Dock etiquette when starting your engine
 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGZP1ALe6T8 So you have been backed in to your favorite watering hole for three or four hours and its time to hit the wet road home.Walking out to the dock to head home, you notice several people hanging around the boats.

Question: How many times should you have to warn those folks that they may wanna step back and away from the rear of the boat? So far, twice doesn't seem to be enough!

When watching the video, try and imagine the swim platform is even with the edge of the dock. Those 4.5" pipes are facing under the dock, and they are dry to the tip. Makes one hellova sound chamber !

I always give a direct warning to everyone around the boat at least once.
I specifically warn people with little kids or anyone elderly.
Then final check under the hatch, and yell "Fire in the hole!"

If they didn't get it after asking twice and warning once... oh well, sorry.

Really like the "Fire in tha Hole" part. Maybe warn once and yell that last

Thanks Tom !

That sounds like everybit of the 720hp you list in your Avatar. I love that sound, but I can definitely see where you will upset the nonboating crowd at the watering hole, your boat is loud, and I like it!

Guess this a little different at certain lakes. It seems there is so many powerboats at loto that most people don't even turn there head unless it's something super nasty sounding.

Yea, your correct. LKN is becoming a tooner lake for sure

I still look! But then again, everything sounds cooler than my 3 liters o' fury!

You should find one of those cool mufflers those kids with the Honda Accords have . Those are around 3 liters and sound pretty cool

I warn everyone once and only once. I tell them " This is going to be loud " And then I turn the key.

I don't give them any warning. Two things I enjoy doing........watching people spill their drinks and watching people go holy sheit that thing has three engines after I fire off the 3rd one.

Just hit the key!!!!!

I am in a covered slip and have dry exhaust so very loud, A group of slip owners that surround me bought me a big cow bell that hangs on a pole, when I decide to fire up I ring the bell 3 times as a warning. I still scare the sh**
Out of them when it fires up

Uhh, that doesn't sound like a sleeper. Lol!
fair warning Once, they'll get it when you turn the key.

I usually get the stupid question, "That has two engines in it?":lolhit::lolhit:

A couple years ago I was on a face dock for the weekend. Saturday morning a big a$$ hinckley yacht docked behind me stern to stern. I went to go for a ride so I warned him it was loud and just got a dirty look from him. As soon as first engine fired he fell off his swim platform into the water! His wife and everyone else thought it was a riot. Except for him

10+ years ago, I fired up an HP500EFI on my Sonic which had a molded swim platform, which always really boomed and directed the sound quite a ways behind the boat when firing. One time, I scared a woman so bad that she tipped her stroller with child in it, over backwards.

Ever since then, I have been cognizant of who is within 75-100 feet of the boat when I fire it up in mixed environments.

80% of the time when I spout off a warning I get a "Hell yeah brotha, fire that bltch up!! We've been waiting."
The rest of the time, just a 'meh, whatever you stupid republican' look.

Regardless, that's how I play it.

this is my procedure EXACTLY, even the "fire in the hole" part, funny..........you HAVE to be courteous of the kids and the old for sure........ I'll admit we do get a laugh out of when I warn someone, and they give the ol don't worry I'm used to it comment, then they jump out of their pants after I fire up. They usually give a laugh themselves too. Once had a small skiff behind me at a gas dock, I told them I'd wait for them to leave, they insisted I start her up....... needles to say she jumped so high she came within inches of falling in the water.......

At my old marina I used to tell people befor I started. But not so much at the new one with being at the end slip. And at the favorite watering hole it's 95% go fast boast so no one gives a heads up there

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If there are non-offshore types around I would always give consideration to them and let them know what's going to happen. I don't get the "f-u" attitudes when starting these machines, all it does is galvanize people against us and makes it easier to enact those preposterous muffler/sound laws. We're our own worst enemies at times.

go trump !!!!! Make america great again !!!!!

I give a fair warning to everyone once....

Hell Yeah!!!! GO TRUMP!!!!

Many years ago I was down in Islamorada .

A Cary 50 was at the docks and heading out. The engines were probably just mildly warmed over 420s, nothing like the engines guys are running today. But one after another firing off with each one being coaxed with a lot of throttle to keep the cold ones running until all 4 were happy was way cool back in the day.

I would hate to be the first one into that dock. Talk about gridlock :drink:

Contact !!!

That loud piercing beeping should give it away

I try to read your message and my eyes keep turning left ........... could you remove your avatar for about 2 minutes? ;-)

I always warned people directly behind me.

Once I put in at a pier and there was a mother with her 2 or so year old child. They ended up just behind and to the side of my boat when it was time to start it. I told the mother that I was starting my boat and it was going to be loud, so they may want to move up a little. She stated it was fine.

I started my boat and the poor kid jumped out of his skin and started screaming and crying.

"Sorry, we'll be quick"

Many years ago when Texoma was covered in Fountains and at any time there were 4+ per dock on lifts, people didn't blink when they fired up. Except one. Staggered 42 with above transom dry pipes and 950's. They sounded like a bomb went off when they fired. The adjacent dock got used to it but someone would always fall out of a chair, knock a table over etc. Became a (not very funny) joke at times. They guy would even push it mostly out of the slip to get out quicker. Loved it!

Papasmurf your sleeper sounds amazing. I bet its a lot of fun.

I got to visit my buddy over the 4th of July weekend on Lake Norman. You are correct, there was nothing but wake boats and tooners everywhere. Saw a handful of performance boats the whole weekend. We did have fun running around in his new tritoon with twin 300's though and to see the look on peoples faces when they saw it was priceless. People are sheltered on that lake when it comes to powerboats, so I can understand why yours would get attention with it sounding so healthy.

I've heard it only adds power if you install the sticker from the box though.

That thing sounds awesome.

I wish my HOs were rowdy enough to scare people :-/

At mitendorfs in manshack Louisiana the dock is kind a bit high sometime with the tide. pipes were under the dock and it was open all the way under the outside covered seating area. the people eating watched up walk out get in the boat to leave.(hint its about to start up) cracked it off cold and one lady drink went all over here as she watches us. she was cracking up saying I knew it was coming.

I know that tooner! He is at Cocktail Cove most weekends. Nice tooner. Havent gotten a chance to play yet, but I feel sure we will be leaving some place at the same time one day

Throw 10K each at them..................They will!

We do have a lot of fun with it so far. I have to come up from behind most "performance boats" to get a run outta of them. You can tell which ones are stock when you get along side them. They hear that exhaust note, and suddenly racing a bowrider wasnt such a great idea.

The bass boats are the most fun so far. Those guys are NUTS !

Once is plenty, EVERYONE will find the minutetist detail to be to be offended about now-a-days, so F* 'em anyway.

Those that you give warning to and say "it's ok" simply think you're being a show off and deserve to spill their children out of their stroller.

That's how I really feel!