From: heon@cbnewsg.cb.att.com (garry.j.heon)
Subject: Re: Loud Boats (Was: Re: Novice boaters)
Keywords: Sails, mufflers, wetsuits, whipped cream, fire trucks...
Organization: AT&T
Distribution: na
Date: Mon, 28 Sep 1992 19:18:32 GMT

In article <9346@ncratl.AtlantaGA.NCR.COM>, bbatchel@ncratl.AtlantaGA.NCR.COM (Ben Batchelder) writes:
> <1992Sep24.124858.26973@cs.brown.edu>
> <1992Sep24.160646.15969@cbfsb.cb.att.com>
> 
> 
> Two points.  First, I seriously doubt if you *ONLY* produced 98db we'd even
> hear you at 3-4 miles (or is that 98db *AT* 3-4 miles?), so there would be no
> complaint from any of us.

Let say at worst case I produced 120 db measured 10' from the transom
(facing the transom hopefully the loudest point).  Would you hear me
if you were 3-4 miles away?  If so, how loud would I be at that distance?
Does someone know the formula for that?  If in fact it is loud at that distance
then I'll have to move farther out, no problem.  

> 
> Second. I guess being able to spend $60,000 entitles people to pollute.  I
> think it is recognized by governments at various levels that there is such a
> thing as noise pollution.  Keep it up, then the necessary laws, regulations
> and enforcements will follow.  We have restrictions on levels of noise at
> airports (noise abatement procedures and engine level noise), on cars, even
> loud radios.  Why is being on the water any different?  Should one person have
> the right to pollute the surrounding envrionment for 50 square miles. (area of
> a circle pi * r squared).  That's a pretty big area.  Think about it.
> 
No amount of money entitles anyone to pollute.  Noise pollution effects
those people who can hear it and does not have a great effect on the ocean
environment (I hope).  If I'm 10, 15, or even 20 miles out and there's
no one within 20 miles am I still creating noise pollution?  If a tree falls
in the forest and there's no one there to hear it does it still make noise?
Does the refrigerator light really go out when you shut the door?  I'm not
trying to be a smart ass but there must be some resonable distance that I
can run and not worry about annoying someone with my noise.  There are
noise laws for boats, although they are not enforced.  Laws have nothing
to do with myself and the guys I typically run with.  We all have some kind
of muffling system that we use while inshore or close (if I can see that 
little spec that may be a boat up ahead, then I'm close) to other boats.
And I don't open the exhaust as soon as I pass!
We have nothing to prove to the boating public, hey we're macho guys listen
to us or any other crap.  When we do come across those macho types (usually
they go flying past us in the bay) that think they have the fastest boat
on the face of the earth, we invite them to join us offshore for a little run.

I realize that some people do run without mufflers through crowded boating
areas, which I feel has fueled most people that have been responding to this
thread.  I also relaize that there are some people that would like to ban
all power craft so there would be complete silence on the water.  Somewhere
there is a happy median.



******************************************
* MY OPINIONS.............AT&T's NETWORK *
*                                        *
* Garry Heon                     AT&T    *
* heon@cbnewsg.att.com       Holmdel, NJ *
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