Running quieter

[BensonWdby]

We have had some complaints from some folks on our lake that 'the ski boats' that run in the morning and evening are too loud. On our lake that means me and about three or four other boats. We have a 99 Mobius carb DD with 300 hours.

Personally I love the sound of an inboard with standard functioning silencing, way more than a 200 HP bass boat at WOT at 5:30 in the morning.

However, in the interest of keeping everyone happy I am willing to investigate noise abatement measures. Anyone familiar with:

1. Insulating the clamshell. I know there was a thread on that long ago but have not looked for it.
2. Inspecting the mufflers/exhaust to verify no degredation
3. Modifying exhaust for less noise.

TIA
Dave

[maxpower220]

You can get 1/2" foam with heat coatings and apply to the inside of the clamshell. It is a pretty simple project, but it will only help the noise for you in the boat. FAE has made my boat quieter.

[zabooda]

One has to ask what is the criteria? Is there established noise restrictions?
What are the decibel readings taken and how does that match up to the established criteria? USFS does this process all the time with off road motorcycles with fines levied. Without a criteria and a device to measure the sound, the complainees (that a word) are just barking into the wind (and IMHO a little too loud).

[BensonWdby]

I tend to agree, but we are a small lake community - only 98 homes on small lake. If I can accommodate them without a lot of cost/performance issues I would consider it. But my dealer is not going to be running any db meters on my boat - I am sure of that.

I was just wondering if there was and easy inspection or rule of thumb that someone knew of.

Sounds like the FAE is not too friendly for those of us who are removing our platform a lot so probably not an option.

Thanks for input guys
Dave

[zabooda]

Good luck on getting 98 homeowners to agree to anything. If there are complaints on a stock system that is legal in all the world then their motive is either ban the boats or only allow the use of the boats during certain hours. The FAE is the only thing that can make a noticeable difference in noise.

[volfo]

I for one think it's great that you are considering doing something to make the lake more enjoyable for your neighbors. I agree that you don't have to, and I'm glad you don't. It's still good you want to, if there is something reasonable you can do.

Everybody thinks that they are the only ones on the lake. Skiers can quickly get a bad name, as they have with homeowners on one of our local lakes, by opposing dock permits for homeowners in an area where they have a ski course (even though most of the people that ski the course have their own docks which allows them to use the course, they want to restrict the homeowners near where they have the course the ability to also get a dock to enjoy the lake). It is pretty ridiculous, and as the owner of a ski boat and a guy that likes to ski the course, I am embarrassed by their entitlement behavior.

You seem to have the exact opposite perspective and it's refreshing. And I agree, bass boats are worse, and generally start earlier, but both are pretty loud outside your window at 6 am on a Saturday.

[mikebu]

Sounds like the FAE is not too friendly for those of us who are removing our platform a lot so probably not an option.

They have a quick release system you can buy with the FAE for people who do this. Go to their website and give them a call and you'll talk to the guy who invented this. He'll answer all your question...

[kaneboats]

I agree with volfo. Don't let other people decide who you are. You decide that. If everyone would do what they reasonably can to be considerate of others this world would be a much better place.