Wake boats. Any one else find them annoying?

[thumpar]

Except I am doing 35 going the other way and the wake boat is swerving all of the place and not paying attention.

 

[oldjeep]

Except I am doing 35 going the other way and the wake boat is swerving all of the place and not paying attention.

Pulling a tube? Typically the one saving grace of tow sports (skiing, wakeboarding, surfing) is that you run in a perfectly straight line. Tubers suck no matter what is pulling it

 

[jkust]

Pulling a tube? Typically the one saving grace of tow sports (skiing, wakeboarding, surfing) is that you run in a perfectly straight line. Tubers suck no matter what is pulling it

My experience has been the wake skaters and surfers are in a straight line, very slowly not bothering anybody except for the wake people are complaining about. The faster sports are a crap shoot with the tubers all over the place depending on how aggressively they are driving, the skiers are almost non existent and the wakeboarders generally are pretty civil. My biggest complaint is the wakeboarders of which 99% of them have zero talent or skill and are at best catching a tiny amount of air. I've only seen one boat so far pulling a boarder who had serious skills.

 

[bruceb58]

Pulling a tube? Typically the one saving grace of tow sports (skiing, wakeboarding, surfing) is that you run in a perfectly straight line. Tubers suck no matter what is pulling it

Agreed. Easily the worst.

 

[garbageguy]

all I want to do is get some glass water

I'm not sure why skiing is dying (so I'm told) - it's much more fun, challenging and rewarding than going 10 mph behind a boat.

I'm with ya on that. Maybe it's because kids are now used to instant gratification, and not willing to work at something very long to get a payoff. But that's probably the thought of most aging generations. Sometimes that can be a blessing, my son and I recently got a '91 Mastercraft in very good condition for a song.

But to answer the OP's question - no, I haven't had any more trouble with wake boats/people, than any others

 

[jkust]

I'm not sure why skiing is dying (so I'm told) - it's much more fun, challenging and rewarding than going 10 mph behind a boat.

I live near a small dealership and they sold something like 15 of these surf boats over a sale weekend - I don't get how people can afford that much money... most of them were 70-80K - some were 125k. No to mention how heavy they are to tow. Something is amiss with what water sports meant to me growing up in the 70's and 80's - it was affordable back then and we had a LOT of fun

I got my youngest son skiing a couple weeks back. As for 80k ski boats...that't not even a month's income for lots of people. Then if they finance it, it's not even a drop in the ocean.

 

[thumpar]

They don't go in a straight line around here. Maybe they didn't get the memo. Tubers are bad too but they don't leave the nasty swells on the water.

 

[milehighjc]

My lord...I though MN was an overbearing, nanny state. What does affects the shoreline actually mean. We are on a lake and every single boat creates a wake that 'affects' the shoreline...even a 900lbs waverunner will 'affect' the shoreline. Why not just force every body of boatable water to be a no wake zone and call it a day.

Every lake within striking distance of me would be no wake only with that rule. They are deep, but narrow. If you drive down the center of the lake anything over no wake speed, your wake will affect the shoreline.

As for skiing dying, at least here, I am not seeing it. Its not just old dudes like me either, my daughter and her husband (20 somethings) run with a "boating crowd" who do a little of everything. But the pinnacle is still slalom skiing to them. They all do it, and some of them are QUITE good... one grew up competing, and definitely has game.

There are a lot of wake/surf boats here, but they generally show up later in the morning (9:30-10AM), and the smooth water is still there for those of us willing to get up early enough.

 

[hemi rt]

I saw one guy get so peed off with the wake boats that one day after nearly getting swamped, he got up on plane and trimmed his motor up to create a rooster tail, went past the boat that nearly swamped him and immediately turned away.The rooster tail soaked every one on the boat. The RCMP were watching from the shore, the wake boat went over to them to complain and were told be thankful that that's all that happened as that were going to originally ticket him for 'Dangerous operation of a motor vessel" so I guess getting soaked was cheaper in the long run. They did talk to the party that put up the rooster tail too but just gave him a warning to report a boat that does that again.

 

[Pusher]

I saw one guy get so peed off with the wake boats that one day after nearly getting swamped, he got up on plane and trimmed his motor up to create a rooster tail, went past the boat that nearly swamped him and immediately turned away.The rooster tail soaked every one on the boat. The RCMP were watching from the shore, the wake boat went over to them to complain and were told be thankful that that's all that happened as that were going to originally ticket him for 'Dangerous operation of a motor vessel" so I guess getting soaked was cheaper in the long run. They did talk to the party that put up the rooster tail too but just gave him a warning to report a boat that does that again.

I love me some justice!

Anyone hear about the guy that was water skiing about a month ago in, I believe, Idaho who hit a dock and died on his way to the hospital? That must have been aweful.

 

[Drew220]

Everyone should be able to enjoy the lakes. With that said I have no love for wake boats. They are everywhere around here. I thought I had finally found a quiet cove to anchor to let the kids swim and tube, but wake boats must have heard about it as well as they began using the cove and swamping everyone with 3 foot waves. It was a long skinny cove so I thought we might be safe lol.

Weekdays are about the only time you can enjoy smooth water here. the admiral didn't believe it was the same lake when she finally experienced it on a weekday On The weekend we get beat to death on my little 17.5 foot.

I always scratch my head at how all these young guys afford a $40,000-100,000 dollar boat and huge $60,000 truck. Trust fund baby's I guess

 

[Watermann]

Yeah Drew we wonder the same as we only see young people with these 6 figure boats. I guessed that daddy bought it for his dead beat millennial kid still living at home or is a career student.

One other thing we have to contend with on one of the lakes I visit are the para-sail boats towing tourists around. Their wake makes the board boats wake look like a 12' row boat. A 4 to 5' high white capping series of monsters that almost got me one day as I was drifting while the admiral was swimming off the stern. I couldn't fire up and nose into it and had to take in in the side. Thought I was going to capsize for sure.

 

[jkust]

I always scratch my head at how all these young guys afford a $40,000-100,000 dollar boat and huge $60,000 truck. Trust fund baby's I guess

I just don't think it is trust fund babies. I'm in a big money industry and every single one of my friends and colleagues is self made except for my friend who is a CEO of a fortune 100 company as he had my job but got plucked out onto the CEO track. He is barely 40 and is in his second CEO role. He was well healed having came from a monied family and attended all the right schools and so did his wife. One of my friends in particular, the president of a fortune 500, grew up in a trailer park without a dad, lives on the jersey shore and has a $900,000 boat. I'm telling you, it's not trust funds, it's making the right decisions, working harder than the next guy and enjoying life at what looks like too young an age.

 

[Watermann]

Guess I made the wrong choice choosing public service as nobody should ever get become well off serving the needs of the people (except politicians). Wearing kevlar for most of your adult life I can say does get you a warm feeling, especially in the summer months. :lol:.

 

[jkust]

Guess I made the wrong choice choosing public service as nobody should ever get become well off serving the needs of the people (except politicians). Wearing kevlar for most of your adult life I can say does get you a warm feeling, especially in the summer months. :lol:.

Like you said, it's choices. I know plenty of public servants that pension spiked and live very well in their retirement. I also know plenty of people who were forced to leave their houses in the Chicago suburbs because their property taxes were increased to unethical levels to fund those pensions. Of course 'Well Off' is subjective as well. I bet you worked a lot harder than the next guy who didn't make it into your position. Was talking to an officer up at a county fair this summer on a really hot day and was surprised at how heavy his vest was. He was saying that when he has had to come to blows with someone, it gives him a big leg up as the punches aren't as effective. He said to punch him which I did lightly and he was right.

 

[Watermann]

Here in WA our retirement is tied in with firefighters and we contribute into it from our paychecks the entire career as does your agency and then the state manages it. Since the national average for our lifespan is 68 years old we have plenty of "pension" money to last us but teachers unions are always trying to steal our money since they live well into their 90's after retirement and burn money way beyond their contributions.

Guess I would probably just have more old tin boats around to work on and fix up rather than buy into a 100+k wake boat even if I did have that sort of expendable income.

 

[jkust]

Guess I would probably just have more old tin boats around to work on and fix up rather than buy into a 100+k wake boat even if I did have that sort of expendable income.

We are in a position where the cost of the boat isn't a concern but just don't like wakeboard boats and just don't spend that much on toys where our 90 day summer is concerned. It's not how we are wired...same with our vehicles. I can appreciate how nice and blingy they look but that's where my admiration for them ends. The fact is, anybody with a job and credit can finance a nice boat for a very long term or nice car for that matter over 5 years It's hard to judge who really has money and who is just financed up to their eyeballs until you know their true situation.

 

[oldjeep]

Can't take it with you when you die

 

[jkust]

Can't take it with you when you die

There is that.

 

[thumpar]

I have seen loans offered for well over 5-6 years. Normally when I see a young 20 something with the lifted huge truck towing a 6 figure boat I just think they are up to there eyeballs in debt or have family money.