Tried finding a copy of the J2005 standard.
SAE wants 59.00 for a copy. :mad:
I may have it in our database at work, but don't get your hopes up. If I do find it I'll post it for all to use.

Here is a link to the standard.
SAE J2005

No charge:D

Thank's for the link !
Ok, It's my understanding that the Sound Ordinance was only valid till last Fall when the TX state Legislature met and it did not get passed into a Law.(but they're still writing tickets)
So where does one look to find the expiration date of an Ordince?
I knew I shoud have gone to Law School!!!

Riverat
If you want us to help you, you will need to give us more information.
When & where did you get ticket?
What agency was it?
What were you doing when you were stoped/ticketed?
How did they decide it was too loud?
What were the comments made by officers?
What type of exhaust do you have? Boat? Motor(s)?
Did they give you other tickets at same time?

Sorry for all the questions but the information & your experence will help us all. That is what OSO is all about

State of Texas has all current & new laws on the web. I know State of Texas does NOT have noise law at this time. You can get a ticket for anything but the question is can they make it stick!

Here's the details...
On April 14, 2002 we were cruising back from having dinner about 6:30pm.
My buddy (an Austin police Officer) was driving we were doing about 35mph, He waves as we pass an oncoming LCRA(Lower Colorado River Authority) police boat. Here comes the Red and Blue lights....
The officer says they want to do a Safety Inspection, Count Lifejackets, Fire Extinguishers,Registration etc. We pass with no problems except my Throwable was left at my dock(she gave me a warning for that).
Then she pulls out the Decibel meter and takes a background reading of 54.0
She asks me to start the engine, she takes the reading and gives me a Citation for a reading of 97.5.
Other factors:
I don't know if it will matter in Court but during the Test a 50' Hustler drives by running Triples.
wind speed: 15-24 mph
Thru transom exhaust w/flaps
stock 502/465hp
Two girls sitting on the back deck(talking and laughing thru the whole ordeal).Someone said nobody could be within15' of the meter except the officer and the Operator(but I haven't found that in writing).
Thanks for your interest....

I assume Lake Travis?

Here is how I read test should be done cut to the chase. (Thanks NW_Jim) Of course even if boat did not meet SAE J2005 the State of Texas does not have a noise law.

1-Sound meter should meet certain specs.
2-Meter must have windscreen
3-No Boats, buildings, walls, embankments, breakwaters or etc. less than 25' from transom of your boat.( including the officers boat)
4-Boat MUST be either moored to a dock or lashed to another boat. If in open water your boat Must be lashed to the measurement boat to prevent relative motion & where exhause noise will not reflect off measurement boat.
5-Motor at idle in neutral with water comming out exhast
6- Microphone 4-5' above water & no closer than 3' from any vertical projection of any part of the boat in area adjacent to exhast outlet. (in line with gunnel port or starboard side)
7-Meter should be at slow response & A-weighting network ( setting on meter_
8-observer reading meter shall not be closer that arm's lenght from microphone
9-Background reading at least 10db lower
10-Peak reading of wave slaps , wave action and/or engine speed variation shall not be included in reading.
11-Observer shall record background immediately before & after.
12-Field calibration shall (Must) be performed immediately before & after each test sequence.
13-Measurement shall be invalid if change in background sound level affects the applicable reading (big load boat, people talking. I personally could see the big boat raising level but person talking might not.

One last thing, exactly what does it say on your ticket.

Excerpt from SAE J2500
(copied and pasted from pdf)

Sorry TurboJack, I was composing this as you were posting.

4. Procedure

4.1 Measurement Site—A suitable site is a body of water free of large obstructions or reflective surfaces such as
buildings, boats other than those involved in this procedure, large embankments or breakwaters, etc. for a
minimum distance of 8 m (25 ft) from the boat being measured. The boat being tested shall either be moored
to a dock or lashed to another boat. If moored to a dock, the dock shall be of open construction so that it
presents a minimum of reflecting surfaces. If the measurement is made in open water, the boat being
evaluated shall be lashed to the measurement boat to prevent relative motion and to allow positioning of the
microphone in the prescribed location. The measurement boat shall be positioned to minimize reflected
sound.

4.2 Boat Operation—The engine shall be operated at low idle speed within the engine manufacturer's
recommended operating range, in neutral gear if so equipped. For motorboats without a neutral gear, the
engine shall be operated at its lowest operational speed. The engine shall be operated for a sufficient amount
of time to allow water to flow through the exhaust system before taking measurements.

4.3 Measurements

4.3.1 The microphone shall be placed at a distance of 1.2 to 1.5 m (4 to 5 ft) above the water and no closer than
1m (3.3 ft) from the vertical projection of any part of the boat in the area adjacent to the exhaust outlet(s).

4.3.2 The meter shall be set for slow response and the A-weighting network.

4.3.3 The observer reading the meter shall not be closer than arm's length from the microphone to minimize sound
reflections.

4.3.4 The applicable reading shall be the average sound level measured during a period when the background
sound level is at least 10 dB lower than the measured sound level. Background sound level includes wind effects, noise from boats other than the one being measured, wave action, boat wakes, and other extraneous
noises.
Peak readings of intermittent sound levels created by wave slaps or changes in sound level due to
wave action and/or engine speed variation shall not be included in the applicable reading.

4.3.5 The observer shall record the applicable reading and the background sound levels taken immediately before
and immediately after the applicable reading.

5. General Requirements

5.1 The measurements shall be conducted only by persons qualified by training to perform these measurements.

5.2 Proper use of all test instrumentation is essential to obtain valid measurements. Operating manuals or other
literature furnished by the instrument manufacturer should be consulted for both recommended operation of
the instrument, and precautions to be observed.

5.3 Proper acoustical calibration shall comprise the complete measurement system including extension cables,
etc. Field calibration shall be performed immediately before and after each test sequence.

5.4 A measurement shall be invalid if changes in the background sound level affect the applicable reading.

5.5 The use of the word "shall" in the procedure is to be understood to be mandatory, while the word "should" is to
be understood as advisory.

PREPARED BY THE SAE MARINE SOUND LEVEL SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE SAE MARINE TECHNICAL COMMITTEE AND THE SAE SPECIALIZED VEHICLE AND EQUIPMENT SOUND LEVEL COMMITTEE

well thats sucks I want to put corsa on mine, loud when running and quite near docks and cottages Why would'nt they want that?

What the no bypass provision means is that the bypass must be deactivated when checking the boat-open exhaust. The reasoning is that they want the boat at it's loudest when they check it. MD does the same thing. You are allowed to have the cut outs and are encouraged to use them but you have to do the check with the exhaust open.

Thanks for the SAE link NW JIM
 

I was looking around the other day for the test information procedure when Thrillseeker asked about OHIO law. I hear of more and more testing being done by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR).
They don't even want you to be able to use Silent Choice, Captains Call, or what ever you want to call it.
Here is some text from the rules on mufflers:

No person shall operate or give permission for the operation of a powercraft on the waters in this state that is equipped with an altered muffler or muffler cutout, or operate or give permission for the operation of a powercraft on the waters in this state in any manner that bypassed or otherwise reduces or eliminates the effectiveness of any muffler or muffler system installed in accordance with section, unless the applicable mechanism has been permanently disconnected or made inoperable.

No person shall remove, alter, or otherwise modify in any way a muffler or muffler system in a manner that will prevent it from being operated in accordance with this section.

No person shall manufacture, sell or offer for sale a powercraft that is not equipped with a muffler or muffler system that prevents noise levels in excess of those established in division (B) (1) of this section.

Acording to this, there are a lot of people selling boats illegal including dealers.:rolleyes:

http://www.ohiodnr.com/watercraft/laws/muffler.htm

Cordell