Stoner

Does anyone know who maintains the course on Austin Lake in Portage, MI? Spending more time down south and trying to figure out some sets. Thanks.

@thager I switched RFF to LFF due to ugly injury. Not pretty but beat the alternative. Feel free to PM me. Good luck.

@Ckrueg I just sent you a pm.

@dhofert I moved from that lake a year and a half ago and just free skied with a buddy over the holiday weekend. Course looked pretty straight and close to where it is permitted. My buddy says that it has been in the lake for a while. Times have changed since I lived there. It also sounds like the permit holders are trying to play nice with everyone from some other friends that are part of the owners association but I don't personally know the permit holders. Good luck! It is a fun lake to ski if you can miss the bass tournaments and pontoon boats!

@keithh2oskier that is a great idea. Why not make them hunter orange? If I still lived on the lake I would be tempted to draw a duck head on a standard orange bouy. Can't be a crime to be a bad bird hunter.

@skierjp in MI as far as my legal understanding goes riperian rights by definition mean rights to the water frontage of the property. In MI there is a distinction of bottomlands and contiguous riperian owners. If you own water front you can attach a seasonal dock or swim platforms with no permit on one's bottomlands. In theory out to the middle of the lake. Bouys by definition are navigational in purpose and require a permit if anchored on bottomlands contiguous to private property. Thus, when you go to some inland lakes and boats are moored on bouys off a public beach they are legal because it is public bottomlands. Clear as mud? Lawyers charged me a lot during my education. Bottom line, as far as I can tell all bouys require permits just different kinds in the Peoples Republic of MIchigan.

@MISkier the permit holder on our lake became so gunshy about even putting it in that they policed the area. No one was allowed to float one when theirs was not in and they would take it out when done. Our lake had a bad problem of riperian owners "fencing" off bottomlands with markers that were not permitted. The love and brotherhood of lake owners 'devolved' into vandalism and fingerpointing. As for decoys- I always liked skiing around my own goose decoys in the fall. Just don't misjudge the decoy height. Impact still left a mark wearing a 4 mil suit.

@mino Yes yes and yes. We moved from a SW MI public lake because of permits and DNR, and a few other reasons (job, life, etc) Permit holder, according to local DNR badge holder, ONLY person allowed to use course. Kind of defeated the purpose for me since I was not the permit holder. I was able to speak with the DNR on my dock next to my boat. He claimed that as a badged officer he was allowed on all property in the state because birds could land anywhere. He asked why I had ski bouys in my boat- I told him that they were for fishing. He rolled his eyes and left. We had no reason to stay and moved. Good luck.

@ThePantsManCan I am pm'ing you. Consider it sold if you still have it.

@DefectiveDave I agree with @OB1 but if you are so inclined nail polish is very similar to gelcoat. I have used it for years to fill in scratches. Good luck.

Sent you a pm. Thanks.

@OB1 Happy Birthday Marine! Yes, I did it. @PT Mike sent you a PM.

@Mitzysman I sent you a pm.

@Mastercraft81SnS Green Lake south of Grand Rapids and Austin Lake south of Kalamazoo have courses. Rumor has it that Lake Leelanau up north still has a course but not sure if my buddy keeps up on it.

@Wish here you go for a MI technique for mold and mildew: 1. Dry in the sun with airflow if possible. 2. Clean with brush or shopvac to get rid of crud that dries then wipe down with 1:1 denatured alcohol and water (distilled if want to get to gnats ass level) 3. Dry in sun again 4. Pick a fungicide and apply. I use a 1 gallon sprayer with a wand. 5. Let dry and use. 6. Reapply fungicide as needed. Look at Eva Dry dehumidifiers. I know a bunch of people that run them in big lake boats and rvs in the summer. Should work to get the air moving. I have the original 27 year old cover on my boat. When it gets gamey I dock the boat in the sun to dry out then cover the boat and leave in the sun to dry the cover. Then I repeat fungicide if needed.