Will Seakeeper scare away fish?

We’re here to disappoint fish storytellers across the globe. Don’t worry, we’re not attacking the hold-your-fish-out-to-make-it-look-bigger method, but you might have to work on your one-that-got-away story.  And why is that? Well, you can’t blame the Seakeeper anymore.

We’ve heard it before, and we’ll hear it again: the myth that the noise and/or vibrations of a Seakeeper scares away fish. It’s simply not true, but we get it. When you’re poling through a quiet flat, noise is the enemy. You’re not listening to music, everyone’s focused, and you all glare at the guy who speeds by without noticing his surroundings. So, it makes sense that the addition of a new piece of equipment might disturb your silence. The good news is, it won’t. And we set out to prove it.

THE TEST BOAT:

Special thanks to Elite Dealer Tri Sea Stabilizers for providing the test boat and Capt. Eric Rumore of Agua Therapy Charters for the local knowledge!

• Latitude Boats 25
• Yamaha 300HP
• Seakeeper 2
  • Weight: 414 lbs.
  • Dimensions: 25.5 L x 24.8 W x 20.0 H (inches)
  • DC Input Voltage: 12V DC @75 Amps Max
  • Noise Output: <68 dB at 1 meter (more on this below)

THE TESTING CONDITIONS:

• Clearwater, Florida / Old Tampa Bay
• 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.
• 79 – 85° F
• Light, intermittent rain; overcast; up to 87% cloud cover
• 7 – 8 mph winds from the southeast, with gusts up to 13 mph
• Avg. 1016 MB pressure

BUT HOW LOUD IS IT?

The Seakeeper 1, Seakeeper 2, Seakeeper 3 and Seakeeper 4 (our DC-powered models) operate under 72 dB (decibels), and often below 68 dB. But what does 68 or 72 dB even sound like? According to Yale University Environmental Health & Safety, normal conversations happen at 60-70 dB. However, most Seakeeper installations are below deck or sheltered in a leaning post. So, imagine a normal conversation happening in a room, and then you leave the room and close the door behind you. You can’t hear much of what is being said anymore, can you? THAT is how loud a Seakeeper is while you’re on the boat. It’s not disrupting conversations and you don’t have to speak over it, much like you don’t speak over your livewell or bilge pump. It’s a light, white noise in the background that once you’ve experienced it, you don’t even recognize it’s happening.

BACK TO THE FISH

If you don’t like the science-y explanation of decibels above, check out the video at the top of the page. How many redfish is enough redfish to prove that Seakeeper isn’t scaring shallow-water fish? We rest our case.