Lake Above Full--is there a NO WAKE rule in place?
 

I remember several years ago when the water was really high, there was a No Wake Zone posted for the entire lake until about July 4th, as I recall. I haven't seen anything posted now, even though the lake is so high. Anybody have the lowdown?

Haven't heard of one but there should be. I looked out yesterday and a large I/O was going between Grant Island and the shore at max. wake speed. Very frustrating to see his rear end deep in the water chugging along as all the docks went up and down. By the way, it's on the charts and posted as a no wake zone.

The lake is actually down a couple inches from last weekend. By next weekend, barring any major rain storms it will be down even more. I do not believe you will see a no wake rule any time soon.

Dan

Wrong is wrong! It seems this bonehead was not thinking about the "no wake" area or damage if he was close to shore and dragging his stern!

The lake is full but no where near the level it was a few years ago when they placed the no wake restriction. The fingers of our slip was in the water back then but this weekend there was at least 8 inches to the bottom of the wood. I think we will have a great season this year!

Indeed when the lake went no wake in the past my dock was underwater, by I would say a good six inches, at the height of the lake this year the level was just at the top of the dock.....

Having said that the next evolution of my dock will have the ability to deal with about 505' of water with out issue

Not convinced
 

I am not totally convinced that declaring a "no wake period" does anything. High wind waves have much more effect than a periodic 2-10 seconds of waves from a boat. There may be high impact areas, but I believe they are already covered by existing "no wake zones"?

Any is good
 

IMHO, when the lake is so full that docks are nearly under water, boaters should police themselves and go no wake. Mother Nature is going to cause enough damage on her own, and we do not have to add to that damage.

Especially in the early boating season, when there is so much potential for hitting winter's leftover debris, or newly added debris caused by torrential rains and flooding, slow can be the smart way to go.

Again, just my opinion.

You are soooo right ..... unfortunately there are those of use that really understand all of this, and those that just think boating is cool

There are many areas on the broads where this is true. Waves due to winds are much bigger than any generated by boats. Many of these docks have breakwaters for protection. But there are many quiet coves on the lake where the wind is sheltered. There are no breakwaters for protection because they usually aren't needed. There's no protection for huge boat wakes when the lake is high.

As someone who is happy to say they have spent way too much time watching waves and wakes move across the water I can tell you that keeping away from the shore as far as possible gives your wake time to dissipate into many more waves of a smaller size. The total energy might be the same but the dock is much better off seeing 10 little ones than 3 big ones. If you have to go fast, go wide.

There was a "no wake zone" on Rt 95 in Warwick RI last week so they closed it. :rolleye1:

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.. oh sorry ... too far away from Wini :offtopic:

Turns, Hole-Shots and "Fetch"...
 

The Broads shorelines are unique because of "fetch".

The longer the area for wind-driven waves to build up, the greater force they deliver when striking the shoreline. Often, huge plumes of spray can carry well past the breakwater it hits. It's an exciting sight—yet so far from the ocean. :)

The turns that a boat takes (plus "hole-shots") can significantly alter its wake—from "mild" to "wild". :eek:

It's not just "quiet" coves, either: boat-driven wakes can arrive with an amplitude and period that soaks my dock—even when the lake is low. That's never happened with wind-driven waves due to the lack of "fetch" in my relatively wide-open area. (The longest "fetch" being 1½ miles).

The practical person in me has to ask this question. Why not build your docks with a higher running surface? Numerous times over the last 10-12 years the water level has risen to the point of docks going under so it's not some 1/500 year phenomenon.

They do it on the ocean AND they have to deal with tides.

Seriously, if wakes are impacting you, engineer around it. Sorry but the lake being 6-12 inches above full should not be reason to "shut 'er down."

Does a standard height exist? Seems to me the problem is those who don't think ahead and build their docks too low.

Water Is Now Down
 

I went up to the island camp last night and the water is now down 5" - 6" from where it was two weekends ago.

Enjoy the boating season!

Dan

If it were just the docks...
 

...but it's not. While docks can be damaged, it is the shorelines that also suffer. Natural wave action is bad enough, but when we compound manmade wave action with natural, we add to the damage to shorelines, and increase the amount of silt and debris being washed into the lake. This does nothing to improve the quality of the lake water, and increases the likelyhood of damage to boats traveling at a higher speed.

Again, just my humble opinion.:rolleye1:

Mount Cam
 

For the meantime, until the Mount moves, just check out the launch ramp at Center Harbor and notice the part of the ramp where the asphalt of the parking lot meets the concrete of the ramp itself. The water is now receding. NB

MountCam: http://www.cruisenh.com/mountcam.html

According to Bizer chart we're approaching normal levels for this time of year. Hopefully it stays that way through the rain this weekend.

We have been out to Welch the past three days and yes the water is getting down to a reasonable level. We did not see any floating debris this week however a 8x8x10' pressure treated timber did float into the breakwater. That would not have been nice to hit at speed.

Oh and we got a new stove and new re-frig in place as well as the water in. Hot showers, hot food and cold beer.

Given the amount of wind generated waves versus boat wakes over the course of every year, I'd speculate that boat wake induced erosion is not a primary concern for the majority of the lake. The lake has been around longer than any of us and the shores are not crumbling into the water. If you read above, it seems to me that the dock height is what people are really concerned about.

Someone above mentioned the ability to handle a 505' lake level which is the approach I would take. Building any lower means bad engineering and poor planning IMO.

Also, a lot of "debris" that you alluded to is man-made including dock parts and things that get floated from shore front property owners, both of which are solveable problems.

As I watch my beach erode, my speculation is that boat wake is much more damaging than the wind. A south-east wind brings me the biggest natural waves, which definitely cause erosion. Waves wash up on the grass and flow back into the lake. But, boat wake is more agitative. It reminds me of the churn of a washing machine. The erosion takes place in both directions - as the wave comes in and as it goes back out. The current shorelines have been eroding since the government raised the lake in the 1800's, but the last 30 years of increasing boat traffic and displacement weight has been a significant factor too. The worst problem is the flooding, caused by the dam policy and downstream constraints. A secondary factor is climate change, which has us in a rainy period at the moment. We can't control the wind, the downstream constraints or the climate, but restricting boats while the lake is high is something that can be done and will help.