North Lake Boating Rules and Regulations

These are NLCA Rules. Boating is otherwise governed by the State Boating Rules

Transferring a Vessel from One Body of Water to North Lake

• The following procedure must be followed when moving any vessel (boat, canoe, kayak, tube, board, etc.) from one body of water to North Lake.

YOU MUST follow this procedure BEFORE putting the vessel into North Lake.

(Even coming from the Platte River!)

• CHECK and remove mud, plants, and aquatic life
• DRAIN all water from bilge, lives wells, buckets, etc.
• CLEAN the vessel and all gear by washing, draining, and drying
• DRY for at least 5 days or clean everything with a full-strength vinegar solution then dry.

Boat Size Specifications

Pontoons:  Maximum Length:  26’ or less.  Maximum HP:  115 HP or less

Speed/Ski/Fishing boats:

• Less than 22' in length and less than 4000 pounds dry weight (no fuel, no passengers) will be considered acceptable. 
• Hull size and type as well as engine and transmission configuration MUST BE APPROVED BY THE BOAT SAFETY COMMITTEE BEFORE BEING ALLOWED ON THE LAKE.
• Multisport boats with shallow to medium draft hulls are acceptable; deep draft and hulls designed for high wake activities ARE NOT ALLOWED.
• Factory or after-market devices designed to increase wake size ARE NOT ALLOWED.
• Aftermarket exhaust or performance boosters ARE NOT ALLOWED.

The new regulation above is an excellent compromise which provides lot owners with additional options for replacing aging speedboats with newer, safer configurations that will fit in well with the size of our lake and the type of boating that is currently allowed.  The new requirement to have all new/used boats approved by the boat safety committee before coming onto the lake will ensure continuity between the old regulations and these new specifications.  All current speedboats being used on the lake will be grandfathered.  No changes to the current pontoon boat specification are being proposed.

• Boats not conforming to either of these classes such as deck boats, whalers, hydrofoils, flying bridge craft must be authorized by the Boat Safety Committee before being brought onto the lake.
• All types of outboard engine configurations are allowed (V4, V6, IL4, IL6 etc.) provided the rated horsepower is 150 HP or less. No turbocharged engines allowed.

Jet Skis, personal watercraft, hover craft, and Airboats ARE NOT ALLOWED.

Absolutely no guest boats are allowed on the lake.

Any person driving a speedboat or pontoon on North Lake is required to have attended one of our boat safety clinics; this includes cabin owners and guests.

A link for this clinic can be found on our website, https://www.northlake.us

Boater Education Certificates (see Boater Education page for more details)

All boat operators must have a valid Nebraska Game and Parks Boater Education Certificate on file with the Boat Safety Committee.

Contact Bob Ellsworth (cabin #44) for information 402 944-2892

Motorized boat drivers must be 14 years of age with valid Certification (see above)

Boats, ATVs, Golf Carts, Paddleboats, and Kayaks Lot Numbering is REQUIRED

All boats and vehicles must display their Lot Number on the right rear side of the boat or vehicle.

All power boats shall travel in a counterclockwise direction.

Non-powered boats and Pontoon boats at slower speed should travel along the shoreline to allow faster boating in the middle of the lake.

No speeds faster than an idle speed (5 mph) outside of published times

Monday – Saturday: 7:00am until ½ hour past Sunset

Sunday & Holidays: 9:00am until ½ hour past Sunset

Sunset times posted on northlake.us

After-Dark fast boating has a ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY FOR DRIVERS

which will subject the member’s lot to a 7-day loss of ALL boating privileges.

No wake or excessive noise is allowed during idle speed (5 mph) times, noted above.

Navigational Lighting MUST be displayed while operating after Sunset. Docking lights are to be used only while docking and NOT while underway on the lake.

Drivers and Passengers must remain seated while operating faster than an idle speed. No sitting on seat backs, sides, or decks of boat.

Passengers SHOULD NOT ride on the front deck or outside the railings of a pontoon boat while underway.

No plowing or overloading with passengers

Plowing is when a boat is causing a large, excessive, unnecessary wake or waves. The most common cause is when a boat is operated at an insufficient speed, is overloaded with passengers, or the trim on your engine is set too high. Plowing causes damage to property and discomfort to other boaters.  Passengers must be limited to the rated capacity for the boat (NOT SEATS AVAILABLE) and must include anyone on a towed item.

No power boat shall follow closer than 150 feet behind a skier.

Power boats and skiers shall travel at least 50 feet from shore.

All swimmers, paddle boats, and paddle boards, need to stay within 25 ft. of shore.

Canoes, kayaks, and other non-powered vessels shall stay reasonably close to shore when boats towing skiers or tubes are in the area.

Downed skiers and non-powered boats always have the right-of-way.

Inflatable items, sold for towing purposes, shall be towed on a 50-foot or less rope.

No “Bungee” ropes are allowed while towing from boats.

Serpentine driving should not cross a line down the middle of the lake.

Boats that are starting OR dropping off skiers, tubers, etc. should not cut across the lake. For safety reasons, a boat may cut across the lake, only after the operator has determined that it will not interfere with the right of way of other boats. Look behind you!

It is the responsibility of each cabin owner to follow all lake rules and to ensure that their guests do so also.

When there is high water on the lake, no fast boating is allowed.

• During these times idle speed only of no more than (5mph).  
• An orange cone and red flag will be placed at the events (white) board with a no fast-boating message, and an email will be sent to owners advising of the high water. 
• Fast boating can resume when the white board message, orange cone, and red flag are removed, and an email is sent out releasing the restriction.

No boat operators, passengers or water-skiers shall conduct themselves in such a way as to cause discomfort, hazard, or damage to the person or property of others.

Only one boat per cabin pulling skiers or tubes is allowed on the lake at one time.

No swimming to shore or jumping from boats farther than 25’ from shore

There shall be one approved flotation device per passenger on board each boat. This includes non-powered vessels i.e., sailboats, canoes, kayaks etc.

All skiers and people being towed on an inflatable item shall wear a U.S. Coast Guard approve ski vest/jacket.

Enforcement

Because the safety of cabin owners, their families and guests are of primary importance to the Board of NLCA, a Boating Rules and Safety Committee has been established to help enforce the Association rules.

If a cabin owner witnesses a rule violation, he or she should report it promptly to a member of the Boating Rules and Safety Committee.  Please be specific in your report including the cabin number, date, time, violation, and description of the person driving.

Once the committee member determines a rule or safety violation, Lamb Realty will be notified, and communication stating the nature of the violation and the ensuing consequences will be sent to the lot owner from Lamb Realty.  A copy will be kept by the committee. The purpose of the documentation is to be certain the cabin owner has been notified of the rule violation and to have proof of the committee’s actions for any future possible liability problems. 

Should a second violation from the same cabin occur, the same procedure will be followed.  Upon a third boating violation in a 6-month period, the lot owner and their guests shall receive a 7-day suspension of all boating privileges. If any additional violation is committed within that calendar year, all boating privileges will be revoked for that lot, to include all owners, their family members, and any guests operating a boat, to include all motorized boats, speedboat, or pontoon, until proof of a NE Game and Parks course has been completed successfully by all boat operators from that lot, and the Northlake Boater Safety Clinic has been taken in person again by all boat operators from that lot.

After-Dark fast boating has a ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY FOR DRIVERS

There is “zero tolerance” for after-dark fast boating (more than 5mph).  Offenders will be penalized by requiring them to forfeit use of ALL boating privileges for seven days starting upon notification by the Committee.

Upon successful completion of a Coast Guard-approved boating safety course (such as the Game and Parks program), at the cabin owner’s expense, and with approval from the Boat Safety Committee and the NLCA Board of Directors, boating privileges will be restored.

Please remember that you are responsible for not only your own actions, but those of your family members and guests. Compliance is up to all of us. Most cabin owners are very safety-conscious, and if we can use “peer pressure” to promote that attitude around the lake, we can keep our accident-free record.