Boating Industry

October 2013

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Photos courtesy of Nautique /// Market Trends /// 24-karat gold intentions to try and do something for the industry, but all of us had very important jobs and busy desks when we got home," Meddock said. "All those wonderful ideas that we talked about during the board meeting would get set aside, and then we'd regather six months later and say what did we really do, and the answer was not much." Today, the WSIA has achieved a level of relevance that makes its members proud, Meddock said, and increased its standing in the eyes of many facets of the government, including the Coast Guard and state-level agencies that now look to the WSIA for guidance with legislation, safety guidelines, rules and regulations. One example of the association's groundlevel work comes from the explosion of wakesurfing, where riders are towed close behind www.BoatingIndustry.com P42x47-BI13OCT-MarketTrends.indd 43 "…the more people you put in the boat, the bigger the wake is going to be." – Larry Meddock, executive director, WSIA boats to ride a wake that, in most cases, has been modified to create a larger, offset wave. To those who've never witnessed wakesurfing in action, including law enforcement, the activity can look strange and disconcerting given the rider's proximity to the transom. While wakesurfing is done behind sterndrives or jets — nothing with an exposed, rear-mounted prop — the WSIA has fielded complaints from riders who have had law enforcement officers stop them from surfing, because it appeared as an immediate safety concern. In such instances, Meddock contacts law enforcement directly to educate them on the sport and, hopefully, allay their concerns. "It's our job to educate that law enforcement agency as to why it is safe," said Meddock. "Forty percent of what I do every day is interfacing with different states … educating law enforcement, DNR, fish and wildlife, sheriffs, marine patrols of every flavor you can think of, educating them as to what it is they are seeing in the water, what the rules are, is it safe, is there carbon monoxide involved, is he too close to the transom, all of the ins and outs of these activities." Surfing and skating are relatively new, and the social aspect of both sports, like October 2013 | Boating Industry | 43 9/5/13 11:55 AM

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