Performance Boats
 

It was great to see all of the performance boats out in force this weekend. Mix that with the antiques running through the broads and it was like old times!

The sound or roaring engines and no blue lights was music to our ears on rattlesnake! I hope they stay around.

I also noticed many smaller boats out in our end of the lake. The boat owners probably thought it would be quiet, but it was heavy boat traffic. There were more bass boats also. I think everyone that had a boat went out for a great ride.

Looks like a bass boat tournament station at Ellacoya Beach. I notice a large number of bass boats this weekend. A great crowd that never to my knowledge cause problems.

Hard to miss all the GFBL boats
 

The lake sounded like route 93 at rush hour...not exactly like getting away from it all!

As much as the crowds can be irritating at times, it was great to have one last taste of summer. Now comes the wind down and then the long dark wait till spring.

JDeere,

Are you sure the Performance boats where the problem? All boats make noise at some level.... If you are in a busy area of the lake, there is going to be some noise.... People need to learn to live with it.

If you want a peaceful serene lake then you should look for some place where motor boats period are not allowed.

I live between the long Island bridge, and the six pack.... It is very busy, every weekend.... it also gets loud when several boats are in the area.... The so called GFBL boats, don't even have to be present, for it to be loud.

It lasts for about 2 or 3 hours, I figure my serenity can be interrupted for that long, and if it really irritates me, then I go inside and watch a movie. or read a book...

What I don't do is go and look for some group of boaters to blame the problem on.... This is a busy lake, it isn't always going to be peaceful and serene when people are out on a nice day having fun.

The lake was busy and choppy yesterday. The performance boats with 24 degree hulls excel in those conditions and were out. Regarding the noise, LI has a thread going on about testing. It seems the MP have been enforcing the law so those boats you heard were likely legal.

Li
 

It was your post that raised the issue. The GFBL's are loud and yes I can always see the offending boat and it is always the performance boat that can be heard over the regular boat noise AND as you know boats are getting less loud versus more.

I fully support MP and their efforts to make sure that the boats sound level falls within the law. Who wants to listen to that???

I am not denigrating the GFBL people although I might be denigrating their boats and their desire to make the ruckus on what is really a small lake.

Finally no I do not have to move to another section of the lake....the GFBL boats simply need to abide by the rules....some do and some do not. Pretty simple.

Loud boats been here since before you are born! I suppose you want to coral them to a reservation like we did to the American Indians! History repeats itself. My old man will never put anything on his HackerCraft just because someone moved hear and tell him NO!

Did you just compare the treatment of Native Americans to your boat's exhaust? Totally inappropriate.

I enjoy loud and fast boats going by at high speed. It's interesting and fun to watch, and it's also over pretty quickly. I hate loud boats idling at the dock while I'm trying to have a conversation though. If you have a loud boat at a public dock please shut it down as soon as it's tied up and leave ASAP after you fire it up. Trust me, nobody wants to listen it to it for more than a few seconds. Unless your boat is antique, if it's not fast, please don't make it loud. Loud and slow (<60 MPH) boats are as irritating as loud and slow (<80 MPH in first gear) motorcycles (but fortunately, not as common).

"desire to make the rukus"

"offending boat"

Remember, the boats that have been on this lake a lot longer than most of us have were sometimes not well muffled. I was here in the early 70's when the flat bottom Sangers with the big blocks with twin open exhaust pipes over the transom were quite common. 90 MPH with just an in or out transmission, no reverse, and a foot operated throttle. Yes things change and some approve and others complain.

Maybe those you you feel "desire to make a rukus" just enjoy the sound of their boat and taking a ride on the lake. When they go by my house or I see them out on the lake, I enjoy the sight and sound and have no complaints. I am glad that a fellow boater is having a good time.

Life is too short. I don't even care how fast they are going, as long as they are doing it safely.

This is New Hampshire! Live free or die. Fewer rules is a good thing.

The two loudest boats we heard all weekend were two beautiful antiques that were running through the broads on their way to the show. It's too bad that we all can't co exist. Loud performance boats have been on the lake for years, I guess it's too much to ask to be able to live and let live. Live free or die, but do so slowly and quietly!!

I enjoyed the sights and sounds this weekend, no matter how much negativity there is at the lake these days. Enjoy!!!

OMG!! People were actually out on the lake and ENJOYING themselves??

You live next to what is essentially a state park and you complain when people actually use it legally! Oh the Horror! People having fun usually make noise of some sort. Your expectation of peace and quiet does not trump the right of the public to enjoy the lake in any lawful manner.

In fact Merrill Faye is a huge anti-noise guy, as is his right. Yet his business routinely sells new boats with thru hull exhaust... go figure!

I have no problem with the noise laws or their enforcement. The MP do a pretty good job given their resources. I do however have problem with them randomly stopping anyone, just because they "think" the boat may be too loud. Ambient noise has a huge effect on how people perceive noise...


Woodsy

I looked at a boat a few years back and when I found it was through Fay's, I pulled out and went to a non hypocrite dealer. Go Figure ;-)

Great post btw!

"Articulable Suspicion"
 

NHMP officers can't simply "stop" a boat: they need a reason to temporarily stop and detain you. The legal term is "articulable suspicion".

Using the newly-legalized exhaust cut-outs inconsiderately—and in the wrong locations—irks hundreds of peaceable lakeside residents every weekend. Noise can render inaudible calls for help on the water, and can overpower the mandated whistles.

Noise is only one of many reasons to detain an offender.

:cool:

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Performance Boats / Noise
 

I posted about a week ago my thoughts on this. When my family still owned an old Chris Craft (almost identical to the boat filmed in On Golden Pond) the old flat head six with what I remember to be 4" copper exhaust through the transom was indeed loud. My only run in with the MP at that time was skiing inside the raft at Ames early in the morning. They just came and took the plate off the boat for a week! No issues with noise then.....1969, 1970? Look how far we have come.

This is great, hundreds of peaceful lakeside residents? I love the facts and detail, can you send us the link to the facts? And the few minutes of exhaust notes could keep someone in the broads blowing a whistle from being saved?

So lets talk fact, there was a stranded boat in Wolfboro bay Saturday afternoon, over 30 nice and quiet boats drove by and didn't stop or offer help in anyway. I was riding on a louder (legal ;-) ) boat and we saw them waving (yes, we saw them waving over the exhaust note), stopped and then towed them to the docks and helped them load it. While towing them, we were almost hit, had many boats come closer than 150 ft and cause enormous wake, all of these boats were quiet.

They were happy to have a louder boat lend a hand, and didn't care one bit that we were, in your words, a scofflaw.

Personally, I don't really like loud boats BUT they have every right to be on the lake as others and forum members have every right to articulate their opinion. I've been on the lake for over 40 years and I can't really say there has been any appreciable change in traffic or noise. Back in the 70's, large "cabin cruisers" were all the rage and frankly the numbers of large loud boats has decreased over the past few years. Jet skis are clearly dominant now and I suppose there are people who want to bitch and moan about them too. As long as boat operators are legally operating and reasonably courteous, I DON'T CARE!

Just some facts here:

out door wilderness level 30-40 db
Human talking 70 db
Human yelling 88 db
Boat decibel limit at idle 88 db
Referee whistle decibel > 100 db
foghorn >130 db

These levels are all level at source type measurements. So apparently if boat exhaust is to loud, people best not being yelling around the lake either.....

Read up and understand why the levels that where chosen where chosen. They aren't random numbers. I wrote a big long post on this a couple of years ago...

The real issue here, is how sound travels over water.... on quiet nights I hear conversations from across the lake...

There should be absolutely no problem hearing a cry for help, or a distress whistle, over the noise of boat traffic even on the busiest of days, as long as you are in the vicinity of the problem.

If someone yells for help in Center Harbor, of course you not going to hear it in Meredith...

Render Inaudible?
 

Wow! I never thought about noise "rendering inaudible calls for help"

My neighbors kids like to play in the water and they are quite loud. I wonder if I should tell them that they can't play any more, or suggest they get muzzles? I mean, I would hate to have them render inaudible a call for help.

My other neighbor has a dog that barks. I wonder if I should suggest that they get rid of the dog in case someone is calling for help when their dog barks, rendering it inaudible?

Last week the guy next door mowed his lawn. I wonder if I should tell him to get a hand push mower so that the noise of his lawnmower motor does not "render inaudible a call for help"?

Don't know who's boat ..........

But it is sure pretty (to me) to watch these type boats run ....... and envy them for having the money to do so !


Not so much the wanna be's like Baja's ( I pick that brand arbitrarily)




Also to the "noise" whiners .... ever notice that the smaller boats ... Baja, et al (<28') make more "noise" than the true "cigarette" class boats which have more of a powerful rumble than simply exhaust noise ?


(bring the bashing on -- I'm ready not to respond)

Believe that boat burned a few years back.

I don't have a dog in this fight... I'm not back there YET. But I do enjoy reading along. I'm not a huge fan of noise, but it is what it is. And though, in my youth, I had more "boating" events in my life, I am not currently a boat owner. But I have seen a similar trend to another life experience that bugs me personally. Motorcycles. Know, I have NO problem with someone owning, riding, enjoying the fruits of their labors in the form of personal property. The thing that "annoys" me is when they sit and rev. I noticed that was a "thing" for some of the posters here, inasmuch as some "loud" boaters sit at idle at the docks. Same with drivers who feel they must share their car radio with the rest of us. A boat, screaming along at high speed, showing its technological prowess, is awe inspiring. Watching someone cruise away down the road on a big bike speaks to freedom. Ride on... But when you stop, remember the rest of us, just might not enjoy your joy as much as you do.... I believe I would second the poster who asked that they kill the engine as soon as practical after docking. Like I said, no way as informed as the rest of you on the boat side of things. But at some point, while enjoying our personal freedoms, I think it is reasonable to think of others and their enjoyment. (guess I should skip bike week...:D) Thanks for letting me play along.

Engine noise is just one of those things that people won't agree on. For some nothing is loud enough and for some nothing is quiet enough. We passed laws to resolve these conflicts and enforce a compromise. If you think the limits are wrong, talk to your local representative. NH has a huge legislature, you should be able to bend your reps ear.

If you have a limit some one has to enforce it, you can't blame the MP for enforcing the law.

Of course now someone invented the crime of overpowering a whistle, what's next?

Point to Ponder.
 

Somehow Lake Winnipesaukee has more rules and regulations than any other lake that I can think of, yet we have more 'uncivilized' skippers than any other body of water that I have been on. Is there a correlation or is it a coincidence?

You are exactly right. Good post!! Jet skiis can be very annoying when they go round and round and round and round in the same spot.

Moved to boating issues???? Read my original post, no issues, it was the forum members that took it to issues.

lesser of two evils....
 

It could have been locked up...lesser of two evils. You are correct: the original subject was just an observation. Some later posts took it in a whole different direction. :(

This really is just like being at the lake now, a few people ruin it for many. This is like being pulled over by MP for no good reason!

Silly
 

Honestly, what difference does it make if the topic is put here or a couple lines up in the boating section...like people aren't going to read it??

This whole "General Issues / Controversial" section is really quite silly and does nothing to stop people from saying what they will. I wouldn't doubt if more people read whats here than whats posted in the "politically correct" section...

Dan

My Apologies...
 

Sorry, new here. I thought it was ok to follow a line of discussion. I wasn't aware of the etiquette in regards to the original post. Again, my apologies for my part in the discussion.

Marty

Contentious...
 

Anytime the topic of performance Boats comes up here on Winni.com, the outcome is very contentious and usually results in the thread being moved.

IMHO, Ever since the speed limit was proposed, the lake has been a VERY divided place. Some people like APS & JDeere let their extreme dislike of performance boats color their posts. If you want a good read, check out some of the speed limit arguments on this forum... some of the videos & pictures APS posted and his spin on them are hilarious. There were an incredible amount of lies told about performance boats. There still are. They had an agenda, the speed limit got passed. It is what it is.

But not much has changed... thankfully!

Woodsy

While I agree, its perception, anything performance is an issue? There are many people at the lake that enjoy these boats and its only an issue to the vocal few.
We were at Naswa Saturday and there was a 38 topgun there and people onshore and boating up, all stopped and stared at it, I do not think there was one person there that walked past without looking and commenting on how nice it was. So where is the issue?

So my issue with this being move to "issues" is that it wasn't an issue, it was a positive note that a few cranky people made an issue of.

Censorship to control perception.

I agree. Nothing seems to stay on track on this forum. You try and say something nice ( and neutral) and before you know it there is someone lurking and waiting to jump in, turn the subject to the negative and high jack it to promote their own agenda.

I think conversations stray on most forums. That doesn't really bother me. What bothers me is when people criticize (or worse) others.

Totally agree --- seems it is getting much more prevalent (Hijacked threads) than in the past :(


and by virtue of this post-- I just did too.

Performance Boats / Noise
 

Just to add a bit of irony maybe the straying threads need OMERTA.

Your Italian is showing :laugh:

How are you being censored?