Boat Wake Question

[Dan19720]

Re: Boat Wake Question

Philster, I did mean the Christina.

JET SKIS: If they are moving, they want big wake. I know I always do when riding a jet ski.

 

[Tig]

Re: Boat Wake Question

In all cases I would be considerate to the point of not giving them anything to grumble about as I pass. Water ways are shared for all to enjoy.
Personally I don't like crowded bodies of water. I avoid them as much as I can.

 

[shrew]

Re: Boat Wake Question

I think the rules are pretty straightforward on the no wake rules. I would suggest that anyone check with the specific rules for body of water they are specfically boating on, as I believe they vary from sate to state.

For example, in New Hampshire:

Areas specifically marked No Wake

150 ft. of the following:

Swimmers in the water
Other Vessels
Rafts or Floats
Permitted Swimming areas
Docks or Mooring Fields
The Shoreline
Bridges (including while passing underneath.


If none of the above, then you are perfectly within your rights to be up on plane and creating a wake. Note that there are also specific rules regarding overtaking vessels and passing vessels related to 'right of way'. Obviously when overtaking the other vessel has the right of way, however as long as you're more than 150 ft away, you are legal.

Again, I pulled this from a New Hampshire regulations book because it was the one I found first. You should always check the local regulations of the body of water your boating in to ensure compliance.

 

[rbh]

Re: Boat Wake Question

Don't most navigatible waterway's IE rivers have a speed limit???
We just have lakes with the occasional narrow channel.

 

[25thmustang]

Re: Boat Wake Question

They do have speed limits, but I'm sure my boat would never in it's or any life come close to that limit. At night the limit changes I believe.

 

[shrew]

Re: Boat Wake Question

Typically the speed limits are much higher than the speeds necessary to create a wake. you can create a wake at 10 kts. Many boats can plane in the high teens to low 20's.

 

[Philster]

Re: Boat Wake Question

I got buzzed by a guy in a cat when he was going about 70 mph in the intercoastal waterway and he left virtually no wake.

You can plod along at 12 mph with a big bow wave in front, as if you are approaching plane, but not be on it, and create a roller-type wake that is ridiculous.

''No wake'' really means: Go slow enough to move, but leave as little wake as you can. That's 2-5 MPH in most cases before you start displacing so much water that your wake is out of proportion to your speed.

 

[25thmustang]

Re: Boat Wake Question

Yes, anything over a high idle/crawl will start to toss a wake. More or less every boat will throw a larger wake right before plane, then on plane. With a smaller boat, being on plane is fine for most situations. Once you start talking mid sized cruisers and larger, you start talking bigger and bigger wakes.

Being on a busy river with a LOT of smaller boat traffic makes things different than larger bodies of water.

Other scenario I just thought of...

- Your heading up or down river. Your in a non No-Wake stretch of water. Off to your side are a few houses with boats tied to private docks. You are a good ways away (hundreds of feet) but still know your wake is going to rock and roll that boat. Would you slow to a crawl and try to prevent that, or continue on as you were?

 

[seabob4]

Re: Boat Wake Question

- Your heading up or down river. Your in a non No-Wake stretch of water. Off to your side are a few houses with boats tied to private docks. You are a good ways away (hundreds of feet) but still know your wake is going to rock and roll that boat. Would you slow to a crawl and try to prevent that, or continue on as you were?

Continue on. They chose to build/buy in that area of the river...

 

[shrew]

Re: Boat Wake Question

Continue on. They chose to build/buy in that area of the river...

Ditto. Like I said, I will absolutely follow the letter of the law. I'll even put in a safety measure. If the law says 150Ft. I'll proceed at headway (no wake) speeds fro anything closer than 300 ft. However, I'm absolutely not going to tip toe around so every canoe, kayak, pontoon pleasure boater, docked boat, moored boat, kid floating in an innner tube is comfortable in order to ensure they are having a good time.

We all have the right to have a good time and we should all be observant of local regulations and ensure that we adhere to them. However, I'm out here to have a good time to. If you don't like wake traffic, don't fish, canoe, kayak, anchor or tie your boat up in or adjacent to areas that legally allow that type of boating activity.

 

[Philster]

Re: Boat Wake Question

If your boat is moored in a wake zone (not protected by ''no wake'' regulations) then you have the responsibility to see that it and the dock are setup such to address the issue.

It is possible to have the boat safe via various mooring and lift efforts, and certain docks are easier to maintain in areas with wakes, tides and currents.

In these parts, having a boat in a wake area means using mooring whips and/or the docks are usually not finger docks or floating. You don't see finger docks lined up with boats on bumpers if the area isn't protected. You also see a fair numbers of boat lifts.

 

[5150abf]

Re: Boat Wake Question

I fish on a river and I grew up on river so I have spent many hours in a canoe and I can tell you when a boat was coming I would pray they didn't slow down.

Next time you are in your boat look at your wake at speed then slow down and look at your wake, it is WAY bigger(VERY VERY few people actually run with no wake, they just slow down making a HUGE wake) so do them a favor and keep on plane and give them a 4'' wake to deal with instead of a 2' wake.

When I am fishing I have people do that all night long, they slow down right next to your boat and about swamp you thinking they are doing a favor, they aren't.

I rarely ever come off plane unless the situation looks dangerous, lots of boats going different directions ect, my wake on plane is barely 3'' and if went to no wake everytime I encountered another boat it would take and hour to get to my fishing grounds instead of 15 minutes.

SO if you are worried about waking people stay on plane, that is where you make the least amount of wake.

Sorry, this is one of my pet peeves.

 

[ovrrdrive]

Re: Boat Wake Question

I fish on a river and I grew up on river so I have spent many hours in a canoe and I can tell you when a boat was coming I would pray they didn't slow down.

Next time you are in your boat look at your wake at speed then slow down and look at your wake, it is WAY bigger(VERY VERY few people actually run with no wake, they just slow down making a HUGE wake) so do them a favor and keep on plane and give them a 4'' wake to deal with instead of a 2' wake.

When I am fishing I have people do that all night long, they slow down right next to your boat and about swamp you thinking they are doing a favor, they aren't.

I rarely ever come off plane unless the situation looks dangerous, lots of boats going different directions ect, my wake on plane is barely 3'' and if went to no wake everytime I encountered another boat it would take and hour to get to my fishing grounds instead of 15 minutes.

SO if you are worried about waking people stay on plane, that is where you make the least amount of wake.

Sorry, this is one of my pet peeves.

I agree. It just sucks that people that don't understand that give you a dirty look when you go by them.

 

[dingbat]

Re: Boat Wake Question

- Your heading up or down river. Your in a non No-Wake stretch of water. Off to your side are a few houses with boats tied to private docks. You are a good ways away (hundreds of feet) but still know your wake is going to rock and roll that boat. Would you slow to a crawl and try to prevent that, or continue on as you were?

You buy a house at the end of the runway at a busy airport you expect jet noise. It's your problem to deal with, not the airlines.

 

[tswiczko]

Re: Boat Wake Question

How you handle a passing situation is a combination of regulation and courtesy. I have been on the river here(Ohio River near Louisville)and have seen people cut through a congested area where people are rafted together at WOT at distances of less than 100 ft.(not very courteous) by the same token I'm sure there has been a time or two I could have backed off sooner (I'm far from perfect) but I try not to put others at risk.

Much of it comes down to experiece, If you have ever been rafted up with people and someone flys by close enough to read the lable on their beer can you might give others a wider bearth next time you're ruing fast because you've been on the recieving end of a wake.

 

[Ned L]

Re: Boat Wake Question

Maybe things have changed a lot since I grew up, but it used to be (and maybe still is) that you are legally liable for any damage done by your wake. That would seem to me to make it pretty clear about how you should think about, and control your wake. - Courtesy never hurts.

(Sorry, wasn't meaning to ignore your specific questions, as has been said, each could require a different action & I was short on time to reply.)

 

[25thmustang]

Re: Boat Wake Question

Maybe things have changed a lot since I grew up, but it used to be (and maybe still is) that you are legally liable for any damage done by your wake. That would seem to me to make it pretty clear about how you should think about, and control your wake. - Courtesy never hurts.

This is the exact reason I posted the question. I have always lived on the idea of "your wake, your problem". That train of thought lead me to think of these types of situations. I see a LOT of boats who hang out in the river. They are not in no wake zones, and look extremely vulnerable.

As for the comments of people would rather be on plane making no wake, vs digging making a 2' wake. I understand the idea, and yes this is true for smaller boats. A larger cruiser is going to throw a good sized wake on plane. It still holds true that when plowing the wake will be larger, but my scenarios would require the boat be brought down to no wake speeds.

Hopefully that clears it up some.

 

[sltintexas]

Re: Boat Wake Question

I have a new respect for wakes when people are swimming next to boats.

Last weekend we were out on a lake and anchored up within 50 ft of land (island). There was guy that was anchored as well, then he took off to do some tubing. He let off a pretty good wake cuz he wasn't on plane. My 6 year old daughter was floating around in her life jacket. The wake hit us on the side and was about 3 ft. The boat started rocking really good and she was bobbing up and down really good. She got scared and started heading towards the boat. She got really close while the boat was rocking really good and the boat almost came down on her head. I had to jump in with her to calm her down.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Boat Wake Question

you're right, that wakes are dangerous to swinmers around boats and even more so around docks. And a "no wake zone" bouy doesn't block the wakes of the yahoo who ignores it. Keep your swimmers safe!

Last weekend, fishing, I was passed by huge container ships cruising at good speeds, tugs, barges, and large pleasure craft. The variety of sizes of wakes was interesting and unpredictable. Seems like the yachts were the biggest.

 

[DaNinja]

Re: Boat Wake Question

I have a new respect for wakes when people are swimming next to boats.

Last weekend we were out on a lake and anchored up within 50 ft of land (island). There was guy that was anchored as well, then he took off to do some tubing. He let off a pretty good wake cuz he wasn't on plane. My 6 year old daughter was floating around in her life jacket. The wake hit us on the side and was about 3 ft. The boat started rocking really good and she was bobbing up and down really good. She got scared and started heading towards the boat. She got really close while the boat was rocking really good and the boat almost came down on her head. I had to jump in with her to calm her down.

My 6 year-old neice ended up under our MO boat a couple of years ago after we were hit with some big wakes. She swam back out, but it was a scary couple of seconds.

I don't fault the cruiser that left the wake. We were not anchored in a no-wake zone. We just learned from it and tell the kids not to swim/float right alongside the boat.