The Hammer is Coming Down on Wakesurfing in the Commonwealth of Virginia

[bturner]

Agree with the above. And it's not just the wakes that are giving anyone that has a boat with a tower a bad name. Our lake association is looking at tower speakers as well with a noise ordinance. We have a couple groups of Bro's that like to spark up in full view and blast x-rated rap at the sand bars without a care about the time of day/night or the families and little kids just feet away. Tempers got a little heated a couple times last summer when there was some push back from those who didn't approve of the entertainment selection. I know many of the boaters on the lake and I'm way too old to fit the Bro life profile but I still get eyed up when I pull in with a boat that looks the part.

Its all about sharing the lake, using common sense, common courtesy and awareness of your surroundings. Unfortunately there seems to be a lot less of this going around these days and new legislation will be the result of these failures. I also agree and fear that as a result of the changing political environment we'll be seeing more rules/regulations and it won't be just on wakes.

Oh geez, I'm sounding just like my dad so I might as well finish with..... Get off my lawn!

[doug69]

I totally agree that people should be more respectful for each other. We were at a beach with kids a year ago and there was a group on a boat having a full on bachelor party with strippers in boat and the whole nine yard. We left with the kids shaking our heads at sheer lack of any common sense.

That being said this is a slippery slope. How do you ban surfing and not wakeboarding when they are the same boat? And have you seen a fully ballasted boat pulling a wakeboarder? Not exactly Wakeless. I also guarantee that the fish cops are not gonna be measuring wake height and carrying decibel meters so you are looking at outright boat or horsepower bans. We might think that we are being responsible boaters but I know people who argue simply owning a power boat at all makes you an ******* and would like to ban them from many lakes. I know you 60 year old water skiers think you are better than the rest of us but you take away one guys right to be an ******* and guarantee it won’t end there.

I am actually shocked that you guys would allow this to happen down there in the land of the free.


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[GMLIII]

I agree with Jeff's thoughts, I refuse to surf or tube in nice coves and leave those activities to the main body of water. The lake we are on 99% of the time has cruisers in the30-50' range that throw huge wakes, much bigger than surf ships, and there are parts of the lake (while a very large lake) that are fairly narrow so it's hard to ensure no large wakes within 200' of the shore without making more no-wake zones. My main question is what is it about that particular lake that made them call it out for legislation?

Yes SML is in the legislator's district. In addition SML is the second largest lake in the state of Virginia only behind Buggs Island/Kerr lake in miles of shoreline even though the amount of boat traffic and on water recreational use is much greater at SML. "Ground zero and all eyes on wakesurfing" at SML in the state of Virginia so to speak.

[hal2814]

I’m not surprised. I’d hate to see this be a widespread thing but that’s really up to the boaters. I hope the wakeboat dealerships see this happening and step in a little on basic boat etiquette. It’ll hurt them more than anyone. At the end of the day if wakesurfing gets outlawed I’ll go back to wakeboarding or slalom skiing. But most of my crew has no interest in anything else. I’d personally love to see more surf parks. I’d rather surf in a surf park and actually be able to slalom in the lake again. But I imagine the boat builders feel differently and I respect that.

[bturner]

Not sure about the Nautique dealer but I know the MC dealer won't let a boat out the door without a "orientation" session as part of delivery. During the session they run through the entire operation of the boat, boating safety and "rules of the road". The also offer free boating safety and driving courses throughout the summer. Bot my daughters got their boating safety certificates from them.

[hal2814]

In my experience the dealerships are thorough about safety but not so much about etiquette on their walkthroughs.

[Stevemo14]

I can't tell you how many times i have been at the ramp, and someone that looks completely out of the element with Temp tags on a boat and trailer are sitting there trying to figure out how to back it down the ramp. I have helped many times, and almost always its their first time out with it, have 0 clue how to even get it off the trailer, let alone how to drive it, etc etc etc.

None of these have been Nautiques, but I still can't believe that the dealership didn't go over anything with them, or come out for their first time on the water.

[GMLIII]

I’m not surprised. I’d hate to see this be a widespread thing but that’s really up to the boaters. I hope the wakeboat dealerships see this happening and step in a little on basic boat etiquette. It’ll hurt them more than anyone. At the end of the day if wakesurfing gets outlawed I’ll go back to wakeboarding or slalom skiing. But most of my crew has no interest in anything else. I’d personally love to see more surf parks. I’d rather surf in a surf park and actually be able to slalom in the lake again. But I imagine the boat builders feel differently and I respect that.

IMOH , we have only started to see new boating regulations. As time goes on regulations will become more widespread. Yes boating education and etiquette helps quell the outcry but will not prevent more regulations. I love wakesurfing and own a G23 but I can see both coming to an end in my rearview mirror sooner then later as a result of future regulations

[Stevemo14]

All this reminds me of people that live on a Golf Course. You live on a course, and lose your mind every time your house gets hit by a ball. You run out and yell and scream, at the guy/girl that hit your house, but at the end of it all you are still pissed, yet you know it was bound to happen.

Yes Surf Barges are new additions to the boating world, but asshats that buzz peoples docks are not The place I sat at at Norris is right on the main channel, and right by the "Jumping Bridge" which I'm sure those of you who have been to Norris know. Every weekend the dock just gets bashed from boats going by, some are just cruising home for dinner, some are skiing / boarding / surfing. They all take their toll on the dock. My buddy even ended up putting large rocks all along his shore to protect it. They new this when they bought it in 2005, before the surf barges. So nothing has really changed.

[SilentSeven]

Here's what I think will be the regulatory game changer for surf rigs..... pretty much any boat can generate a sizeable wake as they operate. But it's mostly transitory - that is; the boat's getting on or off a plane and the wake is large for some brief period. Sure, there are some big displacement hull cruisers out there that can lay massive continuous rollers but they are more the exception than the rule and the existing wake mgmt rules are directly intended for these guys.

Surf rigs on the other hand operate for significant periods at maximum wake. Indeed, the whole point of a surf rig is to lay a really big wake for a really long run...a whole bunch of really good engineers worked hard to make the boat do this. Now a big wake or two wasn't really a noticeable problem 10 years ago when there were a lot less surfers and the wakes just weren't was big as they are now. But now with the explosive growth of the sport and the arrival of the super-rig, it's become harder and harder to ignore and the current wake laws were never designed for this use case. This is where I think the authorities will find some traction....

IMO it almost needs to be waterway specific. Here in the Seattle area, we have two major lakes in the metro area - three if you include Lake Tapps south of the city. Lake Washington is huge, open to sizeable commercial marine traffic, has a relatively moderate amount of boats vs the size of the lake and of those boats, only a small % are surf rigs. Not really an issue on that lake. Lake Sammamish on the other hand is very different - smaller lake by comparison, no commercial marine traffic or boats that can't be trailered, ringed by residential homes with most all having some sort of watersports boat and with a proportionately high % of surf rigs. On Sammamish the problem is real...on nice summer weekend days there are just so many surf rigs running it's turning into a water safety issue. And dock buzzing isn't really an issue on either lake - both are ringed with no-wake shore buoys and compliance is pretty good....but the erosion and safety issues are valid on Sammamish.

[tdc_worm]

All this reminds me of people that live on a Golf Course. You live on a course, and lose your mind every time your house gets hit by a ball. You run out and yell and scream, at the guy/girl that hit your house, but at the end of it all you are still pissed, yet you know it was bound to happen.

i wouldnt say the golf course example is really analogous.

1) a golf ball hitting a house is likely an unintentional side affect of an errant swing. there is nothing unintentional about creating a 4 ft wave.
2) many waterfront homeowners purchased their homes before surfing--their investment predates the surfing behavior which disturbs their peace. golf courses dont just pop up in residential neighborhoods
3) many waterfront homes' shorelines and docks predate the surfing behavior---the engineering of the shoreline and docks wasn't built to withstand 4 ft waves....course design and house location play a role in keeping balls out of windows
4) a golf ball hitting a house would need to be a continuous affair from 10am until sun down on saturday and sunday to replicate what the home owners deal with.

[72Miles]

Who knows where it all goes. When I see a teenager on a jetski going 73mph that seems much more dangerous than wave height. Yet there are no speed limits.

[Stevemo14]

2) many waterfront homeowners purchased their homes before surfing--their investment predates the surfing behavior which disturbs their peace. golf courses don't just pop up in residential neighborhoods
3) many waterfront homes' shorelines and docks predate the surfing behavior---the engineering of the shoreline and docks wasn't built to withstand 4 ft waves....

I think the point is being missed here. Yes Surf waves are big, but I can't tell you how many people troll by off plane "Just Checking Things Out". How many people wakeboard by buzzing the docks. Those waves may not be surf waves, but they are brutal on shoreline and docks just the same. I don't care if you have ballast in your boat or not, or what kind of boat you have, when you cruise by the docks off plane, just throwing rollers, it is just as bad in my opinion.

Yes the boats have changed, and the waves have gotten bigger, but its not like these same people weren't having the same issues or complaining before. This is just a new way to complain, and finally its getting some traction. Lets be honest here. The real cause of any of this is just people being people, ignorant or not. "I don't own that, so why should I care about it" I think Education, just like with almost ever other issue out there, is what is needed. I think it needs to start with the manufacturers, the reps, and even the pros. If they start setting "internal standards" themselves, and put on education clinics, show responsible practices on IG, FB, Twitter, and all the other social media, it might start helping.

I know I try and educate everyone on my boat, or around me when I see something stupid going on. I don't yell and scream, I just go up and have a quick conversation. Just like I do when I see "Power Turns" out on the water.

As for the golf course, I think it is the perfect analogy. Just because the owner purchased their home pre surf barges, doesn't mean there hasn't been the "Wake" issue for a long long time.

[GMLIII]

I think the point is being missed here. Yes Surf waves are big, but I can't tell you how many people troll by off plane "Just Checking Things Out". How many people wakeboard by buzzing the docks. Those waves may not be surf waves, but they are brutal on shoreline and docks just the same. I don't care if you have ballast in your boat or not, or what kind of boat you have, when you cruise by the docks off plane, just throwing rollers, it is just as bad in my opinion.

Yes the boats have changed, and the waves have gotten bigger, but its not like these same people weren't having the same issues or complaining before. This is just a new way to complain, and finally its getting some traction. Lets be honest here. The real cause of any of this is just people being people, ignorant or not. "I don't own that, so why should I care about it" I think Education, just like with almost ever other issue out there, is what is needed. I think it needs to start with the manufacturers, the reps, and even the pros. If they start setting "internal standards" themselves, and put on education clinics, show responsible practices on IG, FB, Twitter, and all the other social media, it might start helping.

I know I try and educate everyone on my boat, or around me when I see something stupid going on. I don't yell and scream, I just go up and have a quick conversation. Just like I do when I see "Power Turns" out on the water.

As for the golf course, I think it is the perfect analogy. Just because the owner purchased their home pre surf barges, doesn't mean there hasn't been the "Wake" issue for a long long time.

We had education notices all over SML, at all marinas and boat dealers to surf responsibly. We even had some education clinics on the lake which may have helps some but still the proposed bill is going through the state of Virginia this week with "No" notice to the public until it was too late. We tried to help on a local level but failed so as you suggested maybe the boat manufacturers need to do more if nothing else to save their production of surf boats. Education maybe yes, but it is not the sole solution to the regulation problem from what I have experienced locally, Sad but true unfortunately.

[LakesideRec]

The not-suitable-for-children music just adds insult to injury and gives more excuses for people to lump surf boats in with other bad behavior on the lake. Remember, everybody has phones these days and can easily video you blasting adult lyrics and email it to their local elected officials or enforcement officials.