Unfortunately, what should be a fun summer pastime is causing an upset between waterfront property owners along the upper reaches of the Hawkesbury River and wakeboarding enthusiasts.

Waterfront residents have reported "excessive erosion" in areas where alluvial river flats meet the river.

The erosion shares similarities with that reported earlier this year by waterfront residents along the Parramatta River, in relation to RiverCat ferries.

"On my river front in Lower Portland I have lost hundreds of square metres of land that has literally fallen into the river because the wave action of the wake boats undermines the river banks," said Phil Carden, who has lived in the area since 1987.

The issue has made its way to Hawkesbury Council, where waterfront resident and deputy mayor Bob Porter and Greens councillor Leigh Williams recently moved a motion to stop wake boats operating in the area.

"The last thing I want to see is water sports taken off the river, but the consequence is the average boat owner like me with older ski boats, they are driving us off the river," said Mr Porter, who estimates he has spent around $30,000 repairing his waterfront over 10 years.

Opponents to wakeboarding on the Hawkesbury are determined to make clear they support water sports on the river, however they take issue with particular vessels that are designed or have been manipulated to amplify waves.

In some cases the use of a ballast creates waves large enough for someone to surf on behind the boat.

But the wakeboarding community says efforts to ban the sport are "selfish" and there is no scientific proof it causes erosion.

"We've been heavily involved with Roads and Maritime Services in relation to this outrageous claim by residents. They have deforested their entire river banks which makes them susceptible to damage," said Brendan Watts, chairman of Ban the Ban, a community group opposed to the proposed banning of wakeboarding.

"This is the most frustrating thing. In 1964 the same claim was made about water-ski boats. There is an issue with erosion, but this has been caused by natural and man-made aspects of a river system."

Mr Watts said the "popular and healthy family activity" is a huge tourism draw for the Hawkesbury region and any ban would have a huge financial impact on local businesses.

A Roads and Maritime Services spokesperson said, "there is no firm evidence wakeboarding or other watercraft activities are solely causing riverbank erosion on the Hawkesbury River between Windsor and Wisemans Ferry," adding that the RMS was working with Hawkesbury Council, the boating industry and wakeboarding associations to address concerns raised about wakeboarding along the Hawkesbury River.

Dr William Glamore, a principal research fellow at the UNSW Water Research Laboratory, has spent the past 15 years studying whether wakeboarding is responsible for erosion.

"Unfortunately, it's not a yes or no answer, there are natural impacts and then other issues on top, " he said.

"If the bank is in really good shape then the waves have very little impact. The flip side is if the bank is eroding, then any wave that hits it will cause erosion."

He said it is feasible that waves caused by wakeboarding and wakesurfing undercut the riverbank enough to eventually undercut the roots of trees, causing them to collapse.

Dr Glamore's team has been working with the Maritime Management Centre to roll out a draft boating plan for different regions, an evidence-based guide for appropriate boating practice. They have already trialled the plan on the Seaham Weir Pool and the Clarence River, where similar concerns about wakeboarding have been raised.

"We have to move beyond the blame game, this is the moment we can make a difference," said Dr Glamore, adding that they would make the same assessments for the upper Hawkesbury "when someone asks".