probably wont even give a reason and say it is what it is.

A little lake history.... for the last 40 yrs it has been a quiet fishing lake. over those 40 yrs those fishing camps, cabins or trailers have been falling apart. Lake looked like a junk yard for awhile. not all of it but it head some real eye soarers. In the last 5 years alot of the camps, cabins and trailer have been bought and torn down and rebuilt. A lot money has come to the lake and with has come the wakeboard boats and ski or cross-over boats. Now all the locals(fishermen) have been upset for the last 5 or 6 years. i guess they feel that we have taken over the lake. so with 90% of the home owners not being locals they dont care what laws or ordinance they make. they know we cant vote them out or anything like that. The lake has an assoc. which helps the city council decide on some of the lake laws. The lake assoc. actually pays for a city cop to patrol the lake. he is nothing more than a puppet on the end of city councils strings. he knows us all and we get along pretty good. Ive been pulled over by him at least 10 times for someone just calling the police to say that we were on the lake.. no tickets. And its never been turn down the music or you making to big of a wake or slow down and there is never any alcohol.

More and more new wakeboard boats show ever year..off the top of my head i know of atleast 40. the only thing i can think of is that there is a city council member who lives on the lake who fishes. when we ride we always get the thumbs up or do a flip by everyone..

We have a meeting set up tonight to discuss our plans and we are collecting funds for a lawyer.

And I was not gong to make them look dumb. I was just going to point out that it may not look like my boat on top and it is an older "ski" boat, but it has the same hull which produces the same wake. So if i'm gonna be banned so is that guy. Just want them to know that it's gonna be hard for them to separate without discriminating by just who we are..just my thoughts.

we were planning on having a tournament this weekend(approved by the mayor)but are now thinking about canceling because we dont want any more attention on us..

and this is where most of our boats where last weekend as the weekend wallys buzzed the lake.

Check us out. www.willytownwanksters.com

[gride300]

i think there are only about 10 wakeboard boats in a 40mile radius from where i live in alabama

[waketime]

thank you for your ideas. we already have a mastercraft dealership owner who is involved and a centrion dealer. they have already contact their manufacturers and they said they have never heard of anything like this..they were blown away...they have seen banned ballast but not banned boats

[skiswm]

About 10 years ago the Truckee Town Council tried to ban ALL boating on Donner Lake. Instead of getting mad and trying to fight it w/out having the facts we gathered up all the info we could. The best source I actually found was the ISJBA (Int' Jetsports Boat Assoc). They sent a rep out to the meeting who laid out the facts, they tried to hit on MTBE which was no longer in the gas stations around the lake, then they said we drove all over the lake like "crazy people." We agreed to a one way direction lake unless you were picking up a skier/boarder/tube. They said we all drove to fast so we agreed to a 35mph speed limit. A lot of it comes down to policing yourselves, when you see someone being an idiot, blasting a stereo really loud, buzzing by a fisherman etc ........let them know they are out of line. We have police on our lake now just about every wknd and major holiday with other days mixed in. Sadly, the real problem still has been the "new" wakeboard boat owners come on the lake, blow past the 5mph zones, get too close to shore, and turn their radios up so load people on the beach hear their music clearly instead of the conversations they are trying to enjoy. I would imagine if you work with your City, agree to some new rules, and show you are willing to work with them they'd be happy to have on the lake. The problem probably is the huge wakes bashing their docks, garbage being thrown around, loud music, and buzzing the local fishermen....just my thoughts...

[Bullet]

a small local private lake in my area banned the use of wakeboard boats---

it is a majority old people gated community--and they voted against them----not a big loss but still rediculous----there excuse was erosion---bla bla bla