Summer days are here, and one of the best ways to enjoy beautiful Lake Leelanau is by boat. We want everyone to enjoy time on the water while also recreating responsibly.
Did you know that boat wakes represent a significant and often underestimated threat to shoreline stability and aquatic ecosystems? Boat wakes create powerful waves that accelerate erosion, disrupt sediment cycles, and damage sensitive habitat. Understanding how boat-generated waves affect shorelines is essential for protecting water quality, property, and wildlife in lakes and waterways.
Impacts of Wake
When a boat throws a wake close to shore or in shallow water, that energy has nowhere to go. Unlike deep, open-water waves that fade away safely, near-shore wakes don’t have the time or depth to dissipate. Instead, they hit the shallows with full force—churning up vulnerable benthic and nearshore habitats, causing shoreline erosion, and damaging property.
Motor boats generate wakes that can cause severe shoreline erosion and destroy natural habitats. Even small, lightweight aluminum fishing boats traveling at moderate speeds within 500 feet of shore can create wakes large enough to inflict damage to shoreline property and natural habitat.
High water levels make boat wakes significantly more destructive. Normally, shallow water forces a wave to break and lose energy before it reaches dry land. But during high-water periods, these large waves roll right over those natural barriers, crashing directly into shorelines and docks with maximum force. When high water levels are combined with a booming number of high-impact wake boats, these factors together can accelerate the erosion of our shorelines and the destruction of property.
Recreate Responsibly
As boats have gotten bigger and more advanced, so has their potential impact on our lake. While very fun, wake boats operating in wake sport mode can do serious harm to our lake if not operated properly. Wake boats are typically lightweight boats with deep V-shaped hulls, engines over 350 horsepower, and ballast systems to strengthen the wake. The design of a wake boat is unlike any other vessel used on inland lakes and streams when boating laws were first adopted.
A 2014 study found that the waves generated by a wake boat need 984 feet of open water to dissipate before reaching the shore.
After reviewing studies on the topic, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) recommended in 2023 that the legislature restrict certain boating activities due to water quality concerns—including damage to shorelines, bottomlands, and fish habitat.
In February, Michigan State Senator Rosemary Bayer (District 13) introduced Senate Bill 812, which would limit the distance from shore and depth of water in which a boat can operate in wakeboarding and wake surfing mode. The bill defines a wake boat as "a vessel that is equipped with wake-enhancing equipment. Wake boat includes, but is not limited to, a wake surf boat and a ballasted boat."
If passed by the state legislature and signed by Governor Whitmer, Michigan Senate Bill 812 would place strict limits on wake surfing. As introduced, the bill would prohibit operating a vessel in "wake sport mode" in any waters that meet these two conditions:
- Water depth: Less than 20 feet deep.
- Distance from shore: Within 500 feet of the shoreline, docks, rafts, buoyed swim areas, or anchored boats.
Even though this bill is not yet law, LLLA encourages compliance with these conditions to protect our lake and shoreline.
Wake Boat Operators' Best Practices for Boats in "Wake Sport" Mode
- Do not operate within a minimum of 500 feet of the shoreline.
- Do not operate in water less than 20 feet deep.
- Avoid operating near sandbars.
- Have a forward-looking spotter to observe obstacles, paddlers, swimmers, boats, etc.
- Avoid turning in tight circles, as doing so will increase wave height and frequency.
- Drain ballast tanks prior to transporting the boat over land to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species and pathogens.
Where to use wake boats on Lake Leelanau – an interactive map
Although not yet law, operating wake boats at least 500 feet or more from a shore or dock, at a depth of 20 feet or more will help reduce the environmental impacts of wake boats. To better understand this distance from the shoreline, consider that a football field is about 300 feet long – so the recommended distance is nearly the length of two football fields.
Given the varying widths and depths of Lake Leelanau, the LLLA has provided maps of where “wake sport” mode should occur to be protective of fisheries, shorelines and bottomlands. The LLLA encourages wake boaters to use this map to ensure they enjoy their watercraft without posing threats to shoreline or underwater habitats.
You can also view the interactive map here.
State of Michigan Boating Rules
We can have fun on the lake while also keeping everyone and everything safe. Please follow these simple rules (per the State of Michigan’s Boating Law) while you are operating your boat or personal watercraft (PWC) (i.e., jet skis).
- A person shall maintain a distance of 100 feet from any dock, boat, raft, buoyed or occupied swimming area while driving at other than slow - no wake speed.
- A person shall not cross within 150 feet behind another vessel other than a personal watercraft that is moving at greater than a slow - no wake speed.
- A person shall not operate a PWC in waters less than two feet deep unless traveling at a slow no - wake speed.
- A person shall not operate a PWC on the waters of this state from one hour before sunset to 8:00 A.M local time.
- Maneuvers that endanger life, limb, or property, including weaving through congested traffic, jumping the wake of another vessel, or turning unnecessarily close to another other vessel and/or swerving at the last moment to avoid a collision constitutes reckless operation of a vessel.
- A personal watercraft shall not be operated at speeds in excess of 55 mph except where otherwise posted.
- Approved PFDs must be worn during operation.
- A person of less than fourteen years of age may not legally operate a PWC under any circumstances.
- A person who was born on or after December 31, 1978, shall not operate a PWC on Michigan waters unless they have obtained a boating safety certificate. (See Boating Safety class resources below.)
Protect The Narrows
These rules are particularly important in the section of the lake between North and South Lake Leelanau, otherwise known as “The Narrows”. This section of the lake is highly vulnerable to the negative impacts of boating listed above because it is a shallow and narrow section that is susceptible to erosion and bottomland degradation.
We all want to have a great time boating on Lake Leelanau this summer. Please do your part to protect the shoreline and bottomlands.
Other Resources
- Senate Bill 812
- Official Michigan Boating License Online
- Boat America - in person on May 31, register by May 29, 2025
- MLSA Boat Wake Resources
- Lake Leelanau Wake Boats: Making Waves Responsibly
- Michigan Boater Laws Pamphlet
Sources for the above article include the Michigan Lakes and Streams Association, Michigan Legislature, Michigan Waterfront Alliance, and others.
Main photo credit: Stephanie Gilbreath