Debunking Wake Sports Industry Misinformation!
Wake Sports Industry Misinformation!
200 Feet is sufficient for wake surfing
Seven-minute video rebutting the wake surf industry claim that 200 feet from shore is sufficient for wake surfing
Waupaca Lawsuits - The Real Story!
Contrary to some narratives, NO town in Waupaca County has been sued for passing a wake enhancement ordinance. For the real story from those that were involved read the above item or click here
They say “It’s NOT Enforceable!”
Opponents of local ordinances often attempt to undermine their validity by claiming they are "unenforceable."
This assertion is demonstrably false and distracts from the legitimate concerns these ordinances address.
Other arguments against local control - have you heard any of the following? Check out the real story here
Your town will be sued!!!
Why not wait for State regulations?
Enforcing an ordinance is illegal or impossible!
Only the boat industry science is correct!
The Science - Refuting the Two Boating Industry Studies and Other False Claims
How do various wake surfing studies compare?
Easy to understand overview comparing the boating industry’s two studies to those not paid for by the industry (2 pages).
Critique of the Water Sport Industry Association (WSIA) study by Goudey, 2015 and the analysis of his data by the WSIA. Engineer Goudey never claimed 200’ from shore is enough; it was unnamed employees of the WSIA that made that claim despite Goudey reporting the surf wake is still 16 inches high after traveling 200’ toward shore!
Critiques of the National Marine Manufactures Association (NMMA) study by Fay, 2022. The industry claims this is a peer reviewed published work, but it only appears in a pay-to-publish Chinese e-journal. Judge for yourself if it was actually peer reviewed after reading these five critiques.
Four Critiques by experts, 2022. One expert that Fay cited says Fay’s study “fails to provide the material and evidence from which to make any sound conclusions”
An additional critique that outlines more problems, starting with many that are easy to understand by anyone.
False and Misleading Claims by William Banholzer. He claims that wakes from surfing 200’ from shore are no worse than a fishing boat 100’ from shore. Spoiler alert: The “fishing boat” is a massive Thunder Jet Alexis with 6 passengers intentionally making the largest wake possible by plowing at transition speed. The surf wake data has been heavily cherry picked, discarding all the highest data points, including the industry’s own Goudey data.
You don’t have to take our word for it! Original graphs from the major studies comparing wakes from surfing to those from conventional boating. Rely on these original works, not skewed conclusions by the industry and others.
Key points
Full version
Additional Studies
“Boat Wake Impact Analysis” (WEC, 2021). This explains problems with the WSIA-Goudey wind/wake comparison, stressing how site specific that type work is (p9-10). Like WSIA-Goudey, they measured surf wakes still 16” high after traveling 200’ (p 12-20). It considers erosion, damage to structures, and safety of others. It is a site specific analysis for two lakes in Georgia.
Vermont Study (Johnson, 2022). This study examines the claims that wake surfing wakes at 200 feet are no worse than wind from a sustained 20 mph winds.