Here is the exposure table for damage to noise.
Notice at 91 it takes 2 hours. And to answer your last question. No I do not believe that there should be a law or regulation to force airboats to be quieter. The airboat user and passengers are the only people that might incur hearing damage and everyone I have ever observed had hearing protection on.
Your comment about even short exposures cause damage is your opinion but not fact. Read all you want but minute exposure does not cause hearing damage.

This reminds me of people who buy a house close to an airport and then Complain about the airplanes-

More appropriate would be an airport built near your house, long after you bought it. I've lived on this river for 46 years, and 30 or so of them were before the airboat invasion.

But that's not my point. I've grown used to airboats, I don't mind most of them. I can see what a blast they are to zip up and down the river on. The airboaters have as much right to the river as I do.

What I do not like is that many of them are obnoxiously louder than they need to be. Some of them, not all of them, some of them are so loud they actually hurt your ears when they go by.

Many have said on here to get earplugs - I am of the opinion that I should not need to wear ear plugs when I'm out fishing - rather those airboaters need to make the modifications that other airboaters have made and quieten those machines down to a reasonable level. And it can be done - there are definitely airboats that go by that are not pain inducing obnoxiously loud. They aren't exactly stealthy mind you - but they are within a reasonable sound range for what they are and for what they can be.

And yet the moment I said the airboaters should be quieter the boo birds came out to tell me I'm wrong for wanting the airboaters to quieten their machines down, that I should just live with it and start wearing ear plugs when I go fishing. Then they tell me that since they all say I'm wrong, I must be wrong because I guess I've been out-voted or something.

Well folks it doesn't work that way. What I am saying is right. What those too-loud airboaters are doing is wrong. Those that support those too-loud airboaters are also wrong.

All that is merely an opinion.

Also, the reason I found this thread is because an Airboat owner just shared this on Facebook.

So, all the airboaters just saw this.

Hmmmm.

I've spent thousands of hours on an airboat without wearing hearing protection. I hear just fine.

You just don't like airboats. Like many yuppie's I've ran across.

We never messed with anyone, yet, I've had lights shined in my eyes, lasers, attempted swamping, authorities called for shooting arrows in the water, and yes- shot at.

Guess we were in the wrong, huh?

Last time I checked, this is still a free country.

The only way to get up the Brazos River is by airboat or jet drive. No one is here to please everyone.

If you don't like airplanes, don't live next to a runway.

No one says a word when a twin 502 speed boat is racing across a lake throwin beer cans out the back, but when a guy in an airboat comes along and picks them up, everyone hates him. That's a true story.

Get yourself ear muffs, Nancy. And some Downy paper towels.

__

Oh, and an "airboat invasion" is BS. 46 years of living on the river, then you know that's BS. They have ALWAYS been there.

Also, the reason I found this thread is because an Airboat owner just shared this on Facebook.

So, all the airboaters just saw this.

Congratulations. You better get some ear plugs.