Meredith NWZ Petition / Hearing

[HellRaZoR004]

24 feet is large? I think you need a reality check.

Go watch some of the recent wind wave videos this year and tell me they aren't causing as much or more damage.

[SAMIAM]

Speaking of large wakes.....I'm amazed at the size of the wakes produced by the wake board boats.They are designed with to take on extra weight in the ballast tanks and it keeps them on 3/4 plane.
Wakes appear to be 3' to 4'

[AC2717]

Originally Posted by SAMIAM

Speaking of large wakes.....I'm amazed at the size of the wakes produced by the wake board boats.They are designed with to take on extra weight in the ballast tanks and it keeps them on 3/4 plane.
Wakes appear to be 3' to 4'

they can add ballast (pump in water to ballast tanks) to their hulls to create wakes, some have multiple tanks

[AC2717]

I really think the problem is that the NWZ here is way too long and so people try to get speed as far as they can so it does not take them 10 minutes to get to the docks. there really is no reason for an area of that size to have a no wake zone in the first place, I think those proposing the larger nwz are being undone by their own doing in the first place with the large one they already have and most would not have a problem if they actually pushed back the NWZ further into the bay say the church landing point over to just past the little island

[Hillcountry]

Originally Posted by AC2717

I really think the problem is that the NWZ here is way too long and so people try to get speed as far as they can so it does not take them 10 minutes to get to the docks. there really is no reason for an area of that size to have a no wake zone in the first place, I think those proposing the larger nwz are being undone by their own doing in the first place with the large one they already have and most would not have a problem if they actually pushed back the NWZ further into the bay say the church landing point over to just past the little island

I have to chuckle at that one...WTH is the all-fired, rush for heaven's sake?
There's no way it takes 10 min to reach the docks at headway speed...it only takes 9!
I have been there and approaching the docks and have had people cruise by me to attempt to get there first...obviously, doing faster than headway.
I just shake my head...

[Descant]

Complaining here won't change much If you really want change:
1. Contact your local rep/senator to require speed limit changes, NRZ, etc. by the legislature, not the Commissioner of Safety.
2. Mandate that hearings be held in July/August, not September 30
3. Mandate that at least two hearings be held, 12 months apart

There is no reason that those who are complaining about the size of the Meredith NWZ can't file a petition to reduce the NWZ to some other size and produce a second set of hearings and give the Commissioner pause for thought. These changes occur because the petitioners show up and the opponents do not. Simple.

I don't want to re-start the issues over speed limits, but the process is the same in terms of who shows up, and who yells the loudest.

Call (not email) your state Reps and Senators (candidates) instead of whining to each other.

Vote on September 13.

[Lakeboater]

Originally Posted by Descant

Complaining here won't change much If you really want change:
1. Contact your local rep/senator to require speed limit changes, NRZ, etc. by the legislature, not the Commissioner of Safety.
2. Mandate that hearings be held in July/August, not September 30
3. Mandate that at least two hearings be held, 12 months apart

There is no reason that those who are complaining about the size of the Meredith NWZ can't file a petition to reduce the NWZ to some other size and produce a second set of hearings and give the Commissioner pause for thought. These changes occur because the petitioners show up and the opponents do not. Simple.

I don't want to re-start the issues over speed limits, but the process is the same in terms of who shows up, and who yells the loudest.

Call (not email) your state Reps and Senators (candidates) instead of whining to each other.

Vote on September 13.

Maybe 6 months apart? 12 months would just bring it up at the same time a year later.

[Winnisquamer]

Originally Posted by AC2717

they can add ballast (pump in water to ballast tanks) to their hulls to create wakes, some have multiple tanks

The good ones have multiple tanks or bags!

[Resident 2B]

My opinion is the Meredith NWZ should be made smaller, not larger. It is already too large and when you look at what is going on and do some thinking about what you are seeing, the only real solution is to reduce its size and to change the angle of the current NWZ line so that boats would want to come off plane farther away from the docks near MM.

R2B

[tis]

Originally Posted by SAMIAM

Speaking of large wakes.....I'm amazed at the size of the wakes produced by the wake board boats.They are designed with to take on extra weight in the ballast tanks and it keeps them on 3/4 plane.
Wakes appear to be 3' to 4'

I agree! They make a huge wake!

[KPW]

Originally Posted by SAMIAM

Speaking of large wakes.....I'm amazed at the size of the wakes produced by the wake board boats.They are designed with to take on extra weight in the ballast tanks and it keeps them on 3/4 plane.
Wakes appear to be 3' to 4'

We have one that goes around and around in the Barber Pole!!

[Greene's Basin Girl]

Originally Posted by KPW

We have one that goes around and around in the Barber Pole!!

The wake board boat's wakes are absolutely horrible. Our loon chicks have been separated from their parents by these waves.We lost one chick. Not sure if the wake was the culprit or not. One of these boats resides in a residence in Green's Basin and several came in over and over during the summer to wake board in the basin. A friend will not even paddle board when they are out there. Another friend's boat was damaged. Let's not even mention the erosion to our shorelines. I have been on the lake for 60+ years and I have never seen anything like it! I think the wakes could lead to a safety problem if someone ( especially a youngster) is in the water near shore. They are like ocean waves.

[chasedawg]

Originally Posted by Greene's Basin Girl

The wake board boat's wakes are absolutely horrible. Our loon chicks have been separated from their parents by these waves.We lost one chick. Not sure if the wake was the culprit or not. One of these boats resides in a residence in Green's Basin and several came in over and over during the summer to wake board in the basin. A friend will not even paddle board when they are out there. Another friend's boat was damaged. Let's not even mention the erosion to our shorelines. I have been on the lake for 60+ years and I have never seen anything like it! I think the wakes could lead to a safety problem if someone ( especially a youngster) is in the water near shore. They are like ocean waves.

Absolutely agree Green Basin Girl. Camp Belknap went from a ski boat to a Wake Board Boat last year being leased from Melvin village Marina. The boat creates huge waves and is very loud especially at 6:30 AM. The point being they don't wake board. They use the boat just for tubing and occasionally water skiing. Melvin Village Marina leased the wrong boat for what they use it for. The neighbors are getting frustrated with the large waves it produces and the open exhaust. Yes complaints have been submitted to the Director. We love everything about one of the best YMCA camps in the country but it is the wake board boat we don't love.

[Dave R]

Originally Posted by chasedawg

Absolutely agree Green Basin Girl. Camp Belknap went from a ski boat to a Wake Board Boat last year being leased from Melvin village Marina. The boat creates huge waves and is very loud especially at 6:30 AM. The point being they don't wake board. They use the boat just for tubing and occasionally water skiing. Melvin Village Marina leased the wrong boat for what they use it for. The neighbors are getting frustrated with the large waves it produces and the open exhaust. Yes complaints have been submitted to the Director. We love everything about one of the best YMCA camps in the country but it is the wake board boat we don't love.

What about the children?

[Orion]

Originally Posted by Greene's Basin Girl

The wake board boat's wakes are absolutely horrible. Our loon chicks have been separated from their parents by these waves.We lost one chick. Not sure if the wake was the culprit or not. One of these boats resides in a residence in Green's Basin and several came in over and over during the summer to wake board in the basin. A friend will not even paddle board when they are out there. ...........Another friend's boat was damaged. Let's not even mention the erosion to our shorelines. I have been on the lake for 60+ years and I have never seen anything like it! .......

Clearly Greens Basin is not an appropriate place to be using a wakeboard boat. The shoreline in that area and small bays/inlets is not conditioned naturally for large waves as other open areas of the lake are. Erosion will certainly be excessive in this area from these boats which should be relegated to the large open bays or the Broads. I'm not advocating more laws, but self-regulation by users of these boats will prevent petitioners from seeking same. It's all about common sense (I know, it's not common).

[ApS]

Rich:

Perhaps the problem isn't the "oversized boats", but it is the oversized homes that then install their own dock and its surrounding landscaping that is disturbing the natural forest that took years to grow and which surrounds the lake?

Fertilizer, road salt, dirt, loam, forest duff, moss, and (worse) silt, are not falling off the back of boats, but are the certainly the result of homes being built on the shores of the lake. Perhaps you should look in the mirror before casting stones from your glass house?

See, it can go both ways.

We own an acre of lakefront property—with half fully forested. (No lawn ).

The erosive effects of weekend boating with over-sized boats are clearly evident across both shorelines. On weekends, shoreline waters go from clear to turbid.

I'm not promoting that everyone should be too loud, or too damaging, or too obnoxious

So...just how obnoxious should they be?

TiltonBB:

So, who gets to decide if there is such a thing as "over sized" for Winnipesaukee?

The market. Taxes and fees are used for incentive for change.

Who else will give the NHMP the resources to enforce the NWZ in Meredith?

Who will determine what the maximum acceptable size is?

The market.

Why is it acceptable to financially penalize people who need enough room to stay overnight on their boat with their kids and want to enjoy Winnipesaukee?

Because they are a major part of the problem of oversized wakes? (And the cost is carried by others as a "second home" for income tax purposes—(This year!)

Perhaps you may want to adjust to the times and raise your dock by a foot or so.

As it is, sitting on my dock, my feet can't reach the gunwale of my canoe. Maybe I should practice jumping in from a foot higher?

The lake has changed from what it was 30 or 40 years ago and it will always be changing.

A change needs to be made to keep Winnipesaukee's hillsides from sliding into the lake.

Weekends, shoreline waters go from clear to turbid.

It is predominantly a power boat lake with a very small percentage of sailboats.

Can you guess why that is?

People who cannot accept the changes and think you should be able to kayak across the broads on the Fourth of July may be happier on a smaller lake that better fits with their needs and expectations.

• Perhaps because of "whitewater-kayaking", kayakers and sea-kayakers think they can handle anything thrown their way.

Some don't come back.

• What happened to "The Lake is for Everybody"?

I would not want to look out at the lake every day and have complaints about what I see. I enjoy seeing all of the different types and styles of boats go by.

Most enjoyable is watching the most eye catching of the towable watersports: slalom skiing, "sky-skiing" and tubing. Watching Moth-class sailboats, catamarans, windsurfers and ultralights is entertaining. Watching the wakeboarders and wakesurfing is boring—and sometimes—deafening!

Watching 75-MPH speedboats dodging all of them—not so much.

Not being able to hear my cellphone or radio at the dock isn't entertaining with over-sized wakes crashing ashore, and sometimes, even shaking my piling dock!

(I hadn't really bothered to make a note of this, until a family member—peaceably reading in the sun—and I looked up at each other when a wake shook the dock! As soon as I figure out a way to best videotape this mostly-weekend phenomenon, I'll take one).

The advent of pontoon boats, which leave a scant wake, is welcomed very much.

Originally Posted by MAXUM

Really? I don't see that in any of your pics. Just sayin...

All better?



The dry areas to the left and under the stairway aren't slippery with algae. The darkest areas, regularly soaked by oversized wakes, got "noticed" after my knee surgery!

Now, back to the wake problem elsewhere...

.

[MAXUM]

Don't know I sort of just shake my head at the content of this entire thread. If things continue on the course they seem to be taking the lake is going to end up being chopped up, sliced and diced into areas where upon entering them you'll need to bring the check list of what is "allowable" and what speed is appropriate. Is it me or can anyone else see the insanity this represents?

For cripes sake there is enough laws, rules and regulations on the books, putting up more does nothing to solve the problem so long as the enforcement piece is not exercised.

There are already laws on the books for loud exhaust, liability for any damage done by the wake you leave behind, 150 passage rule, disturbing the peace, reckless operation, we even now have a speed limit and on and on. That pretty much covers every gripe about wakes, noise, speed etc.. yet that still is not enough. Does this not illustrate that laws are useless if they are not readily enforced. Simply put unless you all want a fleet of MP around every corner busting people for every little nit picky thing they do nothing is going to make you happy, or let me guess the sight of all the MP boats, the fact they may need to speed to catch somebody, or you have to listen to sirens blairing at all hours of the day is also unacceptable as well. It's a no win situation.

[SIKSUKR]

My 2 cents. The huge NW zone there is part of the problem. First, its so far across it really is missed by most except regular users. Second, its so large and far from ones destination that many "push it" as far as they can. Third, since it was created that far out it seems boats re producing bigger wakes in the MYC area. I thought this ridiculously large area was setup to with MYC in mind and is why its that far down Meredith Bay in the first place. Fourth, I have not been there in a few years but this years Bizer chart shows scattered markers that, in a straight line would go way past M Marine but stop quite a ways offshore from there. I guess looking at a Bizer chart I'd be confused where one would start headway speed if you were on the MM side. Fifth, to APS, is a 35 year old dock still supposed to be algae free? What?