sound ordnance wtf !!!!!!!!!

lake brownwood tx is going to enforce a sound ordnance this year. The kicker is it is up to lake patrol discreation what is to loud. From what i hear if thay can hear your music for more than 25 yards you get a ticket.

That sucks man....i ride down there sometimes. Great lake. My buddie just put some new wetsounds on his supra to. Sounds like hell be gettin pulled over.....

They'll eventually need to buy a few db meters to make tickets stick but whatever. I've never understood why anyone thinks anyone else wants to hear what they're bumping but I'm old so maybe someone could explain it to me.

you dont have to listen to what other people are playing GO TO THE OTHER SIDE OF THE LAKE.

Pro audio on towers will ruin it for everyone imo. I've gone w/o tower speakers for the last 2 years and don't miss them.

Good. It was only a matter of time. Although I think it should apply to motor noise (like PWCs and drag boats) too if it passes. The lake is a place of formerly-peaceful public recreation, not your personal sound studio. I shouldn't have to go to the other side of the lake to avoid your blaring crap.

It is another reason too pull you over to see if you've been drinking booze.

tony I agree with you we have a lake here that has one cove out of 10 that every body goes to party (hince the name party cove) everyone knows well almost every body that if you want to go party that is where you go but it never fails there will be 50 boats in there haveing a good time but there will be a couple of boats that thinks it is a family cove who will yell and scream turn it down! its to loud! I agree if you don't like it go around the corner. the one thing that I can see that gets people in a uprore around here is when your playing the f-this and f-that n-this music loud

I too once felt the strong desire to freely share my musical tastes, but now that I have mostly grown up, I find that I can enjoy my music just as much without irritating my neighbors.

ok no more loud music, whats next no wakesurfing it could make a fisherman mad,no more wakeboarding it scares old people.it a open revolving door,

People don't realize how far that sound actually travels. The calmer the water the farther it travels. If you can clearly hear your music at 80' over boat noise and wash, you can clearly here it from a few hundred yards away.

I pulled in front of our summer house close to the red dot in the picture which is easily a few huundred yards and yelled at my friend over the WS-420 on my tower speakers he could easily hear me. He also said he could here me coming before he even saw the boat. I can barely hear my tower speakers when I ride. There is a guy on the lake that has boat with side exhaust and I can hear him go from one end of the lake to the other. The lake is 20km long!

I've got a set of NVS on my tower. I like to pump the tunes and if I am near other people, I usually keep it low...

BUT - I get ALOT of requests from people saying "Turn it up".... I am happy to oblige!

Dave need a roomate that looks freakin awesome.

it a open revolving door?

The lake actually helps sound to carry instead of dispersing. The sound wave that normally spreads in a sphere can't so it reflects off the water surface. On the land some of that disperse up but the colder surface of the water, relative to the air, cools the air just above it and creates a bit of a sound conduit of higher density air that keeps the sound travelling.
That's why you can hear laughter, voices, and stereo so clearly from across the lake. If it was a fraction as far away over land you would not hear it.

I was reading this post right until i saw Dave's pics...i'm pretty sure i just got mind#(@&ed and will now no longer be able to concentrate for the remainder of the day.

I thank you from the subcockles of my heart.

lol tony

lol trace, you dont need to be on the other side of the lake to hear me, you dont even need to leave the house

I will say tho, that if this gets popular, they should enforce it for motors too. the barefooters in the AM are way louder than I bump my stereo (or at least a couple of them are).

I don't have a problem with it as long as they set a reasonable and verifiable standard. No subjective discretion of some Lake Nazi.

I have tower speakers and they are plenty loud when turned up. But we actually use them more for when we are stopped and kickin back than when we are riding.

The only problem I would have with it is that in my experience Lake Patrol cops are nazis and they will look for any excuse to harass someone. They seem to have Napoleon's syndrome.

(Message edited by vortech347 on April 01, 2009)

Noise laws should also apply to those at the gas station that have the music cranked and door open while they pump gas. Especially while dropping f-bombs.

Beauty is in the ear of the beholder not everyone they decide to subject to their noise.

The key is just to be smart about the way you use it. If you aren't blasting your music just because you can blast it, than people usually don't mind. It is the boats that crank the music up and 7am or the people that go rolling into the marina with the music blasting that kills it for everyone. If you are respectful with it than there aren't really any issues.

Theres all kinds of noise....when your at the dam and a car goes by you can hear it drive by, when a boat goes by you can hear noise from the water and engine. If its music you cant have it but if its anything else its ok? Unfair!!

agree with rick. common courtesy and respect for others usually goes a long way. with that said though, i potentially see it as an excuse for spot checks and aural tower speaker profiling.

this will be my first year with the baby on the boat so that will dictate a lot with my music (lyrics and volume)
i have 6 kickers hanging from my tower that when finished will crank. but its hard too say whats loud and whats too loud. but dont most lakes have laws when it comes to noise exspecially exhaust for the speed boats

Ya Dave that makes me want to move to Canada. I've seen the issue from both sides, I frequently ride behind boats w/ Wetsounds, I love them, and I want them on my boat ASAP. I've also been annoyed at a lake house with people playing music that I hate really loud, but it really only annoys me when the boat is too close to the shore in the first place, the speakers are facing us, and I don't like the music. It usually passes in a matter of minutes. BUT, I feel like it's their right to listen to what they want (as long as the lake is public, of course). It's a grey area, I definitely DON'T think there should be any legal guidance, but I do think common sense comes into play, like Rick said. Early in the morning, or at a narrow part of the lake with lots of houses, or at a boat ramp with 69 game wardens standing around, discretion might be the key word. As for the "leave my part of the lake" issue, I personally think coves are territorial with a first come first serve type of mentality. If you pull up and there's a party going on, and your kids are crying, choose the next cove. If you pull up and want to start a party and there are families everywhere, choose the next cove. Outside of coves, open water is fair game for anybody.

Common courtesy and common sense are always the problem with things like this. Too many have neither, so we have to account for the lowest common denominator.

I only use my tower speakers when pulling a rider, when they fall, i turn the tower speakers off with the eq. after they are back up, tower speakers back on. If you aren't pulling someone, I am not sure there is a reason to have the tower speakers on if you are underway. At least for me, my internal boat speakers are plenty loud enough and I am not blasting the whole lake with whatever music I am listening to.

On another note, if the cops want to use it as an excuse to pull boats over and check them for drinking and driving...I am all for it. I would gladly take a breathelizer everyday on the lake if it would keep drunk boaters off the lake.

I agree Trace, you just have to be careful with the lowest common denominator thing when making rules or regulations because it approaches the "beer should be illegal because someone might drive drunk" kind of scenario, or in this case, no tower speakers allowed, or no audible music allowed because someone might play it too loud. I just think that sometimes leaving people that disagree and are pissed off at each other without intervening is a better solution than stepping in because there is no safety issue at hand, it is just an annoyance to some people, and that's life.

You know what really grinds my gears.....People on here that say no loud music on the lake and no tower speakers. Are you kidding me? The lake around where I am from (southern Missouri) is a place working people go on the weekends to forget about work and have fun. I blast my stereo(4 wetsounds and 2 subs) while on the lake. I will turn it pretty much off when pulling into dock or at the marina but out on the water we are there to have fun and forget about work and lifes problems. There are a few spots boats tie up and I have some people try to get me to turn it down but if you dont like it then go to a quiet peaceful cove. I find it unreal when people come with their boats to the tie up spot and they have young kids with them. I will go out of my way and play some edited stuff but why the hell are they bringin lil kids over? They tryin to relive the glory days? IMO the sound of a rockin stereo on the lake and the sound of a baja or donzi roaring by are just what makes the lake great.

The lake is all about the kids.It gives me the chance to teach and make him strong.But just like me you have a right to do what you want and if you where blasting offensive music in a cove I would just move on.

I think there are so many different points that could be made on this topic. like i said earlier this is the first summer with my lil man on the boat with me and even though hes only 7 months he has no clue whats going on. but i now can understand y parents would get mad at the sand bar. i guess my point is when were riding or on the main channle its what thing. and at family tie ups its different. but i think some ppl are blind to the coves that are dedicated to partying.(when the babys not on the boat of course)

You make a good point, Ryan.

I use loud music and offensive lyrics to run tubers away from a cove of glass. If I could have the serene lovely natural experience they're persuing I would GLADLY hand over the whole setup and ride butter all day long.

I can sit at the dock at my lake house and hear a normal conversation from a point across the lake. I could not hear my wife from the porch 50ft away as well. lucky for me the house across the lake is a haven for sorority girls. OK it is not, but the point is water does amplify sound. Just play barry manilow and nobody will care lol.

I agree with scott. and do the same with tubers. but some ppl around here dont get the point and when you try to run them out they start using the wake from my boat as a kicker. Short of pulling over to them and saying hey go to the main channle. i dont think there much you can do when it comes to that bc the first ? from them is hey do own the lake

Well we can thank my friend Chase, and his malibu that is by far the loudest boat out there. I thought lake patrol was on the up after we got rid of Leroy. I just picked up a new boat this winter and was planning on adding 2 more subs 12" JLs and some wet sound tower speakers. so this is about the worst thing i could hear. But honestly its not going to matter because if we dont get rain than were not going to have to worry about boats even being on the lake.And where did you hear about this ordinance?

(Message edited by aroed on April 02, 2009)

I get so annoyed when folks bring their kids into a know party spot, and then start griping about turning the music down, or its offensive. Sorry but get the F*%K out. They should have known better. I've found myself watching what I play when someone is within ear shot, well close (I have 485's on mine) and has children on their boat. I rarely turn mine up when riding around the lake though.

On a normal weekend where there's our normal crew of 20 boats or so, we keep it down to where we can all talk over it. The big weekends, its full tilt!

Me being at the lake, I love the sound of big engine Baja's, Eliminators etc. Especially in the early evening.

went to take the boat out 2 weeks ago was working all the bugs of my new system had it half up sure enough here comes the lake patrol gave me a 10 min speech on how that was not going to fly this year. Aginst my better judement i said as long as there was not a law aginst it it would fly he said there would be a law by may 1.

Wakemaker01...if you really said that, you just set yourself up to get hassled all summer long by the lake patrol.

i dont think they can make it law on a public lake just like i can bump all i want in my truck around town. i pull up next to cops and they dont even give me a sencond look they cant do anything about it, so i think well be ok what guy was it that you talked to?

(Message edited by aroed on April 02, 2009)

This is one of those age-specific topics that has no answer. I'm in my 40's, and admit to the whole Super System on the boats and cars back in my teens thru my late twentys. After awhile, most guys realize that they need the music played loud enough for themselves, and subjecting everyone else within a half mile to whatever you find appealing is really just gonna piss off more people than not.

Hey Austin I know people who get pulled over in TX while driving with their music too loud. The main guy I knew with the overhead speakers on the roll bar. He would get pulled over all the time for his music.

Well said, Austin. Well said.

Nothing they can do?
http://www.nonoise.org/lawlib/cities/dallas.htm

The sound thing is growing to be one of achilles heels for this sport and is one of the primary reasons you will see people hating on wakeboarders. I see the appeal and shiz factor, but it is completely unnecessary for wakeboarding. Yes it is everything about courtesy and common sense which is often in short supply. I live on a lake and hearing the bass bump in the summers doesn't bother me that much, but know it frosts my neighbors, and yes we can all hear it a half a mile way. So even if you think you are not bombing other boats with your tunes, if there are people living on the lake, you are probably not being courteous, even if you think you are. I doubt most of you would want to hear a constant bass beat from 11A til dark outside of your homes.

I know some of you will say, that just goes with living on a lake and you should expect it, but I can say that living on a lake didn't use to be like living next to a rock bar. People didn't buy with those expectations and some are annoyed as heck and will make the policical noise to kill it, which may take non-noise making wakeboats down with the noise makers if they start banning balast or towers which has been documented on this site.

They do have sound ordinances in every city I have lived in as well and decibel levels on vehicles. I cannot count the parties I have been to that received a 'turn it down' order from the local constable. I don't see why those laws would not apply. In my town, they began heavily ticketing motorcycles who rev their engines in an area of sidewalk dining. Diners and the business owner got tired of the noise and the City responded.

Boat noise has never been a big problem for me but I did get tired enough of the neighbors 2 and 3 am bass from his car to have a conversation and he was nice enough to comply. I sure he did not want me to start at 6am on my way to work. A little respect goes a long way.

Talk to any dirt bike riders about noise. The direct effect of noise has been a serious decline in riding areas. Poor Bambi and his tree hugging friends all have the same rights as you and I.


The bottom line, if you love the sport, you should think about protecting it. You will not win against those who want to limit the noise levels or the local water patrol who will find some reason, other than noise, to harass you. Like it or not, this will become the bottom line fact.

hopefully the cops can give me a ticket from about 10 feet away, they ran into my boat last year just to check my registration "WTF"? and i wont let them come near me even if theres a gun pointed at me,

Nicely said Tim.

It isnt a matter of telling you what to do and how loud you can have your radio, it is a matter of respect. Give respect for those who you encounter on the lake. No offence, but I am a big proponent against tower speakers in general. Why do you need to have your radio be 120dB so you can hear it when you ride. You dont need a soundtrack. Get a LF MP3 that is waterproof. I dont want to hear what you are listening to, especailly at a level that I can hear it clearly from across tha lake. This coming from a fellow wakeboarder. Just think of how the fisherman or pontoon full of old people cruising around feel about it.

It is all about respect for your surroundings. If you dont give the respect, you wont get it. That may come in the from of more wakeboat banning on certian lakes just because of how some people use them.

/rant

If tower speakers on the lake are blaring and no one is around to hear them will they make a sound?

Buying a house on a public lake is next to buying a house on a major freeway. Buyer beware.

people with houses on the water pay a buttload in taxes. that does alot of talking at town meetings. you're looking at mostly an older crowd buying these houses. none of this will ever change. get along or get regulated. not much different from speed laws being enacted on alot of lakes for the go-fast crowd.

Running down the highway with no exhaust on your car will, at some point, get you flagged.

All highways are different, may yours run through the desert.

Don is right, you don't need a soundtrack. Soundtracks are for figure skaters.

"Buying a house on a public lake is next to buying a house on a major freeway. Buyer beware."

Buying a house on the lake not too long ago was like buying a house on a small two lane road, some boat noise here and there. Now on some lakes it is like living next to the strip where all the kids hang out with their blaring stereos. People that bought their houses 5 or 10 years ago didn't sign up for rap beat in their back yards. Do you think you are really being courteous when you share your music with the folks living on the lake?????

A better analogy - It would be like buying a house and after a few years the clubs start opening up on the road a block behind your house. Might be perfectly legal, but annoying none the less. It might even get you or some of your neighbors to start calling your city council.

Like I said, the music doesn't bother me much. When I hear a thumping stereo coming down the lake it will sometimes get me to look and see who is riding, but out of RESPECT to my neighbors I wouldn't think of forcing them to hear whatever I have on my MP3 player.

sorry, I ride a LOT better when I can hear some music pumping me up.

that said, I think we should regulate lake usage to propery owners only.

It's a two way street Scott

welp glad I won't ever live in texas then. We don't build houses on natural lakes here. Plus with all the game warden BS power tripping cops they have there and fussy downer homeowners on lakes who feel they're entitled to own the water behind their homes it's no loss anyhow

I know the local laws here for the lakes I ride. Until the laws change I will be listening to whatever I want wherever I want.

^^^^^

lol im not the one complaining

But it's different when you are the problem.

Not sure what natural lakes have to do with it, but Caddo is the only natural lake in Texas. Also, we're pretty big on personal freedom here, so you can be sure it's coming to your area soon.

TONY!you have probly seen me on b wood i am down there in the summer all the time i have a red black and silver malibu 23 lsv. What boat r u?? and where did you hear about this ordinance? its probly bcuz of me n my friend in the blue and black lsv up in casin cove jammin in the mornin. holla at me if you ever wanna pull

I need an investor or someone to buy my idea off me, I have had the solution for this problem for quite a while now. Anyone in the audio business out there?

i don't think they can make it law on a public lake just like i can bump all i want in my truck around town. i pull up next to cops and they don't even give me a second look they cant do anything about it, so i think well be ok what guy was it that you talked to?

_________________________________________________
Austin,

Keep thinking that. Public or private they can make laws if they want. State laws, County laws, city ordinances????????ring any bells. Your public lake is owned in case you didn't know.

Playing your stereo loud IS NOT A RIGHT! Its people with zero respect that cause everyone to be blanketed. I am sure if someone parked outside your house and had 3 12's lit up from 3am tp 7am you would have a complaint. Here in the Chi you car is gone and will cost you 1200 bones to get it out of the pound if the poleeces can hear your sounds over 75ft and feel like taking your ride. I think every town should have a similar ordinance with regard to vehicles.

Personally I own tower speakers and will listen to them while I ride. The problem is there are people who don't posses the respect that a majority of us do. The NIg#$$% this B%%^&that, The F%^& this has no place on a public/private lake cruising all over the place. The volume on some of these new boats is absolutely ridiculous as is the times they are playing it. There is no way the inside of my lakehouse should be vibrating from tunes rolling by. Sure its cool and the system is no doubt sick, but I shouldn't have to hear and feel that. Its absurd to think I should have to.
The party cove atmosphere I have no problem with. That is the "designated" place. I would relate it to a bar. Bars can play what they like and if you don't want to hear it you don't go. The problem with boats and cars alike is that what you are playing and how loud you are playing it affects everyone. EVERY TOWN IN AMERICA has a disorderly conduct/noise disturbance law I can guarantee you that. It just may need a complainant to be enforced.

I love the argument of well you bought the house on the lake what do you expect....dea; with it....Well for starters I expecet people to be respectful and courteous. Only problem is these days less and less people are concerned with how their actions affect others. The all about me attitude and F everyone else I'll do what I want when I want attitude is what has people in an uproar. ITs because of this attitude that we need laws to curb it



(Message edited by xstarrider on April 02, 2009)

personally i say f the po po im jammin no matter what i bought wetsounds for a reason so if they want to give me more hell about the stereo (which is prolly the reason in the first place the sound ordinance thing is at bwood ) im just gunna get tickets the lake po po have also talked to me about ballast so next year they will prolly make it a no ballast lake just to make the old people happy around there but i say we all fight back!!!!!!!

i hate lake bwood and austin your prolly right i know the police pretty good. but its always something if the stereo is off its the wake if the wake is small its the people if there is no people then its cuz your in a wakeboard boat on a fishing lake. there is no way to win.

I can't speak for the police on that specific lake, but I am sure they are knocking you down beacuse people are complaining. That's their job. Again I can't speak for them so maybe they do have it in for you, but more often than not the police are responding and out there due to complaints and requests by the citizens.

i mean i understand that but my dad has sat there and fished and watched them go from wake boat to wake boat and not pull a fisherman over

Chase,

I know nothing about the lake you ride at, but from what you just said, it doesn't sound like its the cops, it sounds like it is you. From what you just said it sounds like they know you, and that you could care less about anyone on the lake. Its no wonder they hassle you.

Seriously, it is absolutely amazing what simple courtesy and respect can do for you. I have said this before, but every time we pull into the marina, or see the rangers, we ask them how they are doing, what is going on, yada yada yada. Then one time I buried my flag in the seat that I put a 700lb fatsac on, so we decided to wakesurf without one. Sure enough, ranger rolls up lights flashing, doesn't ask a question, just hands us a spotter flag and takes off. Now maybe he is just the nicest ranger anyone has ever heard of, or maybe we just take the initiative to see how they are doing and so he gave us a break. I know that if something happens on the lake and I am stranded, that I have respected the other boaters, even fisherman, enough to get some help or a tow back to the houseboat. I know this because I have had a fisherman give me a ride back to my buddies houseboat.

Chase, I see you are only 18, but you will find out that in almost every aspect of life, you will get more respect, more help, and be more successful if you are courteous and respectful of others.

hey cody sizzle i have seen u i have the black and white tige 21i. seen u last wear.

As I've gotten older, I've realized this truly is a maturity thing. There was a point of time when I felt that rolling with my windows down and making everyone around me hear my badass music, showed everyone around me how cool and hard I thought I was. Now looking back on those days, I'm embarrassed, and I know I was getting the opposite reaction from those who looked at me as I drove by. That and peeling out at green lights and in parking lots!

I'm all for noise ordinances. Nobody likes your music as much as you do, so don't make others listen to it. Roll up your car windows, and turn down your tower speakers.

As for the Lake Police, They deal with problems on the lake by issuing as many tickets and BUIs until the problem is gone or minimized. If your the one getting hassled... Well... you can figure it out. You can bitch about it and try to get other people with little to no adult life experience behind you, but I guarantee it's a fight you can't win. My $.02.

Oh yeah, Trace, that was a great quote.

"Also, we're pretty big on personal freedom here, so you can be sure it's coming to your area soon."

Next time I'm filling up at either the gas station or marina and someone's got their music stupid loud dropping f-bombs I'm just going to hold my horn button and pump my fist and look cool until I'm done.

Hey, sounds great, exercising my personal freedom. I'm sure it's not that annoying, hope you all enjoyed.

Swatguy, where do you ride? I see you mentioned the IL river...where along the river?

I see you guys beating Chase up and Im not saying he is right but we all know they target wakeboats.
The cop on my lake has pulled me over so many times we started documenting it with a video camera.One more time and I will file a complaint with his superior.

I have only been boarded by the police one time in my whole boating career. Even on some of the busiest lakes on the busiest weekends. Point is I don't draw any unwanted attention to myself. Despite everyone thinking the pollice have a vendetta against wakeboats I think its false and that is the reaction from those that are drawing attention to themselves, but choose to ignore it. Take a look around next time a boat gets boarded? Is it full with party people and rockin out having a good time? The fishing boat it most likely has 1 maybe 2 people chilling. HMMMMM!


SS

I ride over in Morris on the IL River when I can't get to the lakehouse in Shelbyville. Great riding over there on the river.

Why do you guys think they target wakeboats? Perhaps it is because wake boats are the only types of boats out on the water with obnoxious pro audio gear hanging off of them powered by a couple of thousand watts.

They don't hassle fisherman because fisherman sit there quietly doing exactly that, fishing.

Is it really that complex? I feel like I woke up on another planet. Like I said earlier, pro audio on towers will be the downfall of wakeboarding on public waterways. I expect to see a lot more noise ordinances and ballast restrictions being imposed every year. Unfortunately it is too late too, the damage has already been done.

Edit: Another funny observation, at least in my neck of the woods, is the people with the newest wakeboard boats with the craziest loud pro audio systems, are the people I rarely ever even see riding. Occasionally you might see them surf, but rarely wakeboard, and mostly just party. Seems to be a status thing lately.

(Message edited by Stanfield on April 03, 2009)

(Message edited by Stanfield on April 03, 2009)

The loud music is precisely one of the main reasons wakeboats get targeted. There are other reasons, but the bass beat spread over the lake is one that can be so easily mitigated. It might not be you with the loud music, but but you can bet there will be a more watchful eye towards your boat because like it or not we get grouped in with the "I'll play what I want when I want" crowd.

Ive rode with chase down there, in B Wood. Nice young kid, well mannered and soft spoken. Kills it on a wakeboard. I guess his only fault is.... he likes to listen to loud music while hes on the water. But im 31 and i would crank it to if i still had my boat. Just keep it PG and be respectful of others.

Steve,

I am glad that Chase is a good kid, and that he kills it on a wakeboard. In fact I don't have a problem with him wanting to listen to loud music. I love to listen when I ride too. But his attitude of !@#$ the police/I will do what I want when I want doesn't just get him tickets, it portrays all wakeboarders in a negative light. That is probably why the noise ordinance is going to be enforced on the lake, and one of the reasons wakeboarders get a bad rap.

Stanfield,

You have some great points, I would add one more. A lot of the time where I ride, you have a $80K boat out on the water and the oldest person in the boat is 16 or 17. This is another reason the cops are hovering around wakeboats. It is not too often you see a gang of teens hanging out in a Skeeter. Additionally, I have seen lately kids hanging upside down from towers, while the boat is in motion, kids jumping off the back while the boat is going, underage drinking,etc. This all contributes to all of us becoming targets.

Many times (at least on the lakes I ride on Nasworthy, Lake Conroe, Trinity, Lake Austin) wakeboats are nothing more than babysitters for wealthy parents.

O.K. end rant.