Paul Vitucci on wakes and the growing popularity of boating
Redline Watersports general manager Paul Vitucci discusses how a boom in boating led to a growing number of powered boats on lakes around Wisconsin that generate wakes and make for rougher waters.
By Murv Seymour | Here & Now
September 11, 2025
Paul Vitucci on how a boom in boating led to a growing number of powered boats on lakes.
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT
Paul Vitucci:
We know that in the active water sports community, every time we touch the water, we're creating some kind of a ruckus. You buy a Harley Davidson motorcycle, you're going to go down the street, there's a little ruckus going on with your Harley, but many, many people enjoy that. And in following the guidelines and the laws, you can really enjoy the Harley, and it fits in with every other type of motorized vehicle on the road. So we kind of wanted to come at it at that point — like, OK we know that our community comes out on the water and we enjoy a lot of enjoyment and recreation, but we know there is the result of our boats, and the waves on the lake are a little bit bigger. But what I brought to the table, and it was my experience because I'm in the industry, is like, hey, listen, it's not just the active water sports boats that are stirring up the lake. Going back to COVID — COVID was very good for active water sports. It was very good for all boating. There was not a single boat dealer in the country that had an inventory for two years. It was gone, and it's out here — fishing, pontoons, every type of boat, powerboat, is on the water. And every boat that runs around the lake is going to create a wake and it's going to disturb the lake and make it rougher. The point we made is that, listen, you guys want to pluck this one little user group up off the water, oh, make 'em go away and then we're going to have this beautiful 1964 lake, and that's not the case.
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