lake cove ettiquette ?????

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busted-bayliner

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My inlaws have a very nice lake house in a cove. On the lake with a floating dock with cover were they keep there 21 ft boat. Today i was on the deck an watched a wake board boat come zoomin in the cove creating a huge wake which caused the dock to rock all sorts aways and the boat rocking an banging all over the plaCE.
The boat has the throw out bumper deals so no harm done. Just wandering if theres a rule of thumb or just go balls to the wall? This cove is just a dead end cove an i see signs all over peoples dock saying "your responsible for your wake"

iwhen i come to a cove i go at no wake speed as to not disturb peoples boats or docks. So is there a rule of thumb here ??
 
sktn77a

sktn77a

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Re: lake cove ettiquette ?????

While there are a minority of us who do try to be considerate of others' docks and boats, I'm afraid the majority do not (at least in my area of the Southeast). One official rule is no wake within 50 feet of swimmers/divers but, aside from that, it's a no wake zone (as marked) or it isn't.
 
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haulnazz15

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Re: lake cove ettiquette ?????

While you are ultimately responsible for your wake, it takes quite a bit to convince someone that the wake caused the damage unless it was truly reckless. Most lakes/bodies of water have a statute in the rules and regs that specify a minimum distance from docks and other structures that most be maintained as a "no wake" area. Most of the lakes I frequent use 100ft as the minimum distance. Even with the minimum distance constraints, common courtesy normally dictates that you avoid being closer than necessary to the docks to avoid causing a lot of ruckus. Most areas also prohibit skiing into or out of a blind cove as well.
 
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Brewman61

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Re: lake cove ettiquette ?????

Get ahold of the boating regulations that are in force for your area and see what the law is in your state. Also look up any special regulations that may be in force for your lake.
For example, we have a permanent no wake zone 100' or closer to shore, and it is enforced. Maybe something like that exists in your case, but this is all regulated differently in each area, and even by the specific waterway.
 
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Home Cookin'

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Re: lake cove ettiquette ?????

Here in coastal Virginia there is the rule about being responsible for damage from wake, but that doesn't address "wear and tear" or bank erosion, etc. One old codger sits on his dock taking pictures and calling the cops on everyone who comes by.

You can have a section of water designated "no wake" but you have to go tjhrough a permitting process. I'd see if your neighbors are interested, then look into that route. Once designated, the LEO's can write tickets, or you can feel better yelling at them.

Coves are great for skiing but I see no reason for wakeboarding (with intentionally large wakes). Growing up as a teenager on the same river I'm on now, we had constant battles between us skiing (this was before tubes and wakeboards) and the shore dwellers. Now that I am old and crotchety, I might feel otherwise, but so far I don't have enough of that kind of traffic in front of the house to worry about it. Plus I have a fixed dock and that's one reason why.
 
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Campylobacter

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Re: lake cove ettiquette ?????

I can see both sides of this.

I have a place on a "cove" that is 2 miles long. Its great for skiing and wakeboarding when the main lake gets too choppy. In the skinny parts (less than 200' accross) the owners get a bit snippy about wakes because you will be less than 100' from the dock. I use the cove to ski, wakeskate, and wakeboard all the time. I don't use ballast tanks or throw a big wake, mostly because I don't have a dedicated wake boat. I still get the hairy eyeball from some of the dock owners closest to the channel occasionally.

That being said, some of the biggest wakes coming through the cove are from the cruisers at what I call maximum wake speed (typically just shy of planing). These guy just don't get it and can bounce a dock around pretty good. 2 MPH faster and they would probably knock a good 2 feet off their wake.
 
emoney

emoney

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Re: lake cove ettiquette ?????

With the "You're responsible..." signs being up, sounds like your neighbors have "been there, done that". Etiquette be damned, I'm afraid as regardless of what responsible boats do, that will never keep the narcissitic ones from totally ignoring everything outside their own personal space. For proof, park outside posted "No Wake Zones" and count the numnber of people that totally ignore those signs. Sadly, they probably never even see the ones you guys have up.

Personally, I think a better sign would've been "DANGER-SUbmerged Tree Stump Area". I bet they read and head to that sign.
 
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busted-bayliner

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Re: lake cove ettiquette ?????

Home Cookin' said:
Here in coastal Virginia there is the rule about being responsible for damage from wake, but that doesn't address "wear and tear" or bank erosion, etc. One old codger sits on his dock taking pictures and calling the cops on everyone who comes by.

You can have a section of water designated "no wake" but you have to go tjhrough a permitting process. I'd see if your neighbors are interested, then look into that route. Once designated, the LEO's can write tickets, or you can feel better yelling at them.

Coves are great for skiing but I see no reason for wakeboarding (with intentionally large wakes). Growing up as a teenager on the same river I'm on now, we had constant battles between us skiing (this was before tubes and wakeboards) and the shore dwellers. Now that I am old and crotchety, I might feel otherwise, but so far I don't have enough of that kind of traffic in front of the house to worry about it. Plus I have a fixed dock and that's one reason why.
Click to expand...

home cooking where bouts va are you???
i used to run the chickhomney lol spell check till it ended in the brackish water
 
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busted-bayliner

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Re: lake cove ettiquette ?????

emoney said:
With the "You're responsible..." signs being up, sounds like your neighbors have "been there, done that". Etiquette be damned, I'm afraid as regardless of what responsible boats do, that will never keep the narcissitic ones from totally ignoring everything outside their own personal space. For proof, park outside posted "No Wake Zones" and count the numnber of people that totally ignore those signs. Sadly, they probably never even see the ones you guys have up.

Personally, I think a better sign would've been "DANGER-SUbmerged Tree Stump Area". I bet they read and head to that sign.
Click to expand...

lol i need to come across said sign bet no one would dare enter the cove with that sign up lols
 
catfishcarl99

catfishcarl99

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Re: lake cove ettiquette ?????

how about "MINE ZONE AHEAD". lol. some folks just care about themselves.
 
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Home Cookin'

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Re: lake cove ettiquette ?????

busted-bayliner said:
home cooking where bouts va are you???
i used to run the chickhomney lol spell check till it ended in the brackish water
Click to expand...

Norfolk. I used to duck hunt the lower Chic; a lot of big water there. Been in the upper reaches once hunting, too.

Now I'm downstream, and split my time between the bay/harbor area here and the Eastern Shore seaside on Cedar Island (near Accomac/Folly Creek).

Campy makes a good point; the worst wakes are from those unskilled boaters who are trying to reduce theirs! That topic comes up all the time.
 
bonz_d

bonz_d

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Re: lake cove ettiquette ?????

What I always get a chuckle with is the 100' rule. If one really looks at it and measures it out 100' is not a great distance. I'm pretty confident that I can still read the name on the back of a jersey at 100', even with my bad eyes. My homes lot size is 80' X 200' so I'll have to check it out for sure.

Next, how many can really tell if they are 110' or only 90' from shore?

Or think of it this way sports fans. From home plate to 1st base is only 90', in football a 100' is only a 33+ yard fieldgoal or about the 21 yardline. In golf 100' is a long chip or a very short pitch shot. In an anchored row boat being passed by a large wake it's disaster!
 
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haulnazz15

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Re: lake cove ettiquette ?????

I agree, the 100' rule is funny because it doesn't really allow too much of a reduction in wake size from the passing boat. It's probably as much of a safety-distance rule as it is a "no wake" rule. It's also probably an easily approximated distance for many as a lot of boats are around the 20' range (more or less), so estimating 5-boat lengths from the object isn't too taxing.
 
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HopinImFloatin

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Re: lake cove ettiquette ?????

how about putting a mooring bouy out a bit with an old junker rowboat on it just to be in the way :eek:
 
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Home Cookin'

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Re: lake cove ettiquette ?????

I think most of the "no wake within x feet" rules are for safety (collision avoidance) and not the wake itself. In fact, most "no wake" zones' purpose is safety as opposed to wave action. There are plenty around here where the natural wave action is larger than the wakes from passing boats on a plane.

I thought about the anchored boat, or crab pot floats (hmmm mighty suspicious in a lake) or other haznavs but that creates a problem in itself. PLus many skiiers use crab pot floats or anything else as a slalom course.
 
bonz_d

bonz_d

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Re: lake cove ettiquette ?????

Home Cookin' said:
I thought about the anchored boat, or crab pot floats (hmmm mighty suspicious in a lake) or other haznavs but that creates a problem in itself. PLus many skiiers use crab pot floats or anything else as a slalom course.
Click to expand...

Been that pylon on the water many times myself. Watching as each pass gets closer and closer while they go by waving and smiling, "Hey look at me I'm passing, are you watching me"? Once I was anchoed over a rock bar that was only about 2' deep with warning bouys all over and still they came! Drove me off the lake for sure.
 
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Brewman61

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Re: lake cove ettiquette ?????

Homeowners on our lake have the option at their own expense, of dropping a bright orange buoy 100' from shore. This buoy must be registered with the Sheriff's office, and have a county ID number written on it- most use a fat Sharpie pen.
That helps mark the no wake zone on the shoreline on the wake, and as others have said, it mostly for safe operation since inside of this zone is where most of the docks and swim rafts live so we want slow travel.
Technically, planing speed even a couple feet outside of this zone is legal, so the wakes getting sent can be considerable.
If you have a boat tied off it should be secured in such a way to protect it from all the water action passing boats may send in.
I tie my boat to a dock all summer, and use a few fenders as well as a nice long rub strip on the dock. Boat gets tossed around quite a bit but so far has suffered no damage.
 
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