Florida Noise Restrictions
 

I am thinking about buying a property on a canal with gulf access in Cape Coral FL and i started to wonder if i was going to have any issues with the noise my boats make.

I have older boats with the merc performance 454's with 4" pipes out the back and no restriction. My assumption is that when in gulf waters, even at WOT i shouldn't have any problems.....maybe thats a bad assumption? What i'm more concerned about is at idle speed navigating my way through canals out to the gulf. What are the regulations i should be concerned with? .....and any idea what sort of noise my configuration is throwing?

I did find this online -

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. http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=& URL=0300-0399/0327/Sections/0327.65.html#:~:text=No%20person%20shall%20operate %20or,following%20sound%20levels%20at%20a

I read a lawn mower is about 90 db.....but i've never compared boat noise to a lawnmower :-). i also have everything bundled up right now so i can't test.

@ idle & 50ft away, i think im under 90 dB......i've never been tested. @ WOT i suspect im over that....i can hear the boat from more than a mile away. This then also brings to mind a question of jurisdiction....how far out into the gulf do i need to be for this to no longer apply.....or does it always apply in the gulf?

I know where i'm at now there are some concession for boats that are older and were built/designed this way, no clue if they are applicable in FL. I did read there are concessions for organized events like poker runs. I've seen youtube footage of some nice sounding boats coming out of Haulover and I would think they're certainly pushing the 90db limit?

i'f i'm over the limit, what options do i have? In the past I've tried using metal baffles inserted into the pipes, that helped a little bit. I don't really want to run downpipe extenders.....are there any attractive options that don't involve rerouting of the exhaust?

I am hoping that the state that has played such a large role in offshore boating won't shut me down :-).

Any insights you can share will be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

Scott

My buddy has a house on the canal and owns a 25 Baja outlaw with merc 496 425 hp. Takes him about 20 to 25 minutes to get to the lock at Cape Harbor and then out to the Gulf. He never has a problem with complaints about noise.

It will depend on your neighbors. If FWC, county police, or Cape Coral locals get complaints then you will get harassed. With the new turbo motors and outboard movement, people are liking the lack of noise that has always been associated with performance boating. You can clamp non restrictive mufflers on your tailpipes and they do help "check out Gibson power tips".

Joe

I did not know we had any noise restrictions in FL, most of us run dry pipes.

There is a rule that you can not defeat any muffler device, in other words if you have silent choice you would have to leave it on.

we are on a canal but the other coast.

Im on the east side of FL and there are several areas that have noise restrictions. I have twin Raylar 600's and 4 inch slash cut pipes so its not quiet. In 12 years ive got pulled over 3 times by DNR. Every time I got in trouble, I was up on plane. Been thru those same areas 100's of other times idling and never had a problem. Obey no-wake zones and dont get up on plane in decibel controlled areas and you will be fine. If it gets beyond that and you are getting challenged, there is always insert or clamp-on mufflers.

They'll get used to it. 😉

My neighbor in the yacht club area has a Baja with twins and dry exhaust and he has had no complaints. We talked about it a year or so ago.

I would say that you won't have any issues with what you have. Been here for 7 years and have never seen anyone get hassled. ;) :)

I live on a canal in Cape Coral. Never been hassled. Mines quite loud. There a few people who dislike it but most wave and give thumbs up. Cops don’t care as I go by them all the time and they just wave when I do. I wouldn’t worry.

From the water how do you know when you enter one?

This is fantastic news! Thank you all for the feedback!

So why do FL police departments say they can't enforce any noise ordinances on crap box Honduh's (for example) but will do so on boats?

....kinda funny. last time my boat was boarded for a sheriff to do a dB check, by the time they got all of their equipment set up at the right distances and all, the battery on my boat died and i couldn't start the boat......meanwhile, all boaters on the lake were saved from 6 deputy sheriffs, for 4 hrs, who were just instructed to go write a lot noise ordinance tickets. LOL

Not police - its DNR

Oh, next time just trip the lanyard cut-off and say wow it won't start could you tow me in please officer?

Where do you see them enforcing noise ordinance on boats.

Everyone in this thread said they have no issues here in FL and I lived here all my life in the Tampa/Clearwater area and also have had zero issues.

As my dad it ft. Lauderdale Said on a cougar cat with merc log manifolds he was boarded by police ordinance/ law said “ shal be muffled “ so he put in some log mufflers like in a mastercraft and ran it till the boat rotted away

Here is the reg, talk about VERY vague,,,, when it doesn't have a limit pretty hard to say what is "effective". But it is also why silent choice needs to be removed, they COULD say to leave it on. Either way we have never been pulled over for noise here, gulf coast or keys.

https://myfwc.com/boating/regulations/


https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...d6dd6af1d9.jpg

The water mixing with the exhaust is an "effective muffling device." Also it says "use" of cut-outs is prohibited, not having them.

I have been running KE's headers with some water coming out the tips for over 14 years. Never been pulled over for noise yet. Even had the coasties pull along side while we were idling a couple weeks ago to ask a question and jokingly said "what I can't hear you" when I replied. We both just laughed. But if you get a bad neighbor it could probably be a different story? I think they are pretty good here.