How close is too close

[Knomad]

Lone Pine brings up some excellent suggestions.

Legally, other boaters must stay 150' from a water skier unless they are going no wake speed. The skier and tow boat must stay 150' from other other boats, docks, swim areas, swimmers, shores, etc.
The person being towed needs to follow all the rules of the road.

Other common sense things to do:[LIST]
The operator of the boat needs to focus on where they are going. Don't put the person being towed in a dangerous situation.
Let the observer watch the person being towed.

[Belmont Resident]

Originally Posted by Knomad

Lone Pine brings up some excellent suggestions.

Legally, other boaters must stay 150' from a water skier unless they are going no wake speed. The skier and tow boat must stay 150' from other other boats, docks, swim areas, swimmers, shores, etc.
The person being towed needs to follow all the rules of the road.

Other common sense things to do:[LIST]
The operator of the boat needs to focus on where they are going. Don't put the person being towed in a dangerous situation.
Let the observer watch the person being towed.

Double edge sword. Being the other boat we often shake our heads at the tow boat drivers and their ability to have total disregard for the rules because they are towing.
In my opinion many who are towing just by the nature of where they choose to tow are putting themselves in a bad situation.
We watched a Capt. Bonehead last weekend stop at the end of the channel heading into the Weirs bay to let out his tube and occupants all while maybe 300 feet from the end of the channel. His boat had drifted to the right side of the bay, he proceeds to cut completely across traffic and head down towards Meredith.
Another thing we see is during the busiest times boaters pulling tubes and skiers in Paugus Bay.
Pulling anything in a high traffic area is not using common sense to begin with as most knowledgeable boat operators look for the less traveled areas which in turn cuts down on the risk of running into a situation where the tow boat has to give way. Something I almost never see happen on Winni.
The lull in boat traffic seems to have subsided and now a lot of the problems and complaints of years gone buy seem to be returning.
Good luck stay safe out there.

[Lakegeezer]

All great points here. Not everyone skis or pulls skiers, so the courtesies are not universally known. But, there is advice that ski boat drivers should also heed. In many parts of the lake, there are well traveled lanes. This might be around islands or markers, where there is only a narrow path. This is not the best areas to be pulling a skier. Here, the ski boat is just another "boat in traffic" and it should not expect the same courtesies that are extended when in more appropriate areas.

We see this too often in the narrows near us. There will be six boats coming one direction and four in another - and along comes a tuber. Usually, there is no problem, but when the tuber dismounts unexpectedly, it snarls up traffic, along with creating a more anxious situation for the tuber and its ride.

[RLW]

NHWakesurfer, I just noticed that you are fairly new to the forum and glad you have joined us. Have fun and enjoy the Winni Forum while making many new friends.
I personally understand your complete thread and I thank you for writing it as it should be a reminder to all that it may concern. It doesn't hurt to put out reminders like yours now and then.