Hearing protection ...
 

I essentially have no windshield. At speed the wind hurts my ears and I don't want to suffer more hearing loss. I wear a headband which helps but it isn't enough. I don't really want to use an intercom system. Is there any solution other than full size headphone type ear muffs?

Really it`s one of the my favorite things on the boat. Being able to communicate clearly and no windnoise is great!
Kids love em too

http://33outlaw.zenfolio.com/img/s/v...22525078-4.jpg

In my old 280 which I drove mostly standing, both my wife and I used disposal ear plugs. Worked well.

That being said, I love my wireless intercom in the VR 1.

Padraig

Those (First reply) are not bad but it really depends on how much you want. The best would be custom fit linear ear plugs.

These can be made in -10dB, -20dB or -30dB. We used to use them for testing. This way you still hear without affecting any frequency over the other. Pricey.

The other type that does work well and a bit better then those pictured are the type you roll up and put in your ear. the only thing I see with those are most people do NOT put them in correctly. You have to make sure that they are inserted INTO your ear canel, some people find that uncomfortable.

I am pretty used to it, as a matter of fact my head phones are like that. (etymotic research). the other thing you may be able to do but most are head phone would be to use noise canceling head set like Bose or AKG.

The wind noise is somewhat a constant so these can work pretty well, I used to use a pair of JBL's (Really AKG's) when I was going to Asia a lot as the airplane really is a bit louder then I wanted my ears exposed to for 10-12 hours at a time.

Thanks for the replies and options. An intercom is looking better all the time. I have one of those things in post 2. A friend bought them for me for shooting but I like full size ear muffs for shooting. I'm going to check prices on intercoms.

Who has the best deals on those? That one looks expensive! I should have four of them.

All women are expensive!!!

You should just go with one. You wouldn't be able to afford four of them.

Everyone,
Protect your hearing ! Over the years I've damaged mine and the loss became noticeable the last couple of years. I now have problems hearing people speak, watching movies, music etc. Constant ringing, 24/7. Not sure what my actual loss is and if it will worsen but I wish I had been more compliant with hearing protection. Many years of factory noise followed by ground hopping turbines without adequate protection. A bunch of two stroke motorcycles didn't help either.

ed

+1 I'm right there with you. Luckily I can still hear voices fairly well (although I do have selective hearing!), but I already have "serious" hearing loss per my Dr. and the 24/7 ringing.

Wind noise from bikes and fast boats (without wind protection) is fairly painful for me at this point. I generally carry foam ear plugs in my pocket just about wherever I go now, if things get even remotely painful or loud, I throw them in. I know a lot of the damage has already done, but I generally try to play it safe when it comes to adding to the hearing damage, even if I take a little ribbing from friends about wearing the ear protection from time to time.

I know nothing about hearing protection, but I can tell you costco is the best deal going for hearing aids. Mine cost just under 2k. Same type and quality other places is double that. Costco has good service and warranty too.

All kidding aside, and to be competely serious (I know, me serious...lol)

Protect your hearing!!!

let me say that again..

PROTECT YOUR HEARING!!!!!

Hearing aids help but at the same time the SUCK!!! They are bulk, cumbersome, uncomfortable but hear is the real kicker and why you will hate them.

You live with your hearing loss everyday. Diminished hearing is natural to the hearing impaired. Putting hearing aids in is like walking out of a dark theater into bright sunlight. Its overwhelming, it hurts, it overloads your brain. You never actually get used to them. you love them yet you hate them. Much to the disappointment of my family and friends, unless I am at work I take them out. There is nothing more relaxing than taking them out at after work and returning to the quiet peacefullness of my deaf ass world.

You do NOT want to wear these shoes.

It's too late for me....The damage is done and I can't hear for chit!!!

Intercoms are great, I had a PirateCom system in my TopGun and loved it. But....they do get to be a pain in the azz having to put them on and take them off, worry about breaking the connectors, etc...

I've suffered hearing loss too. Never used protection for shooting, loud concerts, dirt bikes. So while some damage has been done I'm trying to prevent further damage. I need to be able to offer protection for up to 4 people so it's either an affordable intercom system or maybe 4 full size "ear muffs". The in ear type wouldn't be sanitary to offer to passengers. Maybe I should start a new thread but does anyone know where to find an affordable intercom system? Some of them are over 2 grand. Eeek!

I have always wondered has someone tried the wireless motorcycle intercoms?

The Sampson Racing Blue Tooth intercoms are basically a Sensa motorcycle unit installed in a nice headset. I have been very pleased with ours and no wires and plugs!

Padraig

I'll look around a bit more for an affordable intercom but I can get four of these pretty cheap and the yellow matches my boat.

http://www.harborfreight.com/hearing...tor-97849.html

That's a nice looking set. $798 for two headsets. Could a second set be linked to it? How do the mics work while in a direct wind blast? I should start a new thread ...

http://www.sampsonracing.com/Wireles...-two-place.htm

I found a four piece set. It's $1,596.

http://www.sampsonracing.com/Wireles...four-place.htm

I have ringing 24/7, not sure what it's from but most likely a lifetime of loud stuff.

I work construction, I put my safety glasses on and foam ear plugs in before I leave the van. Pretty much wear them all day, doesn't bother me one bit. When I was running around in the PowerPlay I'd just plunk the ear plugs in and problem was solved. I cut them down a bit so I only looked like a partial dork but I don't care, made the boating much more enjoyable.

I've actually found there to be a slight difference in comfort and ease of insertion with the different foam brands. Some of them are a more dense foam that is harder to compress and push in properly. As far as your sanitation concerns you can by boxes of them and throw them away or stuff them in a beer can every time you remove them. No one likes to look at used earplugs but it beats going deaf. I've had some issues with the big over the ear muff types because the tension on some is a bit too tight and if the cushion is not breathable/ absorbent you can sweat in the summer from them where they make contact which isn't nice. Lots of intercom or noise cancelling headphones don't cancel enough sound to be considered hearing protection. I have a cool pair of over the ear hearing protectors that have flush mount mics and speakers with volume built-in so you can still hear conversation around you / radio / warning buzzers etc and actually amplify it if you want while wearing them but harmful noise is kept out. If you're really serious about it I'd check and see how many decibels you're actually exposed to so you can see which products provide the protection you need.

The engine sound is not the issue. My wind screen is low and deflects the wind directly into the faces of those in front. It's that wind that is causing discomfort and if there is discomfort then damage is being done. I think I will try full size ear muffs and the disposable ear plugs. I have both here. An intercom would be awesome but the mic would have to work in the direct wind blast which is over 80 mph at times. I did start a new thread about intercoms.

I want to add that I do have removable wind deflectors that work well but on a hot day that open air feels great. I keep a zip-loc bag of cheap and left behind sunglasses on board and everyone is required to wear some type of eye protection. Now to deal better with the ear issue...

I usually sit in the VR 1 but Darlene stands when it gets rough. At 70+ the wind does affect it but I can still understand her. The mic is adjustable for sensitivity but I haven't yet experimented with different settings.

Padraig

i am super on board with hearing protection. I use Peltor FM receiver muffs religiously in my shop and have an FM modulator on the computer in my office so i can listen to all kinds of stuff of the net all day long. I call it "sensory deprivation mode" because i cant here the phone or anyone at the door all day long lol. Most of my hearing loss is from boat racing in particular the outboard SS Cat with Wahoo and the open pipe Cleveland construction boat, oddly enough i think it was an improperly set up intercom in the helmets that did the most damage. Years of concert going did not help either. Peltor has an active noise canceling headset that i often thought might work good in a boat, probably not while underway but could still be an option. Anymore i wear my headsets in the shop even when I'm not making noise, just use to having them on and i like the stuff i modulate off my computer, hardly ever music though usually physics lectures off youtube like Feynman or maybe an episode of Cosmos or something lol.

Yeah Baby!!

Try some Murray Gell-Mann. I'm into one of his books now, smart dude.

so . . . Phragle Rob stops by my shop on his way home from work for a beer and i says "hey, thats a pretty good thread going on OSO on hearing protection" . . . . Robs response . . . "huh?" . . . . :picard1: . . . :D

True story.....

lol :nicethread: :Whatever:

This is what I believe in.
Not the best, not the most expensive, but does the job!
I use them mostly for work, have a pair at home and use for Mowing and such, have a pair on the boat for wind noise, have a pair for the motorcycle for when I choose to not wear a helmet!
Basically I have had at least 7 or 8 pairs over the last 15+ years!
Highly used for gun enthusiast as well.
Hard to find anyone that does them locally any more :(

http://earinc.com/shop/markets/indus...able-earplugs/

It always appeared to me that the first noise guys stop hearing is the female voice. I never considered this a problem. Hmmm.

Happy wife, happy life

OK, we can still talk to some degree on the boat if I throttle back a bit. I tell rear passengers to tap my shoulder if they need to get my attention. I'm gonna try regular ear muffs first. The intercoms are nice but pricey and there is some question as to how well they will work in direct wind.

Hi everyone -- I have read your comments regarding hearing protection.

Let me say that we have a good ol USA company 3M that is an industry leader in the hearing protection market. I have first hand knowledge of their products and quality-- I can't get into the specifics but I assure you they good.

They have several products that are designed for a marine environment-- these include

a) Tactical Earplug (Model # TEP-100)
This item is IP67 compliant and can be submerged in salt water.
This is my personal favorite

b) Comtac Hearing Defender (Model # MT17H682FB-09 CY)
This is a military style - over the ear version that can be expanded for two way communication.


Now with this said -- I HAVE NO CONNECTION WITH 3M SALES/SERVICE OR ANYTHING --- I just know that these items will knock your socks off

3pointstar

First I'm going to try my conventional ear muffs just to make sure they stay on my head at speed. If they do I will try these. They have a microphone and supposedly only block loud sounds. If they don't work I'm only out $15. If they work I will purchase extras. http://www.harborfreight.com/noise-c...ffs-92851.html

A sailboat.

Those are a cheaper version of the electric ones I was referring to earlier. They work great but a never tried them on the boat. Be interesting to hear how they work out.

I wear ear plugs all the time. Any headset isn't going to seal properly at 80 mph, and the boom mike for sure won't work. (in a non windshield application.) good luck

I beg to differ.. works fine at almost 90mph

Lol, I'm thinking of he vid with your wife trying to keep her headset on .
No worries , im an earplug guy , but 35 years in heavy industry I'm about deaf .:mad:

OUCH!!!!

3pointstar

4'-5' ers is a different story I guess you got me there:cool-smiley-011: