I received 3 "excessive" noise tickets before I modified the external exhaust pipes to 1) exit between the drives and 2) exit the exhaust under water at idle. The idea as to why we moved the pipes between the drives was to have the drives shield them so the exhaust noise was contained there and not allowed to radiate outward. It worked beautifully and was not stopped again.

Got tested last year at 92 decibels and added mufflers at the end of the season. Got tested this year at 103. Turns out the meter was most likely on the wrong weighting scale and sampling was not at the right pace either

After 2 1/2 years I finally got stopped and ticketed at LOTO, this was about a month ago. They tested me at 106 db. The ticket cost me $131 and is payable online. It wasn't worth my time to fight it. The WP also told me he'd be keeping an eye out for me to make sure I made the boat noise compliant. I'm fairly easy to spot with "No Life Like It" down the side of the boat in big letters. The turn downs will make you legal for the test, but IMO look like an elephant trunk that needs viagra so I went with Gibson bullets. The boat still has a nice throaty sound and didn't loose any performance. My wife on the other hand says the boat is too quite now....go figure.

I recieved the same $ ticket down at the lake in 07 and was at 97db's when I just had Whippled 525's in the boat....I figured they would pull me over anytime I went out so I found some GGB inserts for mine and it quieted down below the 90db max. I have Eddie Young 925EFI's now and it's still quiet compared to alot of other boats out on the lake. Once they target you down there it's hard to get around it... Jim

The statute is poorly written:

When you read the law it doesn't appear to me to allow the WP to make you subject to a fine on the initial finding, unless you say, "yea I knew it was too loud". It appears that you are to be given what amounts to a fixit ticket and you have 60 days to get into compliance. If you don't comply within the 60 days then you are guilty of a misdemeaner and I suppose fined at that time.

Also you are required to moor the boat at the time of reinspection if it doesn't pass. I think the officer is being a little liberal with his or her interpretations, mostly because who is going to spend the money to fight it just to prove them wrong. And if they are wrong, you get your boat back and they get overtime for court so big deal.

As I read it, you get cited, you fix it within 60 days, you get it passed and I would think the citation gets thrown out, but that is just how I read it and I haven't stayed in a Holiday Inn recently.


From the statute:

8. Any officer authorized to enforce the provisions of this section who has probable cause to believe that a motorboat is not in compliance with the noise levels established in this section may direct the operator of such motorboat to submit the motorboat to an on-site test to measure noise levels, with the officer on board if such officer chooses, and the operator shall comply with such request. The owner of any motorboat which violates any provision of this section shall have sixty days from the date of the violation to bring the motorboat into compliance with the provisions of this section. Thereafter, it shall be the owner's responsibility to have the motorboat tested by the state water patrol. If the motorboat fails the state water patrol test, the owner shall immediately moor the motorboat and shall keep the motorboat moored until the state water patrol certifies that the motorboat is in compliance with the provisions of this section. Any person who fails to comply with a request or direction of an officer made pursuant to this subsection is guilty of a class C misdemeanor. Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to limit the officer's ability to enforce this section and to issue citations to the owner or operator of any motorboat during the sixty-day compliance period.

10. Unless otherwise indicated, any person who knowingly violates this section is guilty of an infraction for a first offense with a penalty not to exceed one hundred dollars

How does side exhaust effect the readings? I have stock side exhaust exits on my Velocity, I've pulled the 454 mag, and am I'm in the process of installing a new 6000rpm 439 BBC. I've got stainless marine genIII manifolds, and because of the cam, have to keep it dry to almost the tips. With the 1k expense of getting the pipes made up, I can't afford mufflers anytime soon. But if they measure 1 meter back and 1meter up, how does that play out; since my exhaust fires out the sides, and also only 4cyls on either side should they decide to take a measurement from the port or starboard?

I've been told that you can't use mufflers with higher HP engines, say 900 HP and above, any truth to this?

It seems to me that even with the turndowns, you're still going to get pulled over because on plane, they're above the waters surface, correct?

I would bet the answer is something along the line of:
It is not back of the boat, but back from the exhaust. So the measurement is 1 metre from the exhaust port, no matter where it is. Same if the exhausts went straight up.

As for the 4 cylinder idea... that is an even better question!

My thought is you might well have the same problem than if they both came out the back. Since the prescribed way to test is 1 metre back and 1 metre to the side (up) they are in essence only testing one bank anyway.

Here is another problem you might run into; they decide to measure both sides and either decide on the higher side, or have some formula to work with in that situation.

Regardless, great question!

Thats not really true from my own experience, my Baja has a 1000+ hp motor and runs about 100 mph, I am using Stainless marine 3 manifolds with 5" tails that are dry into the tip where water is sprayed into the exhaust stream "stellings style". When I first got it done it was so loud it hurt your ears. I bought GGB clamp ons and although I have luckily never had a decible test yet it is fairly quiet at idle. The funny thing is the boat lost no speed whatsoever with the mufflers on or off it , runs 99-100 either way, Smitty

Put mufflers on the Cig for one trip to the shootout. Blew 2 Drives that weekend..
Just Sayin