no wake zone issues

[TitanTn]

I'm wondering is anyone has experienced issues like I've had. I drop my boat in at a public boat ramp and motor out several hundred yards through a no wake zone. Pretty typical. When idling out, I'm usually around 750 rpms - it's as slow as I can go. Several times over the last couple of years I've had the gas dock lady yell at me, and I even was stopped by DNR. I really think it's the illusion that I'm moving through the water quickly versus me actually creating a wake. Maybe the V in the front is creating some curling water, but behind the boat the wake (ripples) is very minimal.

Anyone experience anything like this? I expect the gas dock lady to be clueless, but even the DNR guy? He tried to tell me that the definition of a wake is six inches. "And the thing most people don't know is that you measure it from the bottom of the wave to the top of the wave." I hate talking to some of these guys because you can't really say what you want or they'll throw the book at you. But he doesn't know what he's talking about for a wake definition. There is no definition like that. He also wanted to get me for my son sitting on his knees in the playpen and having his elbows on top of the gunnel.

I really think he might have been after me because hours prior I had launched my boat, parked the truck, loaded the kids, sunscreen, life jackets, etc., all while he talked on his cell phone while his boat sat on the trailer in the middle of the boat ramp. He was still "in the process" of unloading his boat when we were pulling out of the marina. I told my wife that I couldn't believe how inconsiderate some people were. I didn't think he could hear me, but his head did jerk up from the phone call when I said it to her - so he might have been gunning for me.

But the point I'm trying to make is about our hulls. Is there something that makes them appear to put off a wake even when they aren't? Anyone have a similar issue?

[cjtpilot]

I am not sure what it is about inboard boats in general, however growing up we had a lake house on a channel and the neighbors all the time were telling my friends that had ski boats to slow down. Even though they were in idle maybe because of the nose riding so low to the water??? The other night I was out on my comp and our river is idle only right now and even I thought at times I was flying yet I look behind me and there is no wake at all.

[2500HD]

sounds like the fish cop had something up his wahoo!

[92SupraComp]

well ya see, the boat that the family shares in NH (m grandparents boat) is a 1987 CC Martinique. The butterfly shaft for the carb broke allowing 4 of the 8 cyl to receive any amount of they wanted. This usually meant an 1,800 RPM IDLE!. So when in gear it was around 1,200 rpm or more. This made it easy to go through "no wake" zones as we just had to show it refused to idle too high! :D but we got it fixed and now we have a slow smooth 500~600 rpm idle...

[Zim]

My boat idle's around 650 rpm's, and when I click to the first forward position to idle forward, I produce no wake at all behind me...

[gogger]

They are like red sports cars. They just look fast sitting still. It's that sexy hull design. Lots of other boats speed into our no wake zones and I often wonder if they don't understand what no wake means. No one has ever said anything to us. We just go as slow as we can. About 700 rpm usually I believe.

[TitanTn]

They are like red sports cars. They just look fast sitting still. It's that sexy hull design. Lots of other boats speed into our no wake zones and I often wonder if they don't understand what no wake means. No one has ever said anything to us. We just go as slow as we can. About 700 rpm usually I believe.

Yeah, I agree with that. I think we just look fast. I know I see plenty of bass boats creating much more of a wake than I do. The technical definition of "no wake speed" is as slow as you can go and still keep control of your vessel. And you're responsible for any damage your wake causes. I'm literally just creating ripples in the water. It's frustrating that you can do everything right and because others are clueless - you could end up paying the price.

[jasun]

I've been yelled at too "no wake!!! No wake!!!!" I told him it was a 23' boat going less then 5 mph. Not much I could do


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[Jetlink]

I replied to the local waterway agency patrols once, "Hey dude, if you can get it to idle any lower without stalling, knock your socks off." But then he suddenly found a jet skier to go harass instead.

[SquamInboards]

In NH the "no wake" concept is a false rule, the law requires "headway speed" which is defined as "the slowest speed at which you can maintain steerage, or 6 mph whichever is slower." For an inboard, this is arguably just in gear, at whatever speed your idle is set to, and it might be close to 5 mph but it's definitely under 6; however, it's not hard to steer the boat as long as you have some momentum, if you take it in and out of gear. But that's a lot of wear and tear on the transmission, so I stick with the "just in gear" philosophy and inevitably some people will yell; they do not understand the law OR (more importantly) how 300 hp pushes a boat at idle versus a little 25 hp outboard.

*Your laws may vary.

[trayson]

My sunsport goes quite a bit slower than 5mph when it's just in gear. Of course, I have a different prop. It's a 13" 3blade with an 11.5 pitch. So the stock prop would have me going a bit faster.

I've verified that I'm going under 5mph with my paddlewheel perfect pass which I think is pretty accurate. I have to give it more throttle to do the 5mph that I think I can get away with in no wake zones...

[wotan2525]

Squaminboards is exactly right.

I've been pulled over several times as we have a similar setup and have to motor for 15-20 minutes through a no-wake zone before we get to where we ride. It's worse when the wind is at our back and "pushing" the boat as well as when we are going upstream.

I've told several water-patrollers that the "no wake" rule is the slowest possible speed while still maintaining control. In an inboard, this means you have to have water moving across the rudder. One DNR officer told me that I was wrong and that I would need to put it in and out of gear to control my speed. I pulled out my boaters handbook and showed him exactly what the definition of no-wake was. He stopped hassling me pretty quick.

What really pisses me off is when people from shore start yelling about me making a wake. I've had a dog-pile effect where one guy in a cabin cruiser yelled at me from shore and then the people on either side of him kept yelling, too. I ignored him at first. When he kept making a scene I told him that he really knew how to relax and enjoy a day on the water and he should mind his own business. Then on the return trip, I made sure the stereo was all the way up. I thought the guy was going to have a coronary he was so pissed. I try to be respectful on the water, but when people like him are trying to go out of his way to try and "police" you, I can't stand it. These are the same people that drive the speed limit in the passing lane -- just so you can't speed.

[SquamInboards]

I thought the guy was going to have a coronary he was so pissed. I try to be respectful on the water, but when people like him are trying to go out of his way to try and "police" you, I can't stand it.

There's a guy on our lake who is famous for yelling at people in the river between the two lakes, for going "too fast" past his house. People constantly mess with him, throwing beer cans and trash on his lawn, yelling, going extra fast ONLY past his house; it got so bad he put up a surveillance camera. No one would have done a thing if he wasn't such a jerk.

[Zim]

There's a guy on our lake who is famous for yelling at people in the river between the two lakes, for going "too fast" past his house. People constantly mess with him, throwing beer cans and trash on his lawn, yelling, going extra fast ONLY past his house; it got so bad he put up a surveillance camera. No one would have done a thing if he wasn't such a jerk.

Is that area a no wake zone? Cane shakers are hilarious. They only make it worse by being a douchenozzle instead of having a conversation with the offenders

[wotan2525]

There's another guy on the closest lake to my house. It's basically a private lake with a VERY active property owners group. There is a public launch, however. Me (and everyone I know) has been "pulled over" by this guy. He comes out and explains that property-owners group is trying to eliminate motors on the lake (umm.... what do you think that would do to property values?) Anyway, he then points out that he has a ski nautique and he "totally gets" how we want to wakeboard/surf/jet-ski/etc and "if it were up to him, we could do anything we wanted and he'd be a huge fan" but "his neighbors are really pissy and will blame him for our actions" so he'd "appreciate it if we'd just go somewhere else."

It's the most passive aggressive thing I've ever witnessed in my life.

After arguing with him for the better part of 30 minutes about exactly how far you need to be from shore/docks/etc while pulling a skiier (surprise -- I was right) I decided it just wasn't worth the effort to enjoy his lake. Now I just skip it. I guess, in a way, the guy wins. I hate that!

[SquamInboards]

Is that area a no wake zone?

Yep, the river is 100 feet wide at most, and anything within 150ft is headway speed in NH.

We had someone yell at us already this season, for wakeskating (first time out). Nowhere near shore. I just smiled and waved...

[gogger]

Well I probably have the worst violation of a no wake zone. Last year we became friends with a barefoot skier that lives on one of the reservoirs we wakeboard on. Nice guy and he has been on that lake for many years. To get to his house from the main lake you have to pass under a bridge which is no wake, and then there is a slalom course and then another 1/2 mile of no wake before you get to his no wake zone. So he was barefooting down the main lake, tells me to blow the bridge and take him all the way to his dock. It was late in the year, and there was no one else on the lake, the cops weren't around so we ran 45 mph all the way to his dock. On the way back a fisherman on the shore was yelling at us as we passed under the bridge at no wake. Not something I would normally do, but it was fun to blast under the bridge at full throttle.

[Zim]

^^ A fisherman getting mad... surprise surprise. Those guys are the only ones that ever get angry at me. I'm one of the most courteous drivers when it comes to keeping wakes away from people, not power turning, etc, but those fisherman think it's their god given right to have no boats within 1000 yards of them at all time. Sorry Mr. Fisherman, but when the rest of the lake is blown out, and there's literally one cove that I can get decent water in, I'll be running circles in that cove regardless of what expletives you yell at me.

[DAFF]

There's another guy on the closest lake to my house. It's basically a private lake with a VERY active property owners group. There is a public launch, however. Me (and everyone I know) has been "pulled over" by this guy. He comes out and explains that property-owners group is trying to eliminate motors on the lake (umm.... what do you think that would do to property values?) Anyway, he then points out that he has a ski nautique and he "totally gets" how we want to wakeboard/surf/jet-ski/etc and "if it were up to him, we could do anything we wanted and he'd be a huge fan" but "his neighbors are really pissy and will blame him for our actions" so he'd "appreciate it if we'd just go somewhere else."

It's the most passive aggressive thing I've ever witnessed in my life.

After arguing with him for the better part of 30 minutes about exactly how far you need to be from shore/docks/etc while pulling a skiier (surprise -- I was right) I decided it just wasn't worth the effort to enjoy his lake. Now I just skip it. I guess, in a way, the guy wins. I hate that!

Start a rumor the lake has the best fishing around and is full of lots of big fish. The owners society secretly stocked the lake..... Oh ya and the topless girls story helps too.:p