If you’ve ever found yourself boating on your Stacer boat around any major waterway, you have undoubtedly seen the wake signs floating out on the water that almost resemble the speed signs on our roadways. As a boater, it’s important to understand and be conscious of the ”wake” that your boat leaves behind as it cuts through the water at different speeds. At speed, the larger and heavier the boat, the larger the wake, but at a very slow speed, most boats create almost no wake.

What is a wake?

A wake is a disturbance of the water resulting from a boat or jet ski moving through the water at high speeds. A wake is basically the V-shaped wave created by the displacement of the boat as it passes through the water. Your vessel’s wake makes turbulence in the water that could impact other vessels, people, or nearby sea life. If you’ve stood at the beach and looked out at a fast-moving boat, the waves that have been displaced are its wake.

Why are wakes regulated?  

When a watercraft creates a wake, it disrupts the water which can be harmful to nearby animals and people. If multiple boats are creating large waves in the same small area, it can result in large waves that could make other vessels unstable or create large and amplified waves that can disrupt local marine life or wash up on shores or against waterfront properties. This is why there are “No Wake” and “Slow Speed” zones.

Here are some more reasons why No Wake Zones are enforced:

A no-wake zone may be in place to protect the marina when large wakes could cause boats to strain at moorings or make it difficult for other boat owners to navigate in a confined space.

A no-wake zone is sometimes in place because the waterway is congested. In this situation, the function of a no-wake zone is similar to that of a speed limit on a city street. If the waterway is narrow and congested, having every boat slow down simply makes for safer navigation for everyone. This is why no wake zones are only enforced on weekends when boat traffic is heavy.

A no-wake zone may also be placed where sightlines are limited, such as a channel that passes under a bridge that blocks the view of approaching boats, or on a sharp bend in a channel or river where boats are likely to meet oncoming traffic.

A “No Wake” zone means that boats must reduce to the slowest speed they can travel at while maintaining the ability to steer and progress forward. When vessels move at these speeds, they produce a minimum wake. These are commonly crowded, narrow areas like channels or confined harbours.

How to identify a No Wake Zone

The beginning and end of a no-wake zone are usually by a white and orange floating marker or a row of markers. Sometimes the zone will be marked by large signs on shore. The speed limit in the zone is enforced as soon as a boat moves past the marker, so a captain needs to stop a boat from planing before reaching the marker of the no wake zone. No wake markers will often read “IDLE SPEED NO WAKE”, “SLOW NO WAKE”, or simply “NO WAKE ZONE”.

Heading your boat in a no-wake zone

In any no-wake zone, you may advance the throttle of your boat engine just enough to maintain safe boat control especially if there is a strong wind or current or to avoid a hazard. If your boat has outboard or sterndrive power, such as a Mercury outboard or a Yamaha outboard, trimming the motor or driving down will settle the bow in the water and help the boat track and handle better at low speeds.

Violating a no-wake zone can earn you a citation ticket from the authorities plus the vexation of those receiving your wake. Making a wake in a no-wake zone is simply bad form. Don’t be that boater.