AbstractErosion of natural river banks by boat‐generated waves is an increasingly serious problem on the navigable reaches of many rivers, particularly on the middle and estuarine reaches. An experiment designed to link bank erosion rates with easily measured wave characteristics, conducted on the scenic lower Gordon River in Tasmania, provides information useful for river management. Within a boat‐generated wave train a number of characteristics were measured and most showed a high correlation with measured rates of bank retreat. Maximum wave height within the train is the simplest measure and is associated with a major threshold in erosive energy on unconsolidated sandy alluvium at wave heights of 30 to 35 cm. At maximum wave heights above 35 cm all but the most resistant bank sediments erode. Reducing maximum wave heights to<30 cm by limiting boat speeds, and reducing the frequency of boat passages, caused a dramatic decline in bank erosion along the ri