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Flip a switch and hear the roar, Lake Minnetonka

Posted on November 21st, 2008 – 4:24 PM
By James Shiffer

With the flip of a switch, some motorboats get really, really loud. A special feature diverts the boat’s exhaust from underwater to an outlet in the hull. It’s supposed to give the engine more oomph, but there’s another attraction — your boat will bellow.

“Why does a guy own a Harley with straight pipes? It’s cool. It looks tough,” said Wayzata boat dealer Dan Gau, trying to explain the appeal, which he doesn’t share.

The exhaust diverter is marketed under names such as “Captain’s Call” and “Silent Choice.” But it can’t be sold or used in Minnesota. These devices have been against the law here since 1980.

That’s fine with Gau, general manager of Wayzata Marine and Minnetonka Marine. He thinks lakeside homeowners and quieter boaters don’t want a lake that sounds like a drag strip.

Yet the boats roar through the bays and rivers of Minnesota anyway. People buy them in other states and bring them here. The state Department of Natural Resources can’t refuse to register these boats even though they have illegal equipment, said Kim Elverum, the DNR’s boat and water safety coordinator. Under Coast Guard rules, only questions about ownership or tax payments could block registration in Minnesota, Elverum said.

So that means the water patrol has to catch the loud runabouts in the act. Lt. Kip Carver of the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Water Patrol says that on Minnetonka, it’s a “very small group of boats” that draw complaints, typically when they speed through channels in summertime.

Still, Gau thinks it’s wrong that the boats are allowed into the state in the first place. “They could be enforcing it. They’re not cutting it off at the pass.”

Lakeside tranquility isn’t the only victim of the loophole. Gau is losing business to boat dealers in other states. After a boat equipped with an exhaust diverter came into his shop, Gau learned that he shouldn’t fix the exhaust system because he might run afoul of the law.

The situation, Gau said, “just makes me sick.” Unless the law changes, he’ll feel that way every time he hears a boat streaking across the bay with a defiant roar.

This entry was posted on Friday, November 21st, 2008 at 4:24 pm and is filed under Loopholes, Neighborhood nuisances. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

9 Responses to "Flip a switch and hear the roar, Lake Minnetonka"

Rick says:

November 22nd, 2008 at 11:36 am

Regarding this issue, I live on lake Minnetonka and feel strongly that
there should be some laws but into place to eliminate this problem.
Loud boats may indeed sound cool but getting the extra ooomph is pointless
since the speed limit on the lake is 40mph.

However, I completely disagree with your comparison of
“Why does a guy own a Harley with straight pipes”
Clearly most people are ignorant regarding the logic of doing so.
Yes, I’m sure some bikers do indeed have loud pipes for the reason
you suggest however the vast majority do it for one reason “Safety”
I’m sure many ignorant people will disagree with this view
however think about this. If you’re driving down the road and hear
sound to your side will you simply change lanes without checking
and kill the biker or look first?

aredant says:

November 22nd, 2008 at 2:53 pm

By that logic, you could make the argument that loud
boats are safer than quiet ones. I don’t buy the safety
argument – its just a way to justify being an
a##hole. Funny that I never see those stupid pipes on
Hondas or BMWs or are those owners just ignorant too?
It’s simply part of the Harley culture of nihilism.
The good part is that there is a comment section to
speak out against biker noise without being threatened
by some moron with a baseball bat on an gaudy hog.
Anyone who makes excessive noise with a vehicle of any
kind is just making our environment less pleasant to
live in and they should be aggressively ticketed.
Complaining about noisy boats on the lake while
defending loud pipes is just hypocritical.

Rick says:

November 22nd, 2008 at 6:50 pm

Aredant…you are so wrong it is almost funny.
I have a Kawasaki with non-stock pipes and it is a
safety booster. Your reasoning is not sound. A loud
motorcycle is safer due to the fact that a motorcycle
is much more difficult to see due to blind spots. It
is also much more difficult to hear a quiet bike in
your car with the windows up, the radio on and all the
other road noise to contend with. A boat is much more
visible because on 99% of boats you have an unobstructed
360 view of the lake, much more visibility than you have
in a car. So the loud bike logic has nothing to do with
the loud boat logic. Defending loud bikes while not
defending loud boats in not hypocritical.

Joe says:

November 22nd, 2008 at 6:58 pm

The only motorcyclists who would agree with aredant are
those riders who haven’t been nearly killed by drivers
who change lanes without seeing motorcycles. When they
can come up with a device that warns day dreaming drivers
that there is a motorcycle next to them, I will gladly
take my loud pipes off. Until then, I will have the
louder pipes on (mine arn’t so bad as straight pipes).

Doug says:

November 22nd, 2008 at 7:03 pm

There are plenty of Honda cruiser bikes with loud pipes.
As far as BMWs I don’t think they even make custom pipes
for that brand of bike. I would say that any motorcyclist
who agrees with that aredant guy, you’ve got more guts
or less brains than I do, because when I’m on the highway
I want ever car anywhere near me to know that there is
a bike nearby.

Frank in Ga. says:

November 23rd, 2008 at 3:24 am

Look…….this is America…..

IF you dont like loud pipes….stay home…

I do not own a bike but can understand about the loud pipes……and I understand that it is THEIR property, this is America….and……I dont recall the constitution or the bill of rights ever saying that you have a right NOT to be offended……

Get over it and understand that just because YOU dont like something in life……..doesnt mean we, as American patrons have to contort our ways to make anyone happy……

Like I said….I do not own a bike, I do not own a loud car……..but I damn sure like to see and hear them…..

America : Love it or Leave it…….just leave the rest of us alone….

Frank in Georgia

MC Johnson says:

November 23rd, 2008 at 10:11 am

“America: Love it or leave it…” A right to loud pipes on a motorcycle? Frank; are you really at ignorant as you sound? Does the Harley owner that lives 1/2 a mile from my house have a “right” to use pipes that can be heard inside my home at 5:30am when he leaves each morning? How about the 10 to twenty bikes at a time roaring through Yosemite and Joshua Tree and all over the Sierras? Do not the hundreds or thousands of persons bothered by these few childish boys have any rights? In any civilization rights and responsibilities go together. I do ride, and the loud pipes have nothing to do with safety. Anyone who says that has a little wink and smile to go with it. Though most of the Harley guys are past middle age they are like the kids with playing cards clipped to their bike spokes; ‘Hey, look at me I’m riding a bike!” MCJ

MPLS says:

December 3rd, 2008 at 1:04 pm

MC – I’m afraid that your point of view is about as empty
as Aredant’s. It is unfortunate that you are disturbed
at 5:30 in the morning and the actions of one individual
has swayed you into thinking that anyone else with a Harley
is the same way. Until you have been nearly swiped off
the road (usually by a driver talking or text messaging
on their phone) I do not believe you have the full insight
to pass such judgment. The stereotype you peg on Harley
riders is slowly dying out. Take a look downtown in the
parking ramps and see how many people come out of their
offices and jump onto them these days. By the sound of your
entry, I’m wondering if it’s not more of a way to to justify
to yourself that it’s ok you ride a scooter.

biker says:

February 10th, 2009 at 2:17 pm

As a bike rider with more than a hundred thousand miles on
motorcycles and still living I feel qualified to comment on this.
Loud pipes help others be aware of the bike on the road, but
there is a difference between loud enough to be heard in a car
next to you and loud enough to be heard for miles around. The
car next to you has value, miles around is a nuisance. Loud
pipes distract from the fact that the ultimate responsibility
for a rider is the rider, not the drivers around. Riders
should not be next to cars unless passing, and that should be
done quickly and safely.

This article however is about boats, and loud boats it would
seem are much more of a nuisance than anything beneficial.

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