120db??? Measured from what distance?? Something you might want to find out: Did he have the SPL meter set on 'C' weighting or 'A' weighting? It should be on 'A'. A weighting is a setting that follows how a human ear hears and C weighting is just "flat" across the board. If he had the machine on 'C', then it would read a lot higher than 'A'. If you were moving, then from what angle did he take this measurement??? If he registered 120 from the side or something, then you should have no ear drums left. Rule of thumb: Sound loses 6db everytime you double your distance from a source. This does not take into account atmospheric effects (that can increase the lost) and the fact that your pipes are like waveguides focusing the sound.(which can decrease the loss over distance) Either way, there is probably something here to go on to challenge this. Sounds like they just have a vendetta against offshores. They must protect the yacht owners at all cost!

Personally, I think the cop caught his wife with a Nortech owner or something

Personally, I think the cop caught his wife with a Nortech owner or something
L.O.L. also if there were buildings around the test will be inacurate.

They're doing this in Florida...in Ft. Lauderdale/Miami where the THUNDER boat is king? What a disgrace!

MUFFLING DEVICES

All vessels must be equipped with an effective muffling device.

The use of cutouts is prohibited, except for vessels competing in a regatta or official boat race and such vessels while on trial runs.


This is the "law" I pulled off of myfwc.com

Real specific isn't it???

I so far can't find a spefic county law for Broward, but I'll keep looking. I think the ticket is full of Donkey Ca-Ca myself!

I have not heard of anyone over here on the West Coast of FL being hassled for noise.

That just blows......nothing worse than a cop on your azz....

Me either. No problems here yet....but I'm sure it's coming.
All it takes is one bitter sailboater or blue-hair waterfront homeowner to catch wind of what's happening elsewhere in the nation, and it becomes activist central.

I would check like UNSANE said......I also think that readings are taken at idle(in neutral)l from 3 meters behind the boat. I would challenge the format this guy used to get a 120DB reading and the claibration test of the unit used. Also I would check to see if the noise law in FL allows them to take your boat for noise levels.

law says "a" weighted at 50 foot.

was he at 50 foot?how did he measure?

i'd think a lawyer could punch holes in that ticket

Well one community up by the Ringling mansion on the water complained so badly that as a wake up call the City Commission actually came out and stated they were considering a speed limit on Sarasota Bay.

There was a meeting held and lo and behold the real issue was noise. They bluehairs didn't like the noise of the PRA spring poker run although they went out New Pass. A lot of false info came to light in that meeting that the there was a lot of "error" in the complaints.

Anyway to try to make everybody happy the three individuals representing the offshore boaters (Mike Erturk-Prez of OPBA, Joe Spina who owns Loose Cannon, and I'm sorry I can't remember the third individual) they suggested not running close to shore in that particular area (Indian Shores) and so far it appears to be working. The compaints as far as I know have ceased....

I would fight it. I know of no addittional noise law in Broward County. Besides I am sure you were conducting a sea trail following some engine work....hence going to the trailer.

327.65 Muffling devices.--

(1) The exhaust of every internal combustion engine used on any vessel operated on the waters of this state shall be effectively muffled by equipment so constructed and used as to muffle the noise of the exhaust in a reasonable manner. The use of cutouts is prohibited, except for vessels competing in a regatta or official boat race, and for such vessels while on trial runs.

(2)(a) Any county wishing to impose additional noise pollution and exhaust regulations on vessels may, pursuant to s. 327.60(1), adopt by county ordinance the following regulations:

1. No person shall operate or give permission for the operation of any vessel on the waters of any county or on a specified portion of the waters of any county, including the Florida Intracoastal Waterway, which has adopted the provisions of this section in such a manner as to exceed the following sound levels at a distance of 50 feet from the vessel: for all vessels, a maximum sound level of 90 dB A.