Big, fast boats causing contention on Lake of the Ozarks

SUNRISE BEACH, Mo. -- Bigger boats driving at higher speeds are causing rocky waters on the Lake of the Ozarks.

The issue isn't new at the lake, but residents and business owners said the bigger boats -- and their wakes -- are causing thousands of dollars in damage to docks and the shoreline and making the lake less peaceful for residents, The Kansas City Star reported.

Missouri State Water Patrol troopers aren't able to issue tickets because the damage comes from the wave, not the boat.

State lawmakers have considered changes but find it difficult to reach compromise among those who want to limit boat sizes, marina dealers and people who spent a lot of money on their large boats.

One possible measure would be a no-wake policy on boats 35 feet or longer whenever they came within 300 feet, rather than the existing 100 feet, of a dock.

Another would have lowered penalties for excessive wakes, hoping to encourage the Water Patrol to write more tickets.

In 2015, the last year for which records are available, water conditions contributed to 20 injuries and five deaths.

Highway Patrol spokesman Sgt. Scott White said water conditions generally refer to the waves created when boats move too fast near shore or other boats.

Current state law prohibits anything faster than idling speed, "slow-no wake speed," within 100 feet of a dock, an anchored boat or an area marked with buoys. But on busy weekends, boat traffic creates waves above 6 feet, which capsize or swamp smaller boats.

Ron Mueller, owner of Trico Dock Center in Osage Beach, said people used to complain about 25-foot boats, but now they gripe about the 45-footers, which sell for more than $400,000. The docks he makes weigh perhaps five times as much as those he built 15 years ago -- at nearly five times the cost.

"People have no choice," he said. "The lake just keeps getting rougher with the bigger boats."

Rep. Diane Franklin, who grew up on the lake, said it's important to find a balance between tourists who enjoy faster, bigger boats on weekends and lake-area residents who like the calmer weekdays.

"We may come to legislation at some point," she said. "But folks just taking responsibility for their wake, that goes a long way."

The people who sell boats want education, not legislation.

"Our stance is that it's an educational issue, and we put out the message to boaters and all people in general to watch your wake, be courteous and follow the rules of the water," said Mike Kenagy, executive director of the Lake of the Ozarks Marine Dealers Association.