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Dock is getting slammed

Economy Mike

Economy Mike

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Location
Pickwick Lake on the Tennessee River
Although I have noticed boaters cruising pretty fast near docks in years past, it didn't really upset me until we got a dock of our own. Now, ski boats, wave boats (the worst), sea-doos, pontoons and even fishing boats zoom past with no regard to the danger they pose to swimmers or people on the dock, especially children, or the damage they may cause to docks, moored boats, etc. Ours is a floating dock, so it rises and falls some with each significant wave. Has anyone had success getting these boaters to slow down around their dock? Thanks.
 
Call your local Law Enforcement . Easier said than done but ,If you can ,get their registration numbers and take a video .
Our lakes have LE on Jet Skis and Zodiacs
I "try " to get under my SPS to wipe it down once a week at the sand bar and the morons come flying by while Im under .
One idiot last year took a jet ski into the swimming area full speed .
 
Most every body of water is going to have issues with a boats wake doing damage to docks, seawall's, and boats tied to them. Some people just don't have any common sense or respect for other people's properties. Check with your local water patrol to see if anything can be done. Alabama has a law that boats must be at no wake speed within 50 feet of an anchored boat or a pier/boat house. To me 50 feet is a joke, but it beats nothing... I guess.
 
Luckily my canal is quiet. I hate it though when people are not considerate of others especially with safety.
 
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Good ideas. Thanks everyone. Usually don't see water patrol except on training days (holiday weekends), but that's when I expect it will be the worst. I'll call the state and leave a message because they are all probably still working from home. :cool: And I'll definitely place a buoy out there...maybe that will start a trend.
 
All of Lake Norman has a no-wake zone within 150 feet of any dock, bridge, marina, boat ramp, and within 100 feet of a law enforcement vessel that is displaying a flashing blue light. No wake speed is idle speed or a speed creating no appreciable wake. Still people don't think......
 
Be careful spending money on buoys if there is LE on your body of water. They confiscate ours yearly saying its not a legal navigational aid or some crap....
 
True, but I doubt they would take some strategically placed 12" hi-vis floating foam noodles tied to weights. Those are widely used here on Tennessee River reservoirs in lieu of trot lines for catfish. And boaters avoid them to prevent entanglement with lines and hooks. I now have a plan.
 
Economy Mike said:
True, but I doubt they would take some strategically placed 12" hi-vis floating foam noodles tied to weights. Those are widely used here on Tennessee River reservoirs in lieu of trot lines for catfish. And boaters avoid them to prevent entanglement with lines and hooks. I now have a plan.
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Sucks bet we I’ve tried everything. We just resorted to dumping a little orange pint in a milk jug, shaking it and tying it to a cheap rope/weight and replacing as they take it. Haha
Good luck! It’s def a pain battling waves
 
I guess this thread has shown me one very nice virtue of having such a long and shallow shoreline. There are no boats getting within 200-230’ of shore and creating a wake - it’s too shallow!

On the rare occasion we get a jet skier that comes into the shoreline shallows and wants to do donuts and what not. However, they are rare as they need to come in between to neighboring docks that go out 180’ on my north side, and 220’ on my south side. Those two docks basically push back 99% of the jet skiers too. So our areas with our shorter 74’ dock is like its own little cove.

I think I need to appreciate this aspect of my lake a little more. Normally I am just complaining about how shallow it is for such a long distance from shoreline.

I guess the grass is always greener where you water it. I probably need to water mine more often.
 
Vikingstaff said:
I guess this thread has shown me one very nice virtue of having such a long and shallow shoreline. There are no boats getting within 200-230’ of shore and creating a wake - it’s too shallow!

On the rare occasion we get a jet skier that comes into the shoreline shallows and wants to do donuts and what not. However, they are rare as they need to come in between to neighboring docks that go out 180’ on my north side, and 220’ on my south side. Those two docks basically push back 99% of the jet skiers too. So our areas with our shorter 74’ dock is like its own little cove.

I think I need to appreciate this aspect of my lake a little more. Normally I am just complaining about how shallow it is for such a long distance from shoreline.

I guess the grass is always greener where you water it. I probably need to water mine more often.
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We have a similar setup. Small cove off open water. Occasionally we get a jetski that thinks its cool to burn out of a boat that thinks it cool to have the skier ski out of the cove, (its not, by the way)..besides that its not too bad. A neighbor a few houses up the cove put a big "no wake" buoy that was at the front of the cove...a recent storm pushed it back inside the cove and in front of my dock line for parking..need to see about dragging it back to its home
 
While a buoy attached to a light weight line is likely a low risk hazard. Anything with a durable line is probably a liability risk to whom ever places the obstacle in the water.
The risk is not only to the boat that hits it but also to water skiers etc.
 
Jack M said:
I may try one of these when I am wiping, the toons at the sand bar .

View attachment 30024
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Quick update .
I did order one from amazon warehouse .Damaged box about half price .
I'll try it next time I wipe it down at the sand bar

Amazon.com : Innovative Scuba Deluxe Flag Diver Below Inflatable Flag And Float Buoy, FL0301 : Sports & Outdoors

Amazon.com : Innovative Scuba Deluxe Flag Diver Below Inflatable Flag And Float Buoy, FL0301 : Sports & Outdoors
www.amazon.com
 
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