STUDY OF WAVES CREATED BY WAKESURF VS TYPICAL RECREATIONAL BOATS
A study done in the fall of 2020 by the University of Minnesota College of Science and Engineering gives property owners, lake associations, legislators and boat manufacturers information about the operation of wakesurf boats vs other recreational boats on lakes and rivers. The study concluded that the distance needed to reduce the potential impact of the larger waves created by wakesurf boats requires a greater distance from the shoreline and from other boats compared to the more typical recreational boats.
The study found that:
- When researchers compared the wake waves of the four boats used in the study – 2 wakesurf boats and 2 more typical recreational boats – during their most typical mode of operations, the data indicated that wakesurf boats require distances greater than 500 feet from the shoreline/docks and other boats (or a distance of a little less than 1.5 football fields) to decrease their wake wave characteristics to levels similar to the non-wakesurf boats.
- When researchers compared the wake waves of the four boats under conditions that generated the largest wake wave, the data indicated that wakesurf boats require distances greater than 425 feet from the shoreline/docks and other boats to decrease their wake wave characteristics to levels similar to the non-wakesurf boats.
- In both modes of operation the suggested distance from shoreline/docks for wakesurf boats is more than twice the distance of the 200 feet currently recommended by Minnesota guidelines for common recreational boats.
- Under both slow and fast speed conditions, the wakesurf boats produced the largest waves in terms of height, energy and power when compared to the non-wakesurf boats.
- Larger, more energetic waves need to travel a greater distance to decrease in wave height, energy and power.
Minnesotans love their lakes and they love their boats, and wakesurfing has become a popular pastime for some Minnesotans while sparking concerns in others about shoreline erosion, water quality and safety. To this point robust, scientific data on the size and impact of wakesurf boat waves had been lacking. This study established an important baseline for the study of wake waves produced by wakesurf boats. It did not, however, examine shoreline erosion or other environmental impacts to shorelines caused by large boat waves.
Article taken from: https://twin-cities.umn.edu/news-events/university-minnesota-researchers-study-waves-created-recreational-boats
To read the full research study: https://conservancy.umn.edu/handle/11299/226190
Healthy Waters Initiative Update – St Anthony Falls Laboratory – November 2023
MLR Pursues Long Term Strategy to Address Wake Surfing Impacts – Minnesota Lakes & Rivers Advocates
Last Wilderness Alliance
Map of Long Lake
Base map source: MN Dept of Natural Resources (DNR).
The lake widths are estimated using the map scale.
