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Wake boats and wake surfing are points of contention. Environmentalists argue they erode lake bottoms and shorelines. Boat manufacturers claim “…the operation of wake boats on a lake has a minor impact on the environmental health of the body of water.” This claim is based largely on a simulated study paid for by the National Marine Manufacturer’s Association “NMMA.”

Numerous experts have shown that the simulation study is fundamentally flawed. For the first time, a group of researchers sent a request to the publisher for removal of the offending paper.
Shortcomings of this study include:

· Omitted and falsified key data points
· Computer simulation only. No real-world validation
· Formulae used incorrectly
· Conclusions drawn with zero supporting data
· Claims to be “peer reviewed” but contains many significant errors
 
Lead author of request for removal Glenn McMurray says: “The annualized erosive effect of wake boats is growing exponentially. Lakes and other waterways cannot heal from the scars left by surf mode operations. Our waterways need assistance. Lawmakers must ignore bad studies and rely only on research that withstands scrutiny. The publisher has an ethical duty to remove this paper from view.”

Excellent research clearly shows the damage wake surfing can do. The 2025 University of Minnesota, St Anthony Falls Laboratory Phase II study is an irrefutable effort. These researchers did an extensive review of literature, then spent years on the water with real boats, real test equipment measuring real lake conditions. This study, along with other studies, proves that wake surfing causes damage whenever wake boats run in surf mode in less than 20-foot depth and closer than 500 feet from shore.

You are encouraged to read the complete letter requesting retraction and removal at www.SimulatedResults.info and the St Anthony Phase II study at A Field Study of Recreational Powerboat Hydrodynamics and their Impacts on the Water Column and Lakebed.