Question about sound levels of newer 242

[ridinpropless]

I've had a Yamaha for the last 5 years and really love the boats. But like most owners, I find the sound levels pretty annoying. I've added sound deadening material and certainly think it has helped, but my wife made a comment about it again last weekend. I'm at a point where I'm not sure if it's the LEVEL of sound or the TYPE. Since these engines (by design) rev so much higher than a typical stern drive, the pitch just seems to hit your ears particularly hard.

I just ordered some more Raamat and Ensolite, but there's a part of me that thinks that the problem now is not necessarily the amount of sound in the cockpit so much as the pitch (which I can't change). I know that Yamaha made some significant improvements in this area post-2015. I'm curious, for those of you who upgraded to the new generation 242, did it really solve the problem or am I trying to fix a problem with no answer?

 

[John Mcpartland]

I've had a Yamaha for the last 5 years and really love the boats. But like most owners, I find the sound levels pretty annoying. I've added sound deadening material and certainly think it has helped, but my wife made a comment about it again last weekend. I'm at a point where I'm not sure if it's the LEVEL of sound or the TYPE. Since these engines (by design) rev so much higher than a typical stern drive, the pitch just seems to hit your ears particularly hard.

I just ordered some more Raamat and Ensolite, but there's a part of me that thinks that the problem now is not necessarily the amount of sound in the cockpit so much as the pitch (which I can't change). I know that Yamaha made some significant improvements in this area post-2015. I'm curious, for those of you who upgraded to the new generation 242, did it really solve the problem or am I trying to fix a problem with no answer?

I took our new ar240 out Sunday for the firts time, we did have four kids under 10 on it, but I didn't notice it to be any louder than our old i/o. Might have been because it was the first time out and i was concentrating on how the yamahas drive and everything else, but noise was no issue. It's also a 2017

 

[Neutron]

I've had a Yamaha for the last 5 years and really love the boats. But like most owners, I find the sound levels pretty annoying. I've added sound deadening material and certainly think it has helped, but my wife made a comment about it again last weekend. I'm at a point where I'm not sure if it's the LEVEL of sound or the TYPE. Since these engines (by design) rev so much higher than a typical stern drive, the pitch just seems to hit your ears particularly hard.

I just ordered some more Raamat and Ensolite, but there's a part of me that thinks that the problem now is not necessarily the amount of sound in the cockpit so much as the pitch (which I can't change). I know that Yamaha made some significant improvements in this area post-2015. I'm curious, for those of you who upgraded to the new generation 242, did it really solve the problem or am I trying to fix a problem with no answer?

I take it your boat has the older MR1 engine, which revs a lot higher than the new 1800s. My 16 ar240 is not loud in my book. I can hear the music just fine when cruising at 30mph and if anyone is sitting on the side of me or behind me i can hear them just fine without them yelling.

 

[swatski]

I've had a Yamaha for the last 5 years and really love the boats. But like most owners, I find the sound levels pretty annoying. I've added sound deadening material and certainly think it has helped, but my wife made a comment about it again last weekend. I'm at a point where I'm not sure if it's the LEVEL of sound or the TYPE. Since these engines (by design) rev so much higher than a typical stern drive, the pitch just seems to hit your ears particularly hard.

I just ordered some more Raamat and Ensolite, but there's a part of me that thinks that the problem now is not necessarily the amount of sound in the cockpit so much as the pitch (which I can't change). I know that Yamaha made some significant improvements in this area post-2015. I'm curious, for those of you who upgraded to the new generation 242, did it really solve the problem or am I trying to fix a problem with no answer?

Too funny - I just spent few minutes looking for what I've considered "the best soundproofing thread I have seen here" only to realize - it was actually you!

Well, the new boats are a lot more quiet. A lot of it is due to added soundproofing, and that certainly helps.

However, I believe it is the new approach to compartmentalize/cut up all the vast cavities in the stern of the boat that make the biggest difference. If you look at the 2015+ 240 hulls - all the largest spaces in and around the engine compartment are drastically reduced, there are wet compartments cutout in the swim deck, etc. It is bad if you are trying to install integrated ballast bags, lol, but really good for breaking up the resonance of engine noise/vibrations.

Another major contributor is the redesigned shaft coupler.

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[ridinpropless]

Yeah, I do think what I have done has worked well, actually. There's a few places I don't have sound deadening and that's where it will go next. I think a lot of this just boils down to the sound absolutely reverberating through the hull. I'm going to add Raamat to the storage compartments in the aft (I've got the Home Depot stuff currently), and actually to the BACK wall of the engine compartment. Outside of that, I'm not sure where it will go, but I'll keep everyone posted!

 

[sledpepper]

I just replaced my 2009 232 with a 2016 242. I had put sound dampening materials in the 232, which worked, but the stock 242 is much quieter than my 232 ever was.

The 1800's rev lower than you mr1's, which is a tough battle to fight when it comes to sound. So yes, the new generation has a more comfortable engine sound level, but the stock 242 stereo system is terrible compared the Sony/Kicker system which came stock with the 232. Maybe Yamaha put a louder/better sound system in the 232 to drown out the engine noise?