Although I am a sailor/canoer, I dont mind jetskis, PWCs or most power
boats but airboat noise drives me nuts. The noise level these things
produce is painful at distances of several hundred feet. They scare
wildlife with their noise and stop all conversation when they are
within quarter mile. I would have no objection to them if they were
less noisy. So, is there a reasonable way to reduce their noise?
What causes the noise, is it the unmuffled engine or the prop?

"Parallax" wrote in message
om...
Although I am a sailor/canoer, I dont mind jetskis, PWCs or most power
boats but airboat noise drives me nuts. The noise level these things
produce is painful at distances of several hundred feet. They scare
wildlife with their noise and stop all conversation when they are
within quarter mile. I would have no objection to them if they were
less noisy. So, is there a reasonable way to reduce their noise?
What causes the noise, is it the unmuffled engine or the prop?

Last summer, we had a guy show up suddenly, using an airboat for tours of
the local bay and river. While the idea was unique, he quickly became
public enemy #1. The noise was atrocious... virtually identical to that of
an amphibious plane. I don't think there's any way to make those things
quiet. It's the nature of the beast.

Once or twice would be manageable, but this went on every day, for weeks.
All this, in an extremely quiet and peaceful place, with abundant wildlife.
His tours ran up the river to salmon-rearing estuaries. He would even run
the thing across wetlands - the pristine home of scores of species of birds
and other wildlife.

Just about the time the locals had had enough and were ready to do battle
this guy, he ran it aground in deceivingly shallow water. Revving it to the
max to get it dislodged, his engine exploded. End of problem. As neat as
those boats are, we all hope he can't afford the repairs.

Unc