Wake surfing after dark!

Status
Not open for further replies.
SBennett said:
Wake boats are doing very real damage to shoreline flora and fauna.
The EPA will be along in next year or two to weigh in on the problem.
The operators of wakeboats COULD self police themselves now to draw things out?
I just made myself lol….
Click to expand...
We'll S Bennett as I recall we agree on a lot of items like the State if Utahs overzealous over policing of boats leaving Wahweap or Beach Bags, pins and the potential damage they cause. Maybe we will just agree to disagree on the negative impacts of surf size waves breaking on the beaches or rolling anglers boats into canyon walls and spoiling quiet enjoyment in many ways. I've spent long weekends on Powell every week since April with weeks connected in between and I go out in my houseboat often. I've been coming to Lake Powell for a long time, my parents first brought me here in 1974. Seeing the real impacts of these new huge wakes makes me wonder if some new regulations might not help the rest of us enjoy the lake too. Kudos on the flora and fauna comment, maybe the famed redwoods on the shoreline are impacted too! Ha
 
Last edited:
Rivergoer said:
Footin’ was the best. We didn’t have a boom in the early ‘70’s, just Dad’s 19’ Glastron Tri-hull with the famous 115 Merc Tower Of Power.

To teach ourselves barefootin’ at Lake Perris, CA, we got up on an old wooden slalom ski (from a pair of doubles), floored the Glastron, stepped the back foot out, gradually increased weight on that foot until we were able to drop the ski and plant the other foot. The ski was left floating until the end of the barefoot run. One time we returned to find someone retrieving our ski.

So to solve that problem, on the ski we painted a green four leaf clover covered by a red circle with a line through it. Below that we painted in black letters “This is NOT your lucky day. Please return me to the water and a barefoot skier will be back to get me.”

Looking back we didn’t consider how dumb that was leaving a hazard on the water, but at daybreak back then we generally had the lake to ourselves.

What a great upbringing, bunch of teenagers up before dawn to find some glass and Dads that trusted us enough to loan us the station wagon and boat keys.

For that reason I’m torn about wake boating. On the one hand the wakes are destructive and some operators are inconsiderate. On the other, seeing kids get into outdoor sports and off their devices is a very good thing in so many ways.
Click to expand...
Rivergoer, those are great memories and we were lucky to grow up without devices. I know you mostly Houseboat in the winter preferring quiet enjoyment. Quiet enjoyment is when the canyons are at their best. Wakesurfs are making it much harder for us working summer stiffs to find any quiet enjoyment. They surf in the canyons and the coves and just don't give a crap what it does to anyone else in there and it's not illegal but maybe it should be.
 
Last edited:
SBennett said:
Wake boats are doing very real damage to shoreline flora and fauna.
The EPA will be along in next year or two to weigh in on the problem.
The operators of wakeboats COULD self police themselves now to draw things out?
I just made myself lol….
Click to expand...
There is nothing in EPA's remit to cover shorelines or any kind of action that is the result of mechanical action. There has been some study of the issue in Wisconsin and Michigan. I have a hard time believing that wake boats are resulting in any issues at Lake Powell resulting in shoreline impacts to flora or fauna or to the shoreline itself that are anywhere near the impact of a) natural wave action or b) variability in liquid level. The impacts seen at natural lakes with limited wave action could be greater than a hard bottom/walled lake like Powell, but even there natural wave action is likely to rule the day.

The regulations that have been proposed have all been at the state level, where they can limit recreation access.
 
If you wanna make rules about other people's recreation, how about making the rule that wake boaters must not be near any other boaters? I know they throw big wakes, but so do the tour boats. In fact, the tour boats throw wakes as big as a house! You wanna shut them down? I think a lot of you are getting so wound up about this issue that your heads are spinning!
 
Jan Hertzen said:
If you wanna make rules about other people's recreation, how about making the rule that wake boaters must not be near any other boaters? I know they throw big wakes, but so do the tour boats. In fact, the tour boats throw wakes as big as a house! You wanna shut them down? I think a lot of you are getting so wound up about this issue that your heads are spinning!
Click to expand...
Next time I see a tour boat coming into the little cove I'm beached and camped in with enough speed to generate surf boat size waves I'll join your train of logic. Tourboats, unlike ubiquitous wake surf boats make a total of about 5 runs uplake a day if they are going at all (they are closed down right now) and they run in the main channel. Confining surfing to the main channel and larger coves is what I'm talking about to give others a chance at quiet enjoyment. Wake wave machines are unique in that they purposefully throw the biggest wake possible behind them, they roll kayaks and fishing boats, bounce houseboats all over the beach and most operators don't seem to care.

That's all i'm saying, we are missing the quest enjoyment of our smaller coves and think we could do more to share the lake. Surfboard can't be outlawed, they can drive into any cove just not with a surfer in tow, that's all
 
Last edited:
Jan Hertzen said:
If you wanna make rules about other people's recreation, how about making the rule that wake boaters must not be near any other boaters? I know they throw big wakes, but so do the tour boats. In fact, the tour boats throw wakes as big as a house! You wanna shut them down? I think a lot of you are getting so wound up about this issue that your heads are spinning!
Click to expand...
Ridiculous statement. Tour boats are not running up and down every side canyon and there is no tour boats on the North end of the lake but huge and dangerous wakes are still a problem.
 
Marina Bum said:
Next time I see a surf wave machine coming into the little cove I'm beached and camped in with enough speed to generate surf boat size waves I'll join your train of logic. Tourboats, unlike ubiquitous wake surf boats make a total of about 5 runs uplake a day if they are going at all (they are closed down right now) and they run in the main channel. Confining surfing to the main channel and larger coves is what I'm talking about to give others a chance at quiet enjoyment. Wake wave machines are unique in that they purposefully throw the biggest wake possible behind them, they roll kayaks and fishing boats, bounce houseboats all over the beach and most operators don't seem to care.

That's all i'm saying, we are missing the quest enjoyment of our smaller coves and think we could do more to share the lake. Surfboard can't be outlawed, they can drive into any cove just not with a surfer in tow, that's all
Click to expand...
I'd follow this logic if it also applied to waverunners, jetskis, bass boats, pontoon boats, and houseboats with any kind of group over 5. Because nothing screws up my nice quiet bays more than those obnoxious houseboat groups with 30 people.
 
You are talking about someone else messing up your nice quiet bay with a different form of recreation. Sorry, but I totally disagree with the viewpoint that we need to ban some to give others the exclusive rights to enjoyment. Your houseboat can be just as annoying as a surf boat. I can't count how many times houseboats almost swamped my little 18 footer. And, don't get me started on waverunners and jetskis...if you don't like waves, don't go to the lake or the beach.
 
Yes let’s make more laws for NPS to not enforce and only ruin things for those that don’t follow the rules anyway!! Every new form of recreation annoys and ruins things for those that remember the times before. You sound like a bunch of drainers that want the peace and quiet of no lake at all. Everyone has their own way to enjoy the lake and everyone has the right to do so as long as they respect others space. NPS needs to start enforcing the laws that already exist and that would solve a lot of problems!!
 
K, I’m gonna admit it. Water skiing under a full moon, 95 degree night. Not a single ripple on the water, not a breeze. A few miles straight of water, hundreds of feet deep. Not another boat for ever. A night my friends and I will never forget. Yep, we broke the law, but let me ask you this…what’s the difference between day skiing and night skiing under a full moon? I generally consider myself super-safe and this was a very small risk and it was very special. For all of you ready to come unglued…do you never push the envelope just a little? Live life, you only get one.
 
i myself cant stand the wake surf boats either and they all seem to have a battle who can make the biggest wake,The big thing for sure is the drivers of them more than a few have zero respect! i have a boat and an old stand up jet ski so do both and like to waterski.

At parker this summer i went often and you can see a wake surf boat coming up they would slow it down near la paz and make a big wave purposely to watch it push peoples boats and skis all over the shore then speed off.Some also will do the same at the on the river bar restuarant as boats are tied to the dock to see how far they can push them.IMO seem quite a few just get these boats for doing this too.

I an also against heavy enforcement because we will all pay for it on the water but lack of self policing will lead to this and feel this is very close to happening.
 
77charger said:
i myself cant stand the wake surf boats either and they all seem to have a battle who can make the biggest wake,The big thing for sure is the drivers of them more than a few have zero respect! i have a boat and an old stand up jet ski so do both and like to waterski.

At parker this summer i went often and you can see a wake surf boat coming up they would slow it down near la paz and make a big wave purposely to watch it push peoples boats and skis all over the shore then speed off.Some also will do the same at the on the river bar restuarant as boats are tied to the dock to see how far they can push them.IMO seem quite a few just get these boats for doing this too.

I an also against heavy enforcement because we will all pay for it on the water but lack of self policing will lead to this and feel this is very close to happening.
Click to expand...
A person pays 100-200K for a boat just to make a wake so they can rock other people’s tied up boats? You really think these people exist? C’mon man! (Said in my best Joe Biden voice). :)
 
Ryan said:
That's not what was said.
Click to expand...

True. I probably shouldn’t have responded that way, but I’m extremely frustrated with the situation and feel that many surfers ignore the fact that it is a serious issue now and getting worse every year. Something needs to change and soon before the government forces the changes. I know surfboat owners and they are beginning to comment on how bad it is getting. I’m not for banning any kind of watercraft but I wish the responsible owners would be more vocal about reckless behavior. I get it that many surfers are clueless and have not been educated on how and where to safely tow. It doesn't help when the powellheadz knucklehead posted a video of himself surfing at night.

Serious question. Why do some surfers cruise with ballast on board?
 
I like to see people enjoy the lake, there is no one way to do that. People with Surf boats can enjoy the lake too, that's not the issue. I don't know why when folks who like to surf hear any suggestion of any kind of restriction on where they can drag a three foot hard faced wave behind them they start to freak out. Do you have to pass an egocentric to buy one? Do you think it's ok to completely disrespect everyone else on the lake even an angler in a canyon in a john boat or a kayaker? Do you know what that does to their craft? Do you care?

If ALL Surf Boat operators had some kind of manners (some do) if they all comported themselves with respect for others then I wouldn't think we'd need any help from Park Service but they don't. They'll surf right past a kayaker in a small cove and fell like it's their right to have a good time, F*#• Everyone Else! That's the vibe the rest of us get.
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top