I got a e-mail from MN. DNR titled 2020 Boating Survey. I completed the survey but there were many questions I gave no option on. I only canoe in the BW which is in a National Forest. Many of the question related to residents of Minnesota. I live in Texas. I believe that I should have never received a survey for state waters. I believe that only Minnesota residents should determine how state waters are governed, restricted and managed.

That's my thought for the day.

Deleted my post when I discovered it was off topic from the OP.

I find it strange that as a MN resident with years of boat registrations and fishing licenses in my name, I never got the survey, yet someone from Texas did. Interesting communications strategy by the DNR.

A friend did share the link so I was able to take the survey.

Linden, for the record, the survey didn’t contain much of anything related to agriculture or environmental concerns. It’s mostly designed to get info from MN boaters about how they use the water and access points, what’s important to them, opinions on rules and enforcement for boating, etc. It really wouldn’t make a ton of sense for someone without a MN registered boat to weigh in, in this case. But I do agree with you that the connected nature of our waterways means cooperation and collaboration across jurisdictions would be better for the whole complex system.

Boating Study Underway
The DNR is asking Minnesota boaters to complete a survey about their 2020 boating experiences. The survey is being sent to a random group of boat owners. This research project will help us understand boating trends, provide quality boating opportunities, and improve boat and water safety. The results will be available in 2021.

There were several questions asking my opinion on Wake Boards. I’ve never seen one in use and really didn’t know what they were.
Later I found out boats drive around close to shore throwing up a big wake while a person surfs in the wash on the Wake Boards. They routinely play loud music too.
I guess people want to limit the hours of use, decibels and distance from shore.

Zulu: "There were several questions asking my opinion on Wake Boards. I’ve never seen one in use and really didn’t know what they were.
Later I found out boats drive around close to shore throwing up a big wake while a person surfs in the wash on the Wake Boards. They routinely play loud music too.
I guess people want to limit the hours of use, decibels and vicinity from shore."

A few lakes in my area have them and they are something we don't need in this world. Also the boat used to create a wave big enough to surf stirs the water deeper than 10 feet and can be very destructive to the bottom and vegetation. Those boats are not cheap either.

I received the survey link and completed it. I educated myself about wake boarding as I was completing it. Thank goodness I have not had the displeasure of being on a lake with any wake boarders. Sounds incredibly destructive to the lakes as well as making the lake unusable to any small craft while those boats are out and about.

Pinetree: "

Zulu: "There were several questions asking my opinion on Wake Boards. I’ve never seen one in use and really didn’t know what they were.
Later I found out boats drive around close to shore throwing up a big wake while a person surfs in the wash on the Wake Boards. They routinely play loud music too.
I guess people want to limit the hours of use, decibels and vicinity from shore."

A few lakes in my area have them and they are something we don't need in this world. Also the boat used to create a wave big enough to surf stirs the water deeper than 10 feet and can be very destructive to the bottom and vegetation. Those boats are not cheap either. "

We wake surf during the day up on a lake cabin I own by Detroit Lakes, Mn. Then we fish in the evenings the same spots we were boating. The walleyes we catch don't seem to be bothered. Cabbage weeds and underwater camera prove it. Again, geez. A lot other things to complain about besides this.

I got and completed it as well. It seemed to me that they’re fishing for opinions on wake boat restrictions and boat registration fee increases. The former I’m all in favor of, the latter, not so much. Who knows what they’re truly after....

Though after a lifetime living in NE MN, watching them hose up nearly everything they’re involved in, I have little to no respect for or faith in the MN DNR...... Same could be said of the USFS and most other govt agencies as well though hahaha

Interesting. Motor boats going fast near shore, often pulling skiers or kids on tubes, have been an issue near our cabin. They throw up wakes close to shore and even worse their speed makes it dangerous to swim or for small kids in canoes or kayaks. My wife and I almost got run over once by one of them when swimming. I now carry a rescue whistle on my wrist to use if one is aimed at us again. There is one point boats come through between the shore and an island that is narrow enough that you are close enough to one or the other so that there should be no question but you can’t be throwing a wake. DNR has resisted putting up signs for the no wake zone. I hope they change their tune.

andym: "Interesting. Motor boats going fast near shore, often pulling skiers or kids on tubes, have been an issue near our cabin. They throw up wakes close to shore and even worse their speed makes it dangerous to swim or for small kids in canoes or kayaks. My wife and I almost got run over once by one of them when swimming. I now carry a rescue whistle on my wrist to use if one is aimed at us again. There is one point boats come through between the shore and an island that is narrow enough that you are close enough to one or the other so that there should be no question but you can’t be throwing a wake. DNR has resisted putting up signs for the no wake zone. I hope they change their tune."

Go to your county water and safty patrol run by the sheriffs office. They will handle it more often than the DNR on that issue.

I have a 20' Lund Alaskan and almost got swamped by a wake boat this Fall. That's how tall those wakes can be from these boats.

AmarilloJim: "I have a 20' Lund Alaskan and almost got swamped by a wake boat this Fall. That's how tall those wakes can be from these boats. "

People in the Brainerd area where those wake boats exist are having a lot of problems doing any other water activity because of them, also erosion of shoreline etc. does happen. Like I said they do turn the water up down quite aways also.
It makes you appreciate the BWCA more. peace and quite.

Just for clarity's sake -- there is a distinction between wake boarding and wake surfing. Wake boarding is done at a faster speed with the boarder hanging onto a rope. They're no more of a disturbance than water skiiers in my opinion. Wake surfing is different. These are specialized boats with insane amounts of ballast that throw an enormous wake at a slow speed. The surfer starts out on a rope to get going, and then drop the rope and literally surf the enormous wake behind the boat. I've actually seen people wake surfing with an open beer in one hand.

The thing is that there are already regulations on the books that, if enforced, would curb this kind of activity close to shore. The problem we have in this state ( in my opinion ) is an almost total lack of enforcement on the water.

For that reason I answered on the survey that I'd be willing to pay a LOT more for my boat registration if the funds were used to enforce the existing laws and regulations. The last thing we need are more rules that they don't have the budget to enforce.

To me, boat registration and fishing license are significantly under-priced in MN by at least 100%. Guys buy a loaded 24-foot Mastercraft at $150k+ and then it's like $25/year to register. They could charge 10x that, those dudes wouldn't bat an eye. My 16 foot fishing boat is $12 a year. It's a joke.

I've experienced Wake Boarding once here in Iowa. They are one of the most destructive things to the environment, I've seen !

Thanks for the advice, Pinetree.

Zulu: "There were several questions asking my opinion on Wake Boards. I’ve never seen one in use and really didn’t know what they were.
Later I found out boats drive around close to shore throwing up a big wake while a person surfs in the wash on the Wake Boards. They routinely play loud music too.
I guess people want to limit the hours of use, decibels and distance from shore."

Kinda like the seventies when we played our music so loud it eroded the shoreline too. Haha! Sounds like the DNR should be doing a sort of study on what kind of damage these boards are creating. I don’t think raising lisence fees do anything... but they have officers that need to be out there enforcing. If it’s happening... call... take videos... you bug em enough they’ll check it out. But waterskiing has been going on for decades... this would need some kinda proof or something for them to go on.

I do not know enough about this, but I found this article interesting and fairly middle ground on the subject, IMHO.

The battle over wake surfing.

As a watercraft Inspector wakeboats are the scourge of our lakes.
The popular one nowadays is the Yamaha, starting at $65,000 depending
on your stereo system. Clean, drain, dry is the DNR mantra, how do you
do that with a boat that holds 100's of gallons of water?
Well, there are ways to decontainement them, a real hassle.
DNR also says they are one of the biggest spreaders of AIS since they
do not drain all the water and transfer to other lakes.

LindenTree: "I do not know enough about this, but I found this article interesting and fairly middle ground on the subject, IMHO.


The battle over wake surfing. "

Thanks and like the research projects done to study effects.

The issue I have with creating new laws is simple. There is already a law that says when operating a boat you are responsible for your wake and any damage it causes. Just enforce it. Simple.

The ballast is a separate and greater concern in my opinion. AIS nightmare. Again, we already have laws against transporting lake water. Enforce them!

All that trouble to surf a wave that’s not even overhead. Around here, if you want to get towed into a wave people use jet skis and nature at Mavericks. And from the sound of it outside, there are some decent waves at the moment.

LindenTree: "I do not know enough about this, but I found this article interesting and fairly middle ground on the subject, IMHO."

That boat in the opening paragraph looks dangerously overloaded. I count 8 people in it.

That boat worried me too. The incredibly large amount of ballast these boats carry might make it ok.

Has anyone seen a DNR agent ever breathalyze boat operators?

AmarilloJim: "Has anyone seen a DNR agent ever breathalyze boat operators? "

I know on the popular lakes like Gull, Mille lacs in the Brainerd area the County Sheriff Water Safty patrol(they are paid from Mn license boat funds) and MN DNR have often ticketed for DWI in boats for the driver. I believe laws are different in having open bottle in the boat tho.

There sure seems to be a lot of hate for wake boats. I can see wake surfing being a issue too close to shore but wake boarding shouldn't be an issue any more than a jet ski or ski boat. The only issue I see is going too close to shore, which is already illegal. I don't think enforcement is the solution though. Education would be far more effective and more of a long term solution.

I don't think people actually know all the boating laws, they just buy, rent, or borrow a boat to go have fun. I've heard about people on shore/docks yelling at boats on the water, but the person yelling just comes off like an A-hole and the boater doesn't get that they were doing anything wrong. TV and radio ads talking about safe boating practices and posting rules and regulations at boat launches would go a long ways towards letting people know that they are in the wrong AND what they can do to correct it. Enforcement really only works if they (and everyone watching) know they are doing something wrong before they are pulled over.

Those type of boats ruin the experience of the vast majority of other water sport users in the area. The owners of these boats seem to have a higher level of dickheadedness than the average boat owner. Not to mention the music they blast out for everyone to "enjoy"

A1t2o: "posting rules and regulations at boat launches would go a long ways towards letting people know that they are in the wrong AND what they can do to correct it. "

Do you really think people are going to stop and read the rules? They tend to ignore the signs already there.

I guess I am very out of touch about things like wake boarding. I just figured another special kind of board to kill yourself on. I didn’t realize the specialized boats involved and the huge danger of transporting invasive species. We have enough problems keeping that in check... it’s like they’re saying, let’s step it up a notch and make it harder to control. Let alone the everything else problems it’s causing. Hauling canoes and kayaks across the country is hard enough going state to state. If more checkpoints are put in place and states start cracking down even more, it would be a nightmare. I pretty much quit doing it full scale. But even to take a couple boats now and again to help someone out can be a pain not worth taking.

I've worked boat landings for 40 years. Signs are only read by the tourist,
average boater just puts in and goes. Big problem nowadays is the power
loaders. 250 hp motor revs up unto their trailer and makes a berm.
Not a problem for a canoeist on this site, but a huge problem for someone
with an expensive propeller.
I've done AIS inspections for years, please respect us, were only doing
an important job. Clean,drain,dry.

I got the email with the survey but the links didn't work. I'm sure I had some input to give.

I've seen a lot of erosion at one of the lakes I go to regularly. Been going there for about 30 years. Water levels have been generally higher the last 5 to 10 years. Recreational traffic has also increased. More power boats with larger engines, jet ski's and the like. People out for their own fun and recreation which is all fine and good but the tragedy of the commons ensues when shoreline erosion, loon nesting failure, lower water clarity, environmental degradation come into play. Some folks either are ignorant or just don't care.

bwcamjh: "I got the email with the survey but the links didn't work. I'm sure I had some input to give.


I've seen a lot of erosion at one of the lakes I go to regularly. Been going there for about 30 years. Water levels have been generally higher the last 5 to 10 years. Recreational traffic has also increased. More power boats with larger engines, jet ski's and the like. People out for their own fun and recreation which is all fine and good but the tragedy of the commons ensues when shoreline erosion, loon nesting failure, lower water clarity, environmental degradation come into play. Some folks either are ignorant or just don't care.


"

The size of boats I am seeing on some lakes is just so unreal. They are made for one thing, going fast and recreation not related to fishing. I am sure they have effected spawning fish in the spring-summer.

Mickeal: " I believe that only Minnesota residents should determine how state waters are governed, restricted and managed.

"

Here here! Meanwhile the DNR has spent all of our district's access improvement budget on building 3 more public accesses on Detroit Lake... So people from Fargo can go wake surfing...

1lookout: " As a watercraft Inspector wakeboats are the scourge of our lakes.
The popular one nowadays is the Yamaha, starting at $65,000 depending
on your stereo system. Clean, drain, dry is the DNR mantra, how do you
do that with a boat that holds 100's of gallons of water?
Well, there are ways to decontainement them, a real hassle.
DNR also says they are one of the biggest spreaders of AIS since they
do not drain all the water and transfer to other lakes.
"

I’ve done this survey before too. I only have a couple of complaints. I couldn’t agree more with wake boats. There is no way to totally drain these boats tanks. If the boat uses the same water every time like on a lift I don’t care, but most go to other lakes. I see new boats I’ve never seen all the time.

Another crazy rule is I have to license a 13’ plastic kayak, really? It does absolutely nothing but empty my wallet.

Savage Voyageur: "

1lookout: " As a watercraft Inspector wakeboats are the scourge of our lakes.
The popular one nowadays is the Yamaha, starting at $65,000 depending
on your stereo system. Clean, drain, dry is the DNR mantra, how do you
do that with a boat that holds 100's of gallons of water?
Well, there are ways to decontainement them, a real hassle.
DNR also says they are one of the biggest spreaders of AIS since they
do not drain all the water and transfer to other lakes.
"

I’ve done this survey before too. I only have a couple of complaints. I couldn’t agree more with wake boats. There is no way to totally drain these boats tanks. If the boat uses the same water every time like on a lift I don’t care, but most go to other lakes. I see new boats I’ve never seen all the time.


Another crazy rule is I have to license a 13’ plastic kayak, really? It does absolutely nothing but empty my wallet. "

Its does go for public access purchase and maintenance and MN DNR CO's to control wake board activity. Yes I agree where do you make the line for boat license.