Wake surfing
"Our window is short, but Minnesota has done a great job of opening our lakes to anyone who wants to use them, for whatever they want to use them for," he said.īendt and others said the large waves from wakesurfing boats have the potential to damage the shoreline, as well as stirring up debris from the lake bottom that can promote algae blooms. Minnesota's lakes are a public resource that should be open to all, Bank said. "It's a beautiful lake seemingly made of up many small lakes. "Lake Minnetonka is a wonderful lake," he said in an interview before the meeting. At least five or six world champions live on the lake, according to Chris Bank, himself a world champion and lake resident. Lake Minnetonka has a thriving wakesurfing community and produced many champions in national and international competitions. The boats travel slowly and often have ballast tanks that can be filled with water to make them heavier, as well as wings that can be deployed to enlarge and shape the waves they produce. Using a small board, wakesurfers ride the wake of special boats designed to create a large wave. "In Minnesota, boating isn't just an activity - it's a lifestyle," said Chad Tokowicz of the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas.Īnti-wakesurfing activists "are loud, but they don't represent reasonable boaters," said Michelle Mueller, chief executive of an Excelsior boat dealership. Wakesurfing enthusiasts and representatives of the boating industry said it would be unfair to single out a particular kind of boat for restrictions, especially given that water recreation is so deeply rooted in Minnesota culture. "Wakesurfing affects other users of Lake Minnetonka in a way that's never been seen on bays of 250 acres or less," Bendt told public officials from 14 communities that abut the lake.īendt's group of nearly 600 members advocates banning wakesurfing within 700 feet of docks or shorelines - the current limit is 150 feet - as well as banning wakesurfing on smaller bays before noon. John Bendt, who heads Citizens for Sharing Lake Minnetonka, said wakesurfers are monopolizing the smaller bays and driving out sailors, paddlers and anglers.
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Wakesurfing boats are causing controversy on Lake Minnetonka, and some residents are pressing for new restrictions for the specialized watercraft.Īs the sport has grown in popularity, so have complaints from lake users and homeowners about noise and disruptive waves caused by the large, slow-moving boats, which are designed to create a wake large enough to surf.Īrea residents packed a special hearing of the Lake Minnetonka Conservation District on Wednesday as the body considers tighter restrictions on wakesurfing.