Are they legal? Is there a noise limit by law? Is a noise that is loud enough to cause hearing damage legal?

Gun ranges are legal, but they aren't shooting thirty feet away from the general public.

What else, what other hobby, is as loud as airboats and that close to the public? Comparisons anyone? Anything?

I know there are some brazos river homeowners trying to get airboats outlawed on basis of noise ordinance, kayakers aren't too fond of them either.

It's too bad they can't do something about the megawatt stereos with large speakers pointing backwards on the modern ski boats. Too many wanna be thugs around my lake blasting obscene lyrics where all the kiddos fishing on the bank can hear it.

Just another spoke in the, "total lack of respect for others" wheel that has become our society norm.

In all honesty, I'd rather deal with an airboat passing by than the [censored] I mentioned above.

You sound like an angry old man

Get ear plugs or cover your ears when they pass

What do you do at the shooting range? Just get some hearing protection and fish in peace. I've got some for the range that let you hear normally until a loud noise and then kick in. Turn them around and they suppress everything. And they're cheap.

Ad hominem? That's what you contribute?

While that may be an efficacious thing to do it doesn't speak to the violence being perpetrated by the thrill seekers that have no concern for other people for pleasure, does it?

When pleasure seeking causes damage to bystanders, you'd think it would be apparent that something is wrong. Instead I keep hearing (no pun intended) to protect myself and live with it.

Let me try it this way:

1. Does airboat noise damage hearing?
2. Can airboat noise be reduced?

If you can not legitimately answer "no" to either of these two questions - then answer why the airboaters should not quieten their boats.

Ear plugs. There are ones that have a cord that fits around your neck. You have plenty of time to temporarily insert them before the airboat arrives.

I'm about to switch to night fishing on Guntersville. That lake is covered in airboats with bowfishers. I keep a pair handy with me and have no problem with them enjoying themselves.

1. Does airboat noise damage hearing?
2. Can airboat noise be reduced?

If you can not legitimately answer "no" to either of these two questions - then answer why the airboaters should not quieten their boats.

I'm not a big fan of people doing things that are harmful to others, like creating noise at levels high enough to damage one's hearing. But I do see a difference between running an airboat within a prescribed distance of someone's home (particularly at night!) vs running it up & down an unpopulated river or creek area.

Most of the noise is from the propeller. When the blade tip goes supersonic the sound goes way way up since the prop tip speed is breaking the sound barrier. There are prop designs that lower the noise level and these should be the only kind allowed. Of course there are those that want a dragster motor with open straight exhaust and think the louder they are the faster they go. There are some that run Red River below Denison dam and you can hear them all the down river to the Hwy 78 bridge. That's about 10-12 miles as a crow flies.

I'm having a hard time with the "put in ear plugs" crowd. These airboaters are flipping you off every time they go by and these ear plug folks seem to be saying bend over and take it with a smile.

Am I misunderstanding them?

Really dumb comparison. They are legal on any street.
Dragsters do not run legal fuel, are run with open headers and are not inspected of licensed.
Not even legal to start up in a driveway.

My recommendation would be for you to find somewhere else to fish.

And another.
Can't say that I like the noise from them, but I definitely don't think we should make people stop doing what they like just because it's an inconvenience.

Too much of that in this world. "I don't like what you're doing, how you're acting, what you think.....etc.... so let's make you change because it bothers me."......B.s. that's not the kind of person I like to around. My neighbor rides a souped up Harley Davidson. He's a prison guard that leaves to work at 4:30 or 5am, his bike is ungodly loud, should I try to make him sale it or try to get him in trouble for it???

Ear plugs would solve your problem.