I'd seen the fishing crowd here and other boards bitch about the wakeboard boaters for years, and after yesterday, I "get it" now.

Only about my 3rd time on Lake Tuscaloosa, but it was a pretty day so obviously there was a crowd. The wakeboard boats were everywhere, swarming almost like gnats. And there were quite a few idots running around with full ballasts even when they weren't pulling anyone. It ought to be legal to slap those folks in the mouth.

Next time thinking we may hit the river and sandbars to see if there's a little less traffic

It's just people in general with no respect. Those boats draw the younger crowd a lot of times and they just don't respect the other boats or the water. I see azz hats buzzing by on bass boats at 60mph too. I don't have a WB boat, but would love one if they were not $60k at the bottom end. When I'm pulling my kids on the tube or wb or whatever, I'm constantly looking for other boats, and if I see a guy bass fishing, I'll give him a wide berth. If everybody would do that, we would not have a problem.

That is true..Just really a lack of respect on the water with every kinda boat out there.I NEVER fill my ballast unless I'm way in the back and the kids wanna try and surf, even then I only fill one side on the back.I have an 08 22ft Centurion Lightning C4 I'm selling if you're interested.Asking $30k

Been on Martin since the WB's came out. Bet I haven't seen 10 people wake boarding. Mostly just cruisers knocking your boat up on the dock, music blaring (and I mean loud), boards in their racks, and coool dudes driving.

We've had to replace our seawall on Mitchell twice since these boats came out. It's amazing the shoreline damage that those boats do.

Yes... The problem is not a boating problem, it is a total lack of respect and lack of common decency among a growing segment of the population and it is not limited to race, religion, class, or status.

Examples:

1. Guy with the loud rap music while you are simply trying to pump a tank full of gas into your car to get home.

2. Harley pirate guy with not only the loud ass exhaust shouting "look at me!" but he also has to have the stereo speakers blaring out either rap or classic rock that he never grew tired of in high school... And all you're trying to do it find some peace and quiet.

3. Lady that lives down the street and has the crazy, neurotic little dog that she puts out all afternoon and lets it bark non-stop while you are simply trying to enjoy your back deck on a nice day.

4. People that won't let other people merge.

5. People loud talking on their cell phones in public places like restaurants.

I could write a book, but the bottom line is folks that never received any proper home training and don't know how to behave like ladies and gentlemen.

It is getting worse my friends... Welcome to the Idiocracy. It is here and it is us.

But man they look cool as hell being towed behind your $60k Chevrolet Silverado...

I saw one on lake tuscaloosa yesterday surfing about 25 yards from docks. Absolute morons with no respect for other people's stuff. They remind me of Rodney Dangerfield in Caddyshack during the christening of the "flying wasp"

Dead on!

I also think they're linked to the recent electrocutions on the lake. As much as they'll beat up a floating dock, it wouldn't surprise me one bit if they jarred a few wires loose.

My pet peeve. And people do it to me when I am in the exam room with them talking to them. I don't mind them answering and saying hey I am at the vet let me call you back. But when they start a conversation, I just turn around and walk out.

this

I've heard this a LOT. I'm surprised Alabama Power, who controls the shoreline, hasn't started lobbying for regulations or something on them.

#5 Dives me crazy.

I know we're hijacking the thread, but I have a friend who ALWAYS answers his phone in a restaurant when we're eating together. It embarrasses the crap out of me. I do not answer my phone in public places, I always keep it on vibrate too.

But back on subject, the "pleasure boat" conversation is a sure way to start a shux-storm on social media!!! I am a fisherman, don't care anything whatsoever about a pontoon, ski boat, wake boat, or jet ski. I understand that's their pastime, but good grief there's 60 gazillion of em!!!!!!! Here's my take on it... My bass boat sitting still is of ZERO concern, poses ZERO problem, to the pleasure boats. But the pleasure boats make it 100% impossible to fish, period. I don't affect them at all, but they fully ruin MY pastime. By mid morning, the fishing is O.V.E.R! Hours of incessant boat wakes sloshing the bank ruins the shallow bite, and offshore fishing is made so difficult it's not enjoyable anymore. (I actually think the insane boat traffic shuts down the offshore fish too many times). I've made a couple of mentions on Facebook about this recently, and oh my goodness did I get verbally mule-kicked about it. And some folks always have a smart-ass remark about the "bass boats screaming by at 70MPH", which makes me go what the heck??? You have no concern about the 1,597 other boats in sight of your ski boat, going round and round in circles, many of which have numb-nuts know-nothing drivers, but you're "scared" of that occasional bass boat going fast??? Give me a break!!

phone pet peeve.....people who have the "key click" sounds turned on, so that you hear the constant *clickity clickity clickity* when they're texting.

I'll play devils advocate with you. I like to sleep in at the lake, or if I do get up early enjoy a quiet cup of coffee on the porch. About 6am every friday and saturday the bass fisherman are hauling butt past my dock waking up the neighborhood. When my kids are out in the water in the canoe or yak and the bass boat buzzes up right past them up to the short to cast the grass and the docks.

Everybody can be an azz, no matter what type of boat they are in.

I don't disagree with ya Toothdoc, I don't think anybody has the market cornered on it!
Sorta like I said, everybody has a perspective...I don't take a strong stance on the safety/danger aspect, it's just the ultimate effect of one to the other that bugs me. Always exponentially more pleasure boats than bass boats on the water, and (to my point original) the bass boats don't keep the pleasure boats from enjoying their hobby. Not saying it never happens, but 99.999% of the time I don't believe anybody is inconvenienced by a bass boat (they're stopped fishing 95+% of the time).

This may be chasing a rabbit, but I think there's something to it... 17 years I've been an insurance agent, LOTS of boat policies. I've never paid a single bodily injury claim from a bass boat, and honestly almost never have a bass boat claim of any sort. While I don't have specifics, I'm guessing we have one pleasure boat claim per month (maybe less), and "some" of those involve bodily injury. I think it's twofold why: What the activity is that's being done on/by said boat, skill of average driver (that one always bristles hair). I think most bass boat drivers are more skilled, run using electronics to show the depth and structure, and spend 95+% of the time-on-water not actually running. Most pleasure boats (I include jet skis) are less skilled drivers (watch them at the boat ramp, it's the monkey humpin' a football thing), often youthful drivers (accounts for lots of the claims we see), and there's often a larger number of people on the boat with a party mentality.

I've never heard anybody at the boat ramp say, "Oh no, it's a bass boat, this is going to take forever and they're gonna block the whole ramp."

I agree 100%. Friggin 3-4ft waves

If they are sitting still 95% of the time how did they get so skilled?