given the past threads complaining about bad behaviour of some powerboaters…
it has been years since i have been buzzed, and there are not a lot of PWCs where i live.
however if someone was trying to capsize me with boat wakes (ain’t ever going to happen) i think i will capsize, exit, and come up into my upturned kayak and hangout for a while to see if panic ensues topside… fun idea, eh?
I like that
and as they approach, wave, duck under and reenter and roll and when you get up mention that it is awfully hot isn’t it?
Paul
The only problem being
that then you can’t see what they may be up to in their possibly ill-considered efforts to rescue you.
It’s never gone past the first pass…
… for me. Once they see that I don’t even alter my stroke when encountering their wakes they instantly lose interest and power on.
It’s fun to see power boaters’ reactions in the inlets around here too. I had some guys in a small power boat getting hammered by the wakes from the bigger traffic - look over and see my kayak and yell “Man, check that dude out! This is gonna be good!” They were disappointed as I just paddled out, rising and falling as the big stuff rolled under me.
I like this thread
I like the idea about hanging out under your boat! Thats funny. Maby a hot chic will jump in and save you? Also like the rolling for 2 bucks. HA thats great!
I love to paddle, BUT I also love jet skis, power boats, motorcycles, fast cars ect… There is room for everyone on the water.
wouldn’t work here
I seriously doubt if most of the knuckleheads around here would even bother to stop for a capsized paddler. Most of them aren’t observant enough to likely notice. Even the wildlife officers can be pretty disrespectful in their power boat approaches to canoes.
The flip side to that, is that several of us in the group I paddle lakes with, like to ride the wakes, and sometimes it’s hard to get the p’boaters to realize that we want wakes, and we’re just playing. If I’m in the Cape Horn or the SOT, I like it when the wakes are big enough to get some air. Yeehaw!
Some of those pontoon party barges that never plane out make for some pretty big wakes. I think we’ve worried some of these folks, when 6 of us are lined up paddling hard to intersect them just aft to ride the wake. I also think some of those folks have no concept of what a long pointy kayak can do. I had one group call out, “Catch us if you can.” When I easily passed them, they cut power and pulled my boat up to join them. 2 minutes later me and my boat were sitting on their deck in their shade, and they gave me a brew for my efforts. Too bad they didn’t have better taste in beer. 
responsible
Boats are responsible for their wakes. If anyone wakes you, on purpose, you should report them.
On the other hand, if you are in the channel, other boats, with deeper drafts, are entitled to pass. It is your responsibility to move out of their way. You have to keep your head on a swivel, in heavy traffic.
As a power boater, it is hard to tell who is just mosying along and who wants to play in the wake. Eye contact can help. Make your intentions clear.