boat too loud???
 

I boated on patoka lake in southern Indiana this weekend and got pulled over by a conservation officer after being on the water 15 min. He gave me a written Warning for a noise ordnance and told me my boat was too loud and he told me i had to put it on the trailer untill i change the exhaust. Anyone ever heard of such nonsense?

What exhaust do you have?
Welcome to POWER boating. You could be driving a cruiser with a nitro engine and they would let you pass.

How loud is too loud? Did he have a db meter? I've heard of the same thing on the lakes where I boat but the officers do not carry db meters...totally subjective and B/S!:angry-smiley-038:

I would have asked to see his db meter. I have head of people not getting tickets when having asked that. They have no way to prove the noise level without it. However, cops do what they want to do, when they want to do it. It has gotten really bad for much more than just noise. We say don't smile when they are around or you will get arrested just for being happy...

Hey Josh, I've boated on Patoka for 15 years, 6 years with my
34' Vyper never had a problem. Maybe they are starting to crack down. Is your exaust stock ? Havn't been on the lake yet this year maybe I should prepair for the worst.

Most lakes have noise restrictions these days. Do some research on what the acceptable db level is on your lake. If you have no mufflers or baffles, you're pretty much illegal on any body of water with restrictions.

Bring it to Michigan and let her roar! :)

Matt got pulled over last month and tested over. Got a warning. He won't get pulled over for 6 more years.

He told me the DB level was 80max and that i was over the limit. He didnt have a meter thoe. Im positive my boat is over 100db but without proof thay cant enforce it. And i looked and cant find any restriction on patoka. its not posted anywhere.

80db would be very low even for the J34 test. Most state limits are around 90db for the J2005 stationary test.

100db is really loud. Usually boats running near 100db are running dry exhaust.

I'm still not seeing how an officer is justifying any sort of action without a meter. You know what I would do? Go back next weekend and run the Hell out of it until he can PROVE you are over, that's the law, not an officer's 'opinion' of what the law is. I would also refuse to remove my boat from the water until the above point was proven on a meter there is no excuse for abuse of the law to that degree and the officer should be reprimanded for his actions. I know a lot of people would frown on this approach, but sometimes its what law enforcement needs in order to keep them honest and in check.

According to the WI DNR Handbook, the limit is 86 dB. Minnesota has an even lower 84 db limit. However, they only seem to check in the no-wake zones. So, I run Gibson turn-downs. The noise police never give me a second glance.

http://dnr.wi.gov/files/PDF/pubs/LE/LE0301.pdf

This approach could land you on an episode of "Party Heat". :lolhit:

You can't let it roar everywhere in Michigan. There are a lot of places cracking down on the noise. The law in Michigan is at idle from three feet way it can't be in excess of 90db. From shore no more than 75db.

TCH and I live in the part of MI where loud and dry is welcome. :evilb:

Take alook at GGB Mufflers in Canada
I just bought the clamp on's, don't know
How they work yet, but did here good things
And price was good.

I wouldn't do it on a drinking day, but just to return the favor of being an @sshole I would be sure to exercise every right that I have... All I'd ask is for proof, and if that meant tying him up for a few hours and inconveniencing him until he could provide that, well I'd have a smile on my face the whole time :D it'd be the least I could do to show my appreciation of over-zealous law enforcement. I once had a cop pull me over when following another cop, his response was "you can't go that fast, he can, we don't have to follow the same rules" (non-emergency situations)... Figure that one out... Lol

I agree. And as far as everybody telling me what mufflers and baffles are a good price. Save it. Im not going to quiet my boat down any. I spent good money to make it loud and thats how its gonna stay. Im getting married at patoka sept 8th so im gonna cause a scene that weekend and see how bad i can piss that jack ass off. I agree if he dosent have a meter than he dosent have a case. Its like giving you a speeding ticket without having you on radar. It will never hold up in court.

Go Josh!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsEwK69LXjQ

Rock on dude F the man!
The whole situation sucks though. F'n cops need to find something better to do. All the patrol up at torch have db meters now. Mufflers or a ticket. It's Such B.S.

It is BS. Whats the world comin to. There is no way that any CO is a REAL MAN!. Any REAL MAN would sit back and ENJOY a nice powerboat running hard across the lake with strait headers. Thats what i live for is that sound and feeling. That says alot for the CO and what type of guy he is.

To loud
 

WHO WAS THE US SENATOR THAT FAMOUSLY SAID "I CAN'T TELL YOU WHAT PORNOGRAHY IS,BUT I KNOW IT WHEN I SEE IT":eekdrop:
BUDDY OF MINE WAS STOPPED AT/ON THE RAMP BY SOME RANDOM LADY W/A DB METER WHO TOLD HIM HIS FORMULA 242 W/SILENT THUNDER EXH. 'WOULD" BE TO LOUD AND HE HAD TO START IT ON THE TRAILER FOR TO CHECK!
HE DECLINED HER OFFER AND LAUNCHED UNDER THREATS OF CALLS TO WARDENS, COPS,CIA WHILE SHE HELD THE DB/M 5 IN FROM HIS EXH.
2 DAYS LATER HE HAULED OUT - SAME LADY DOING SAME TO OTHER FOLKS............HE POLITELY ASKED HER IF SHE WANTED TO CHECK AGAIN.......TURNS OUT SHE WAS A LOCAL NUTBAR WHO WANTED NOISE REGS!

You guys with your big loud boats should get into sailing....lol.

Buy a Db meter from eBay for 25 bucks and you'll know how loud your boat is.
Next time a cop tries that nonsense, pull your meter out of the glove box and tell him it's time to test........9 out of 10 times they decide to move on.....

+1

dont hold your breath....they're after harleys too...the days of useless noises are gone...dont get me wrong...my PQ is kinda loud,and my harley too;but they're after us

You've got that right, especially here in Western Michigan.

Thats classic verbi...lol.

Im going to start calling in complaints about the sailers being too quiet... I mean after all I'm not really paying attention to where I'm going, its best if I can hear you so I can look up away from the cooler!

Blow boaters too quiet? Go to your marina any night with a light breeze up to windy...hear that ringing? That's from the dumb asses that don't secure their sail lines to the mast letting them flap against the mast. What about quiet hours overnight? Can you tell I don't like cheap ass blow boaters! Just for them I warm up the boat a little extra!

+1

I wouldn't know, I had too many complaints about the noise coming from my slip I didn't notice... Too noisy, didn't like my rotating yellow light, didn't like my tiki torches... Haters lol

I really opend a can of worms with this thread didnt i. Haha. I got everyone fired up about all the BS we deal with on the lake.

Powerboaters tend to have a certain lifestyle and attitude,(read:partying and F U if you don't like it) and it clashes with blowboaters and slowboaters.
The problem is, we are the minority at most marinas. And cops just plain suck all the way around when it comes to people having fun. They just can't stand it.
I guess this is where I find out if there's any cops on this forum.:lolhit:

I agree 100% on all fronts. Cops suck " except for my drinkin buddy cops thay are cool, just a paycheck to them" and PowerBoating is more than just a hobby or intrest, Its a LIFESTYLE!!! And ill get a lawyer and take it to court before i baffle, muffler, or quiet my boat or my loud mouth down a single DB. F#CKEM.

+1. Love it.

+1

Ah...but too many stories for me to write on here:daz:...