Length measurement changes could mean longer pontoons and open console boats on Lake Martin, but current speed and houseboat restrictions would remain in place if House Bill 208 is passed during the current Alabama legislative session. In addition, proximity limits for wake activities would be implemented if separate legislation, HB209, is passed. Reaction to the two Lake Martin specific bills, sponsored by Alabama Rep. Ed Oliver (R, Dist. 81), had kept ALEA Marine Patrol and government affairs officers on a communications focus for several weeks, but as of Lake magazine’s presstime, the bills had not yet come to the floor for vote.

HB208 was written at the request of the Alabama Law Enforcement Association in an effort to standardize the system for measuring boat length at lakes Martin, Weiss and Wedowee. The current method at Lake Martin differs from the federal measurement requirement and from requirements on water bodies elsewhere in the state. If adopted, statutory length would be determined by the straight line distance between the ends of the boat, from bow to stern on the upper transom, using the boat manufacturer’s original specification as the rule. Currently, boats on these lakes are measured from the bow to the lowest part of the transom, which results in a significant difference on some boat models.