Oregon Wakeboarders need National Help

Many may not be aware that the Willamette River, the main riding body of water in Oregon probably, has proposed laws that will limit how we ride and our boats. Pay attention now as this will be the first law of its kind on a PUBLIC waterway and it will give precedent to start spreading. Many people in Oregon as well as people that live on the water do not even know about it. They are trying to let it pass quietly. It will limit ballast and any wake enhancing devices for a HUGE (the most rideable stretch) of the river. It all stems from a very select few homeowners that have been protesting the loud stereos and boats for years. Well they got creative and now are pitching it as an erosion issue and people are listening. We need you to help get involved. Any major manufacturers, any dealers (imagine the impact on their local biz), anyone with a voice please share some advice. You can read the battle that we have waged for some time and were winning, but the tides have changed at
http://www.pdxwakesnow.com/viewforum.php?f=20

Some of the rules are great. No power turning and follow riders further back. The rest are a ridiculous way to apease the homeowners and get them off of the Oregon State Marine Board's back. They have not ever even done a study to see if there is erosion being caused.
Here is some of the first public notice document they have put out...

PUBLIC NOTICE
Willamette River Boat Operation
The Oregon State Marine Board is considering proposed rules that will restrict boat operation
on the Willamette River between the Highway 219 Bridge near Newberg and the upper end of
Willow Island near Canby.
The proposal would establish a congestion zone that would:
• Prohibit 180 degree turns at speed
• Require boats to stay 200 feet behind skiers or other towed devices
• Prohibit the use of wake enhancing devices, including ballast tanks, wedges or
hydrofoils or other mechanical devices, or uneven loading of persons or gear to
artificially operate bow high
• Require boaters to operate at slow-no-wake speed within 200 feet of all private docks or
moorages.
The Board will hold a public meeting at 7 p.m. September 9 at the Clackamas County
Community College, 29353 Town Center Loop East, and Room 111/112 in Wilsonville.
The Marine Board is accepting written public comment on the proposed rules from August 1
through September 9, 2008. All comments must be received by 9 p.m. September 9.
Comments can be sent to June LeTarte, OSMB, P.O. Box 14145, Salem, OR 97309. They
can also be sent via email to smb.rulemaking@state.or.us">osmb.rulemaking@state.or.us or via fax (503) 378-4597.
Comments by telephone cannot be accepted. The Board will review all comments before
making a decision on the proposed rule.
For a listing of the proposed language and other information, check www.boatoregon.com and
click “Proposed Rules.”
Proposed “Congestion Zone”
Willamette River
NEWBERG
WILSONVILLE
17 MILES
CANBY

WOW.. the later part of that is REDICULOUS!

Yeah 17 miles of probably the most traveled area in the Portland area too. It is where all the houses happen to be. Goes to show how concerned they are with erosion or they would have picked some stretches of unpopulated areas.

(Message edited by tyler97217 on August 05, 2008)

Bye-bye wakesurfing, too.....

"...or uneven loading of persons or gear to artificially operate bow high"

Are you kidding me? So now they are trying to tell people where they can and can't sit in the boat? Next step, seatbelts. Ridiculous!

There should be a study done that shows the erosion a 35 ft cruiser creates as well. They throw a much bigger wake than a boat with ballast. Lets be fair and not just target the people having fun behind their boats.

it amazes me how people can actually put their own personal time and energy into something so stupid. Of all the causes to get involved in, you spend your time protesting people wakeboarding in front of your house... lame lame lame lame lame!!!

This is totally stupid and I disagree with it 100%. BUT how would you like if someone went by your house at 6am with the stereo cranked so loud half or Oregon could hear it and they go by the house 15 times while towing someone? I'll also point out that allot of the music that is played is not the most appropriate music for half of Oregon to be hearing.

Most people will argue that it's a public waterway which it is BUT so is the street we all drive on. Would you be happy if someone was driving back and forth in the neighborhood with the stereo cranked at 6am? or would you go outside and say something to them?

It's the same deal. I don't mind loud appropriate music but when the 'f bomb' is every other word I have a problem with that.

If you turn the music down I bet you wont have a problem.

wow, that's pretty scary stuff. and you're right if that passes it will set precedent. don't see anything in there about loud music though. how and why could they possibly pass anything like that without some kind of legitimate 3rd party study? what can out-of-staters do to help diggs?

It is funny because they did some tests with a north river fishing boat and a wake boat loaded and guess what threw a bigger wake? the north river... somehow they through the tests out cause the homeowners did not think it was represntative.

Face planer - totally agree with you . We are very respectful about our music and hence the reason we don't ride there. We are huge advocates of coming up with a solution together and not fighting it. Our entire group of boaters turns out stereos down around homes. I can't say that for everyone. Besides they promise up and down it is not a stereo issue. It is erosion remember......
Bruce Mac
Help from out of state is a good question.... We really need to get people involved that know people. We need people in the industry manufacturers and dealers to step up and realize this is a huge deal and could jeopardize their growth and the sport if it passes and then spreads, which it will like wildfire.... just since this proposition other homeowners in the state on different stretches of the river are petitioning for the same thing.... how do you grant it to some and not others? Cause one guy has a $2 million house and the other guy doesn't?

It is just very lopsided and hence the reason they have been pushing it very quietly. Most of the homeowners (especially those with ski/wake boats)on this stretch of river do not even know about it....

(Message edited by tyler97217 on August 06, 2008)

what i cant seem to understand is how are you going to buy a piece of property on the water, FAST waster at that, and then complain when people go by on the stretch of fast water on their boats????? what did these people expect to happen? did they really expect people to NOT go by their house while on the river? this is crazy. some people have just lost their minds.

bump

The mind set that wakeboard boats are bad is apparently everywhere. My brother manages lake levels (Candlewood Lake, CT) along the Housatonic (sp) River in western Connecticut for a utility company. The other day we were out on my boat and one of the first things he says is that wakeboard boats are bad for the shoreline and that they should be banned. I kind of suspected him to be of that opinion however I may be able to get him to legitimately look into it and provide some unbiased facts. Will let you know...

Meeting is Tuesday Sept 9th. We need everyone locally to join and make sure you are there. Strength is in numbers. No need to stand up and talk, but do show up.......