Oh yeah, well put Hyperbaja (Hope that doesnt put you on the wrong side of the tracks with me )

Sorry Too Old, I just saw your questions. The answers are a Four Winns Liberator (you know, the cop thing doesn't pay that well) and yes, 11 years as a cop but retiring due to health issues in about a month.
I also just saw the "why do we come out of the woodwork" question. Just like asking a question in the tech section. People with real world experience tend to respond.
If I offended anyone, I apologize. I thought the phallic thing was kind of funny (and true in some cases ) Maybe my next screen name will be S.Freud but I'll check with Breathe Later before I make any changes.
I stand by my statements that most of the problems are generated from situations where a little courtesy and common sense would have gone along way. It sucks to get a ticket but when you see specific enforcement as described here, I can guarantee your getting ticked as a result of continued complaints. There are a few real hard nosed cops with a chip on their shoulder. Guys who got badges because and have issues. Thats the way it is, like it or not. Just don't lump us all into one pile. Theres good and bad in every profession.

Mr. Demeanor,

The problem or situation that you caused for yourself is that you are on an enthusiasts message board, calling numerous people with nice, expensive high performance boats "look at me" types.

Now you readily admit that there are a few hard nosed cops with a chip on their shoulder. (I personally believe there are a few decent cops and most others have a chip on their shoulder.) These are only differences in opinion.

I have a nice boat, boat primarily with my wife, drive very fast, under control, never drink while boating and am out simply to enjoy the water. I have open pipes for my 650 HP engine so as not to lose one HP. I boat on the Chain and I'll be damned if I am as dangerous or as much as a nuisance as the drunk, out of control idiots that boat on the waterway on the weekends! Yet the DNR, cops and guys like you see an easy citation and $$ signs from a guy with some money. Its also a way to flex the tiny power/control they have in life.

You drive a Liberator, I drive a Pantera. I chose my career path you chose yours. Deal with it.

I call people who run there thru hulls in areas where its detrimental to boating in general "look at me types". Especially when they have the option of going thru prop. Does no good for anyone. Oh, and personal "my boat is better than your boat" comments are pretty childish. As far as your career path, I could care less as it will never effect my life. Your exhaust probably will however. My wife and I also run our own business. One of the largest horse farms in the Barrington area.

Sorry this thread was hijacked due to my presence. Wasnt my intention but I'm done with it.

Dave1972 and Mark Bently have the right idea and I took it a step further. I have a friend that runs a jet boat in Winneconne weekly that registers way over 90 DB. He has a system that usually ends up in frustrating the court system so much that they end up throwing the damn ticket out. The concept is simple. You plead Not Guilty to the charge, and this is the important part - REQUEST A JURY TRIAL. You can do this over the phone and do not have to appear. Then, before your trial date, you call the court system and tell them that you need to suspend the trial date because a key witness can not be there, or whatever else hits your mind. You do that as many times as you can (may be up to (2) years), and the court system gets so pis*ed off that they drop the whole thing. If we all so this, Winnebago and FDL counties will get fed up with the DNR issuing these bull**** tickets and make the DNR a$$holes accountable for the crap they are trying t pull on us. Believe me it works. Last year they did the same thing in Winneconne. 51 tickets were issued by Mark Shepard in one day and more than half got dismissed becuase boaters simply showed up in court to bi*tch and plead the case. Anyone interested in jumping on this bandwagon please contact me at [email protected]. What the DNR is doing here is Bull**** and we need to combat the problem now, or it will get much worse...

I bought my Shotguns for about $450.00 and they are FULL TIME and yet ADJUSTABLE (in about2-3 minutes per tip)....I saw NO LOSS AT ALL in top end mph. I would ask around the board for opinions on the tips. Everything I have heard about them and Drew has been great. So for under $500 you get a set of tips that loose NO POWER and meet the requirement for a full time muffler...Just my .02cents

BH

I've got Shotguns as well and you're right:

• They are easy to adjust.
• They are full time.
• They don't affect power much, if at all.
• But...
• ... Do they decrease the noise level any??

I'm completely against these buttheads and their tickets. Heck, I've decided not to attend the Sturgeon Bay poker run this year as a result.

I'm sure that some of the law enforcement & government officials have thought, "If we quiet 'em down, we'll also slow 'em down. Kind of like killing two birds with one stone. I like efficient use of "the peoples money!"

Also, it seems we all spend wasted $$$'s testing mods on our boats whether it's for performance, comfort, efficiency, etc. It would suck if now we had to purchase various types of "test" mufflers until we found one that met some noise level measured with some ambiguous test procedure while maintaining some performance.

It would be interesting if any one has real world before and after measurements of the different types of mufflers, silencers, etc. All I've ever seen is ads that promise the world.

This whole subject is just one more reason most government officials make me sick!!

Jeff

I too, have shotguns on a HP500 w/ Eickert exhaust, (VERY LOAD before the Shotguns) and love them!
We live on a canal, surrounded by retired folks, (Great neighbors BTW) and I have always tried to be back on the lift by dark and flushing the motor ASAP. Don't fire her up before 9 AM either. Point being, I'm just being a little courteous to my neighbors and I don't want un-needed attention from the marine patrol.
But then again, it's hard to get in trouble with a load boat, when you IDLE everywhere!!
MD

A couple days ago we got a hold of a Db meter to test sound levels of the 540cu in 650hp motor. We were well above the limit.
HPI has sent us some mufflers to try out. I should be recieving them today. We will probably install them tonight and will be able to get some accurate readings.
P.S.
When we tested the other night we had some shotguns around and they only lowered the Db level by 2.

Bill

Mr. Demeanor,

As far as you buying me a beer on the Chain, that's considered entrapment You get way too emotional on the issues that relate to your profession. That's how I recognized you. I agree with your pending retirement due to health issues. Recall my post about a year ago pertaining to "undercover" cops posing as construction workers? Your response to me was "I'll bet you have a radar detector." Damn right I do. I like to know when I'm under surveilance. As for my profession, I'm an engineer and part owner of my company. Relative to the noise issue, I run Teague switchable tips. They're effective up to 3000 RPM, above that they don't recommend running in the closed position.

Anyone who gets one of these bogus tickets should study the ordinance and circumstances, take the issue to court, and challenge it. Also, join a club in your area. There's strength in numbers.

Regards,

Mark S.