Nopowerturning.com

form&function wrote: The problem is not the powerturn,its the people who come into a secluded occupied area and proceed to powerturn while your pulling a rider.Its rude,uncalled for and generally done by people that just don't understand how much there affecting the skier.Last real bad one I had actually waved and smiled at me because he just didn't know any better.I know that sounds crazy to some of you guys(wakeboarders complaining about wakes)but it is possible to be decent to others and own a wakeboat.

Now I get it. The last sentence really makes me chuckle, I understand there can be a large difference in the experience generated by careful, courteous, wake boarders and the uneducated drivers out there who do not have a clue. The same can be said of any boat driver.

However, the problem really is with perception. Its unfortunate that the name of the sport is "wake boarding" and not Ski boarding or such, and "wake surfing" is not called "boat surfing". To the pontoon crowd and fisherman on the lake, the act of severely overloading a boat to make the largest possible wake, then plowing down the lake at a speed that creates the largest peak, so someone can surf, is just crazy. I fully understand that grandpa in his 25' sea ray pulling the grand kids at 15 mph in the tube makes very large wakes as well, but the public does not see it as "purposely creating the biggest wake possible".

Educated boaters are the key, this fight is just starting on our lake, and it will get worse before better. The risk with any widespread education project at our lake is: We would call more attention to the problem in the short term, risking bans. The education must take place one on one, boater to boater, creating a environment of courteous drivers, boarders, skiers, and surfers.

Our watersports club is very active at the lake, hosting events that raise funds, we are always donating those funds to the causes at the lake, chapel, playground improvements, lions club, civic club, etc, etc...

Riley wrote: What you call a power turn is now a "bat turn".

We called them "bat turns" way before the "power turn" was used. I've mentioned it before that it didn't take long after the Batman TV series came out that someone said something like that turn looks like how Batman turns the Batmobile around in the Batcave!!! We still call them bat turns!!

Pete, the terminology has evolved. The wakeboarders are right on the power turns. Skiers do them too, when they power around to pick someone up. What you call a power turn is now a "bat turn".

8122pbrainard wrote: As stated above, maybe the "powerturn" is different than the ones I'm thinking of. A high speed powerturn does not produce large wave/wakes like a ballasted boat does!!

   Amongst wakeboarders,The "powerturn" is not the same as what you would consider a powerturn in a ski boat. Powerturns in ski boats is more like doing a spin on a PWC vs. powerturn in a wakeboat being like a turn you would make while towing a tube. Unless your rider is in immmediate danger there is no reason to do it.Slow down,idle boat around and return to rider.Most of the time the roller will turn the boat for you if done properly. I have seen wally skiers do this as well and if done in a ski boat the same way it would be done in a wakeboat, the end result is almost just as bad.

   Mike

Thanks.

SN206 wrote: I guess the above mentioned sticker / website would be a little less confrontational though.

But thats the fun part! It's my second favorite past time...close behind chasing down jet ski's!

SN206 wrote: If a "powerturn" is what I have in mind, are the rollers any worse than a ballasted wake boat pulling a boarder?

Not going 35-40 and spinning the boat, but slowly banking the boat and churning up the water. On our fishbowl of a lake it gets pretty nasty.

I guess more specifically the reasoning is to keep wakes down on the lake. Some members were trying to alienate wake boats because they made "5 foot tall waves." (2 of 5 mentioned "wake boats" were slalom boats w/towers and an x7 lol)

Our process was to educate everyone on the fact that a bayliner can create more wake than wake boats if they plow water, which many members do.

We have a problem with boats powerturning and sending rollers down the lake. On a small lake it can really create problems on the water and on the shorelines.....Plus it's a waste of gas!

Thought you guys might like this

http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/1/745320.html?1257303615