Know the rules before the throttle.
Boater education cards and who needs one, age and horsepower limits, life jackets and required gear, BUI, PWC, and no-wake rules.
A forty-foot boat can enter some Lake of the Ozarks coves, but its size puts extra weight on route planning, wake control and reading local restrictions. The Missouri State Highway Patrol maintains a Limited No Wake Cove Map specifically for vessels 40 feet and larger. Here’s how to use that map, plan a sensible approach…
Wake surfing on Missouri lakes calls for checking local zones, towing rules, safe distances, boat setup and crowd conditions before launch.
A fast run across open water can feel straightforward until you reach a crowded channel, a dock-lined cove, or a patch of rough chop. At Lake of the Ozarks, there is no single numerical daytime speed limit for boats—but that does not mean every speed is legal or sensible. Here’s how the rule works, when…
Drinking and boating on Missouri lakes: keep the operator sober, plan the return trip before launch, and know what to do if the skipper has been drinking.