On June 30, 2020 the New Hampshire Commission to Study Wake Boats, sanctioned by the New Hampshire Legislature this Fall to study the impacts of wake boats in the state, released its final report which confirmed the recreational boating industry’s positions on these vessels. Some of the recommendations outlined in the report are below:

•The recreational boating community is actively educating tow boat users on ways to minimize any impacts on waterways – including shoreline erosion, aquatic invasive species, and safety – and will continue to bolster these efforts.
•The commission supports legislation to improve general safety practices for wakeboarders and wake surfers.
•Wake surfing farther from shore reduces impacts on shorelines and the recreational boating community strongly encourages all users to stay at least 200 feet away from shorelines and docks.
•Every citizen has the right to use the state’s waterways, and the waters of New Hampshire can accommodate all water sports.
•Recreational boating generates $1.2 billion of economic impact annually to New Hampshire and supports nearly 300 businesses and 7,000 jobs in the state.

An executive summary of the report was completed by NMMA and is available here.

For additional information, please contact MRAA government relations manager Adam Fortier-Brown at adam@mraa.com or NMMA vice president for state government relations, David Dickerson at ddickerson@nmma.org.