Wake-setter boats

[FlyingScot]

Originally Posted by NH_boater

This would seem to ignore the laws of physics. Can you explain or provide data? I have searched and found nothing.

You piqued my curiosity--reflected waves certainly certainly seem to make things worse for boats on the lake on a busy weekend. But yeah, we all know a wall can't magnify an individual wake. Here's a great explanation from ClimatetechWiki that bridges the gap:

Smooth, vertical seawalls are the least effective at dissipating wave energy; instead, the structures reflect wave energy seawards. Reflection creates turbulence, capable of suspending sediments (Bush et al., 2004), thus making them more susceptible to erosion. In a worst-case scenario, reflected energy can interact with incoming waves to set up a standing wave which causes intense scouring of the shoreline (French, 2001).

It's those damn "standing waves"!

Here's the link with pluses and minuses of seawalls and full references:

http://www.climatetechwiki.org/content/seawalls