Sound Regulations - What are my options?
 

Hello,

This is my first post on this site. I am not new to boating, but I am new to performance boating. I currently own a 20 ft Sea Ray cuddy cabin boat. Its nice, but I've always wanted a performance boat.

I found one that will work for me. It is a 1989 Fountain Lightning 33 swim (or Lightning 35). It has twin Mercruiser 454's rated at 420 HP each. Although the previous owner added roller cams.

So I have been doing alot of research on another forum, and not many of the people there seem to appreciate thru hull exhaust, so i thought i would try here. I love the sound of thru hull, but I know not everyone does. I would be running this boat on the finger lakes in New York State. They are smaller lakes. The one i would be on most is about 3 miles wide and 38 miles long. So it would be hard to get away from people. If i was on the great lakes i wouldnt be worried about it.

If i get this boat, I think I would need to find a way to quiet it down some. I called the state police that patrol the lake and they told me there is a sound ordinance in effect. But they do not have the equipment needed to do a test on the lake. So what they do is measure your exhaust 1 meter from the outlets at idle, and the boat has to be under 90 db.

I was told that Corsa exhaust, silent choice, captains call is illegal in New York? If it is i don't know why. It sounds like the perfect solution.

Has anyone had any problems with people complaining about their thru hull boats? Since the boat does not have y pipes in it, and the engines would have to be pulled to install the y pipes so i could run captains call with the exhaust thru the props, I am thinking mufflers or muffler tips may be the better solution. I see that Corsa makes some.

Has anyone had experience with mufflers? My main concern is that I will buy this boat and i wont be able to run it because of sound. I was told that getting the exhaust tips below water would work. But wouldn't that sound terrible? Wouldn't water get in the engines?

Thanks,

Matt

Others will know much more than me, but I do know there are many muffler options that are fairly simple (muffled tips) and effective. This definitely won't be a deal-breaker for you and that Fountain. I don't think I'd bother with trying to install silent choice. It'd be a a fair bit of work on a boat not originally equipped with through-prop exhaust I think. Plenty of muffler options out there that'd be much simpler. The 420s won't like breathing through the prop all that much either I think--I know my 385hp 454 mag doesn't.

I have silent choice on my Fountain and it really is nice when you want to idle around. The exhaust out of the straight pipes really tends to rattle the swimstep at idle and the silent choice eliminates that. I boat on Puget Sound and when a performance boat goes by our place (we live on the water) we enjoy the roar while it lasts, which is usually not long 10-30 seonds. On a small body of water however I could see where the continual noise could be offensive. I can't see why Silent Choice would be an issue as long as it is set to send the exhaust underwater there would be no probable cause for the water police to pull you over. I'm sure they have better things to do than pull over random boaters who are operating their boat in a responsible manner.

I'd run it til you have an issue. If you do. i can't see 454's being too loud with the stock wet exh. Worst case you could clamp on some 90* elbows. Under water off of plane, no compromise on flow on plane and im assuming quieter on plane too since they're aiming down. Cheap and as easy as it gets.

So they don't have the test equipment and just make up their own test? See how that holds up to the VC and a court. They'd get hammered.

I'd get turn downs or clamp on mufflers of some sorts. There are quite a few choices.

I would probably go with some clamp on CMI Sound Elimination Mufflers.

I'd run it til you have an issue.http://www.rrce.info/song9-9.jpghttp://www.pqnw.info/a114.jpghttp://www.rrce.info/song9-5.jpghttp://www.rrce.info/song9-4.jpghttp://www.rrce.info/song9-7.jpghttp://www.rrce.info/song9-10.jpg

Cheapest mufflers Gibsons at 500$ a pair sound eliminations are nice but 3 times the price, Smitty

+1

I have Gibson clamp ons on my 524, they knock down the sound and it still sounds good. I haven't run a side by side with and without to measure speed loss, but if there is any I can't tell. If a roller cam has been added and you don't know the specs, I'd be safe and stay away from turn downs. They will also be as illegal as silent choice, no use wasting good money.

can not figure out why diverter valve is illegal, can they not figure out the loudest tone and test it. that would allow to make it quiter should the operator desire. must be too hard to educate marine police to do anything but write ticket.