IT’S EASY TO SEE WHY SOME WATERFRONT PROPERTY owners shake their fists at wakeboats: they’re upset at the boats that rumble by blaring tunes and making towering wakes that crash onto shore, causing erosion and stirring up sediment, damaging docks, and sometimes even making the water unsafe for swimmers and other boaters. But it’s also easy to see why so many cottagers love them: they allow a variety of watersports that aren’t possible with traditional cottage boats. That includes wakesurfing, a sport that’s eclipsed waterskiing and wakeboarding in popularity in many areas, where enthusiasts ride waves on a compact board directly behind the boat, without a tow rope.
In recent years, the tension between those who operate wakeboats and those who are raising
