I just recently posted this somewhere else. It's long on this forum but it fits on 1 page if you cut and paste it back into word and bold the topics. Keep in mind I wrote it for a public lake...I could care less about giving fisherman space. Boating Guidelines Launch Ramp Courtesy Boat ramp congestion can be reduced if everyone practices courtesy at the launch ramp. Observe these simple courtesies to save yourself and others time and energy. Do not block or hold up others on the launch ramp because you are unprepared to launch or retrieve immediately. · Do not load or unload your boat on or at the top of the launch ramp. Prepare to launch your boat in the staging area, not on the actual launch ramp. When pulling out, unload and clean your boat away from the launch ramp, not on or at the top of the launch ramp. · When preparing to pull your boat out, drop your tow-vehicle driver off at the dock and clear away from the launch area. Return to reload when they are backing down the ramp with the trailer. Courtesy On the Water Proper courtesy on the water is often overlooked. Not only will this help everyone maintain the best and safest water conditions possible, it will help you get along with, and meet other boaters. · Give fishermen space. Beware of sending your boat rollers into their often, smaller boats. · If you are “cruising” or just heading to your favorite spot to fish or hang out, please pay attention to where your boat rollers end up. Believe it or not, slower speeds create bigger rollers. · Tow skiers/riders back and forth in similar patterns. Drive in straight, predictable lines. Predicable boat drivers create a safer experience for everyone on the water. · NEVER do ‘power turns’ when your skier falls. When your skier falls, (assuming there is not an immediate danger to them), slow your boat to an idle and stop. Wait 2-3 seconds for your boat rollers to clear behind you, then make your turn as slowly as possible, and then return to pick up your rider. (A slow turn is most important.) This will eliminate unnecessary rollers sent by you down your skier’s line of travel and in all directions throughout the lake. This practice will also help you to save on fuel, reduce the chance of you taking water over your bow, and will eliminate the ‘return to skier bounce’ over your own rollers as you return to pickup your skier. (And, it gives your skier a few extra seconds to rest.) Believe it or not, one boat can ruin the conditions for everyone else on the entire lake so this is the number one rule for boating courtesy! · NEVER pull a skier up in front of another boat, or cut in front of another boat that is towing a skier. Allow at least 100 yards between boats if you pull up a skier/rider in front of someone along the same line of travel, or wait for them to pass. If they are closer than 100 yards, wait, and let them to pass. (As they will do the same for you, if your skier/rider falls.) · Skiers travel faster than wakeboarders so allow for that when starting your run behind someone. The skier/rider in front of you has the right of way, period. Do not come up alongside or overtake another boat that is towing a skier/rider; this really messes up the water for that skier and your own skier/rider. Pass/overtake only if/when their skier/rider falls, and use the “Delta Wave” to let them know you see their rider and their rope. Following too closely is dangerous, and also provides a turbulent tow for your skier/rider. Allow some distance for a smoother tow. · Use skier hand signals and teach your skier’s to wave that they are “OK” after every fall. · If you see a good (or professional) wakeboarder on the lake, it is permissible to follow them at a safe distance directly behind, or slightly parallel to their boat, to watch them ride (or hang out in the middle to watch), but in doing so, be prepared to stop immediately if they fall so you don’t mess up their water with your own boat rollers. Allow room at each end for them to turn around. · NEVER tow a tube anywhere near other boats towing skier’s or rider’s of any kind. This is dangerous and it messes up the water all the way down the lake, for everyone, in every direction. Only pull a tube in open water spaces, far away from other boats, obstacles, and those towing skiers/riders. When towing a tube, do not pull S, C, or O turns (donuts) in narrow, confined areas.
|