Wake Energy Study

[osmonet]

Ahhhh its almost spring and thoughts turn to wakesurfing and a fresh round of bans. This new wake energy study just got published by the University of Minnesota.

https://conservancy.umn.edu/bitstrea...=1&isAllowed=y

[lakedrum03]

Actually not a bad study. It doesn't disparage wake sports. I commend these guys for taking an analytical approach to determining the breakover point for shoreline distance. If anything, I think this help the industry to show that, if you have 500ft from shore, then wake surfing doesn't create anything more than a "regular" boat wake/wave.

[dpb185]

This didn't really tell me anything I don't already know. Surf boats generate bigger waves than other water sports boats that propagate further across the lake . Except for the part about ballast not making much of a difference in wave height/energy once you get away from the boat.

I'd like to see the shoreline and bottom damage quantified to wave energy, sounds like that is in the works.

I would also have liked to see a pontoon tested. People complain about wake boats but we see 20 pontoons go by for every wake boat. Possibly more.

[dpb185]

Actually not a bad study. It doesn't disparage wake sports. I commend these guys for taking an analytical approach to determining the breakover point for shoreline distance. If anything, I think this help the industry to show that, if you have 500ft from shore, then wake surfing doesn't create anything more than a "regular" boat wake/wave.

Agree with your observation but aren't there lots of small lakes in Minnesota where staying 500 ft from shore isn't possible or practical ?

[lakedrum03]

Agree with your observation but aren't there lots of small lakes in Minnesota where staying 500 ft from shore isn't possible or practical ?

Fair point. Not sure on Minnesota lake sizes.

[MC25]

How do these studies always include Malibu? Lol

[dpb185]

How do these studies always include Malibu? Lol

Because no one with a Mastercraft would lend it to college students for them to experiment with ?

[osmonet]

How do these studies always include Malibu? Lol

So I read the whole report, and my conclusion was ban Malibu's....is that what you guys came away with? lol

[Huckelfin]

Because no one with a Mastercraft would lend it to college students for them to experiment with ?

University of Minnesota, everyone lives 'on the outskirts of Minneapolis'. Everyone owns a boat, and good chance mama and papa got a lotta $$$$. Obviously a generalization (and a joke) but I got this a lot when I was going to school there.

[jackpine]

Actually, I thought the report would be more inflammatory but unfortunately the powers that be will probably misquote the findings for their own infamous purposes.

And yes, it would be tough to surf 500’ off shore on most lakes in the midwest unless they are several thousand acres or more.

[osmonet]

Here is a bit more background of the study's origins, not exactly wake surfers association led LOL....."In 2020 MLR, MN COLA, Tonka Bay Marina, SafeWakes for Minnesota Lakes led partners from across the country to fund a wake energy study at the fluid dynamics lab at the University of Minnesota’s St. Anthony Falls Laboratory within the Science and Engineering Department."

https://mnlakesandrivers.org/https-c...-11299-226190/

[justhavinfun]

I'd like to see them test a boat being driven (like it was stolen) in s turns and circles for hours with a couple of tubers behind it also. I'm for staying a reasonable distance from the shoreline, but it seems like they only want to point the finger at wake boats when they talk restrictions.

[chrislandy]

justhavinfun this was discussed last year sometime, roughly 1 pass of a surf boat has similar energy as 120 passes with a ski boat, but the ski boat doesn't do so much damage, similar to hitting a nail 120 times by tapping will barely seat it compared to one massive whack.

[captain planet]

Fair point. Not sure on Minnesota lake sizes.

"Land of 1000 lakes" so probably a fair amount of small ones. They also have the smallest soft drinks there as well.

[RxMC]

"Land of 1000 lakes" so probably a fair amount of small ones. They also have the smallest soft drinks there as well.

1000, 10,000, who's counting?

Over 1000 in Otter Tail county alone. So yes, many smaller body's of water. On our 600 acre lake a 500' rule might be tough. No one owns one of those "wake" boats on our lake anyway.