Dock & Lake Etiquette | The Drift Deck

DOCK & LAKE ETIQUETTE

Our good-neighbor policy. How we keep things smooth for our guests, the marina, and everyone else sharing the water.

Why we have this page

We host out of a working marina on Lake Travis. The marina staff, other boat owners, and neighboring docks share that space with us every day. Your host's job is to keep your group safe AND keep us in good standing with the marina. A respectful group means everyone has a great day, and we get to keep doing this.

AT THE DOCK

1
Idle in, idle out

No-wake speed inside the marina. Approach the dock slow and straight. The host will walk through this on arrival.

2
Music at a reasonable volume

The marina is shared space. Bring your speaker, bring your playlist, but keep it to a level that doesn't carry across other slips. Your host will let you know if it's too much.

3
No glass on the dock

Cans, plastic, or stainless only. A broken bottle in the water is an insurance problem we can't recover from.

4
Pack out what you bring in

The dock looks how you found it when you leave. Trash bags are provided. The marina staff are not your cleanup crew.

5
Respect marina staff

If a marina employee asks you to do (or stop doing) something while you're on premises, please listen. They have authority on their property. So does your host.

ON THE WATER

1
Stay out of marked no-wake zones

No-wake zones near the marina, near other docks, and in coves are real. They exist to protect other boaters and shorelines.

2
Give other boaters a wide berth

No buzzing other boats. No jumping wakes close to other vessels. Lake Travis is plenty big.

3
Designated swim areas are off-limits

Roped-off swim coves and beaches are not for jet skis. Stay outside them.

4
Texas boating rules apply

Life jackets on, lights at night (we don't run after dark anyway), all the standard TX waterways law. Your boater safety cert covers this.

SOBER OPERATORS

Strictly enforced.

Anyone operating a jet ski must be sober. Full stop. Texas treats Boating Under the Influence the same as Driving Under the Influence: same blood alcohol limits, same penalties.

What that looks like in practice
  • Your host has full authority to pull anyone off a watercraft mid-session if they are impaired or operating dangerously.
  • No swap-out, no "just a quick lap." Once you're off, you're off for the day.
  • The remaining sober riders in your group can keep going.
  • This is non-negotiable. It is the single rule we will not flex on.

DISRUPTIVE OR UNSAFE BEHAVIOR

Your host has full authority to end the session entirely for behavior that is unsafe, aggressive, or disruptive to the marina or other boaters.

Ending a session means
  • All watercraft come back to the dock.
  • Your group is asked to leave the premises.
  • No refund.

This is rare. We've never had to do it. We mention it here because being clear up front is fairer to everyone than discovering the rule mid-session.

All good?

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