[Rob]

Originally Posted by LRSLA

So all the experts are wrong and your right?

You obviously haven't been on this forum very long, or you'd know better than to expect any respect for submitting information based on facts. (I'm joking of course, and mean no disrespect to the majority of people on this forum who make an effort to quote and check the facts. And to Cal, who I know was just giving his opinion in this case.)

Originally Posted by LRSLA

The sound level at my steering wheel on my Sea Ray
20 foot bow rider with an 325hsp IO is 86dB. Add the wind noise and your up over 90dB.

With that setup, you must go pretty fast yourself. Also, how is your boat muffled to produce 86 dB (at idle, I assume)?

Originally Posted by LRSLA

Noise on the water means that other boaters are distracted and being distracted is never a good state for an operator to be in
on the water.

So are you saying that the noise of other boats is a significant distraction when you are operating yours?

Consider this:

Maine has the 90/75 dB standard and New Hampshire has the 82 dB standard. Maine uses the 75 dB standard when you are on plane, so assuming the other boat is following the dB rules, your boat (over 90 dB) is louder than theirs(75 dB in Maine, or 82 dB in NH). Under those circumstances, the other boat's noise should not be distracting you at all, since it is not louder than your boat. The other boat would actually be even quieter than I stated, due to the minimum distance you must maintain.

Personally, I would barely notice, let alone be distracted by, the noise of another boat when my boat is also on plane. If I am off plane(and thus quieter and more aware or distracted by loud noise), then I am also going slowly enough that I should have more than enough reaction time to stay on top of what's around me, even going into the Weirs Channel on a weekend afternoon.
I would submit that of the 5 senses, boaters use sight more than anything else, especially when under way in a powerboat. Sound(as a tool for avoiding collisions) would be of much more use to a the operator of a sailboat, which does not produce it's own noise.

In all fairness, I should point out that it is only recently that we as a public have become aware of the profound physiological impact of sound. I have read some articles on noise that specifically state that it is unwanted noise that causes a measurable stress response. In other words, the person in a boat is probably the one least likely to be affected by the noise emanating from said boat, at least in terms of stress and fatigue. I'm not saying that we shouldn't enforce a noise law, mind you.

Originally Posted by LRSLA

I try to think of parallels for the high performance boats on the waters.............
Why can a fellow go out and buy a boat with twin 1000hsp engines
practically no exhaust and a top speed of 100Mph+ and run it
were ever he wants. Would this same fellow even think of running a
NASCAR vehicle down his block or running a top fuel dragster down the
street. No, he would never to that. Why, because he would have his car
impounded the first time he tried.

No offense, but:
What about a high performance motorcycle? Or a Porsche 911 turbo? Or a new Corvette? Any one of those vehicles can double, and probably triple, the highway speed limit. And that's before any performance modifications, all of which are legal if the vehicle still passes emissions.

Now, yes, there are speed limits on our highways, but, as has been alleged on this thread already, certain people are going to find a way break the law no matter what. Personally, if someone wants to buy a brand new sports car and then spend large sums of money to make performance modifications, more power to them. It's not for everybody, but it's certainly legal, and many people choose to do so. Boats should be no different.

I'm obviously assuming that said persons are expected to follow the various laws. Likewise, performance boaters who choose to exercise their right to buy a fast boat have the same obligations as others with regard to applicable laws.

Originally Posted by LRSLA

The same rules should apple on the water that apply on the street.

I think it's safe to say that there are tremdendous differences between operating boats on a body of water, and operating cars on a road.

Perhaps what you meant to say was more along the lines of enforcement, in that you feel that loud cars are not tolerated, so loud boats should not be tolerated either?

If that's your point, no disagreement here, but I would like to point out that all new cars come with mufflers. I am sure that automotive noise standards must exist, and that automobile companies make every effort to comply with those standards. If some automobiles came from the dealer with no mufflers(or if it was an option, like on many boats), I am sure that many people would just leave them as they came, and many more would deliberately choose to purchase a car with no muffler. I'm not saying it's right, just making an observation about human nature.

I get my vehicles inspected once a year, by law. I have never had the dB level checked on any vehicle(including a loud diesel truck) during an inspection. I don't know why. I'm sure that it wouldn't take that much more money to add a dB meter to that diagnostic machine that tests my emissions, and a closed garage is certainly a controlled environment in which to conduct such a test. I suppose that since the majority of cars come with mufflers, it's easier for law enforcement officials to notice an obviously louder than average car.

On the other hand, the only boat inspections I know of are the non-mandatory ones that the Lakes Region Sail and Power Squadron and Coast Guard Auxilary volunteers are nice enough to provide us with free of charge. They don't check our noise levels, and one certainly wouldn't expect them to. Not for free, anyway. When the time comes that all boats are required to be inspected for emissions and/or noise on a regular basis, I will certainly get in the (undoubtedly long) line along with everyone else. Even then, I have no doubt that some on this forum will claim that many boaters will rush home from the inspection and remove their mufflers, or do all kinds of other things that will probably wreck the engine, in exchange for the ability to violate the noise laws(until the engine melts, that is).

That's why I think that the current strategy of pulling over the boats that sound too loud, and making those boats submit to a dB check, is probably the best way to go right now. If anything, it makes it a lot harder for someone to try to 'fix' their exhaust for a once a year test, as they never know when they will be required to submit to another test. I heard of one boat that was tested several times this year, because it was very close to the limits, and different MP officers would hear it going by, pull the guy over, and test him. I suppose that guy would prefer a once a year test.

Originally Posted by Mee-n-Mac

(informal SPL measurements) Only problem would be the MP getting antsy about > headway speed passes

Originally Posted by LRSLA

The operational test in Maine is the same for the most part as the NH test.
Most agencies will not use it due to the inherent danger of the test.

Actually, thats a great point. I had not thought about this until I read your posts. Like most boaters, I carefully follow the 150' rule. I would be very nervous blowing by another boat at top speed as the test conditions require.

A friend commented on the fact that he found the dB test a bit scary(and this is a very experienced, skilled boater I am talking about) specifically because he had to bring his boat barely 50' from the (moored) MP boat, including the second set of passes at full throttle.

Now, I'm aware that the obvious problem with scrapping a speed test in favor of an idle-only test is that a boat could pass at idle, but not at WOT. On the other hand, I would like to point out that most high performance boats(like the cars mentioned above) do not normally run at anywhere near their top speed. I personally spend 95% of my on-plane time at or under 3000 rpm. And of the remaining 5%, it's rarely at WOT. Just because I can go faster, doesn't neccesarily mean that I want to. As an aside, the majority of performance boats are now sold with(and many owners are switching to) the 4-blade props, as they provide faster planing and greater (fuel)efficiency at lower (i.e., cruising)speeds, at the expense of top speed, where the 3-blade prop is superior. Given what stainless steel props cost, it's a significant investment for the boat owner, I might add.

In my opinion, the dB test should change in one or both of the following ways:

1-Only use the half-throttle passes.(Or idle plus half-throttle.) The exhaust will be out of the water once the boat is on plane, and it's still a good indicator of the WOT dB level. The engine mfr plate usually states the max rpm, so the officer in the tested boat could watch the tachometers.

2- Increase the measuring distance to 150' or more. Not only is this safer than the 50', but it more accurately duplicates the real-world condition due to the fact that boats are supposed to be 150' from each other, as well as the shoreline or any docks, swim floats, etc. Personally, I wouldn't want to be nearly that close to any object at WOT. I'd rather see 200' or more for the testing boat, plus a buffer zone where the tested boat is circling around, but that's just me. Also, just for the record, I fully understand that if the distance between the test boat and the testing boat increases, the max dB allowed must decrease. I'm not trying to trick anyone here.

Rob