Electric Horn VS Air Horn

J

John S

New member
My Tomcat has an air horn installed. When I bought the boat the compressor was locked up and I had to buy and install a new one. The horn still only works about 50% of the time. Every time I take the back off the horn and put it back together it works for a while again. Just a thin piece of plastic in there. The hose going to it always seems to get some water standing in it. The other day I went to check the horn operation and the frozen water blocked the line. Once it had thawed the horn still wouldn't blow.

Am I the only one who has problems with and hates their air horn?

I'm considering buying an electric horn and tying right into the air compressor wires.

Anyone have a disadvantage to an electric horn before I spend the $60 or so?
8609_AFI_10010_WPM.jpg


Thanks,
 
I bought an electric air horn through Sportsmans Guide last year and put it in my gunnel, exposed to saltwater spray, etc.

Still working!

It was fairly cheap if I recall.
40 bucks?
Has a nice sound to it.

Jeff
 
dotnmarty":2rgkywe1 said:
Had the same frustrating problem on our 22. Finally settled for this. Only complaint is it's too loud!
Click to expand...

Interesting, so is the air style horn fairly standard on the C-Dory's from the factory? It is a more expensive system, so it makes me wonder why they chose it over electric.
 
I love my Fiamm Fultone II dual trumpet air horns, but I had trouble also.

The boat builder had foolishly mounted them horizontally, rather than tilted downward, so they ingested seawater fairly often. When on plane the trumpets actually tilted upward. I had to take apart and clean them periodically, including the plastic membrane. Eventually (ten years) too much water had made its way down to the pump, which froze up.

I found a new set on eBay for ~$145, and installed it properly, with trumpet mouths pointing about 30 degrees downward. No more worries, and you should hear how deep and authoritative the "big boat" sound is.
 
my 22 has a electric horn that makes susan jump even if I tell here Iam going to us it. I also have the canned airhorn for a back up. I am thinking of up grading my vhf to a vhf/ hailer with auto horn. does anyone have one and have you ever used it.
 
My 22' came with a good electric horn...works every time....but I prefer the finger....

Harbor Freight has air horns and small 12 volt compressors really cheep ..on my tug I have a air whistle and a BIG air horn that I run off a small tire compressor and a refillable air tank.... really makes em jump...sounds like a freight train....bought it on EBAY.

Joel
SEA3PO
 
I bought that Harbour Freight air horn. Not for the boat, but for the truck; I'd had enough of the Dodge Neons (or equivalent) diving in front of me and slamming on the brakes.

That horn made less noise than the stock '63 Chevvie horn. So disgusted, I took them off and threw them in the trash.

I'm going to get a pair of electric horns for this summers trip.


Boris
 
When we had our Nordic Tug 32 it had electric horns. One of our top of the line ICOM VHF radios was hooked up to a hailer so that it could sound the proper signals in reduced visibility. I never felt that the hailer signals were loud enough and in fact, they were a lot less loud than the horn itself. Loud is very important as you want other traffic to hear your signals in spite of their engine noise. I searched for a fix and found a horn controller that was inexpensive and easy to install. It made the signals automatically using the electric horn and was a far superior solution. The brand I got is no longer manufactured but there is one on the market http://www.fogmate.com/ I would not be without a horn controller. On our NT37 we had a Kahlenberg dual trumpet air horn system with a controller on it. Now, that was loud and heaven help you if you forgot to close the overhead hatch in the pilothouse before engaging the horn controller!

I am not sure whether the Fogmate will work with small air horns (no air storage, horn sounds when air compressor runs) but can see no reason why it won't. It absolutely will not work with big air horns where the horn button activates a solenoid in the air line between a storage tank and the horns.

I consider the horn controller to be an essential safety device along with an autopilot. Think about how much of your brain you use when operating in fog to make the signals properly and to steer a course. That leaves little brain capacity (speaking strictly for myself!) for a proper watch of one's surroundings due to the concentration required. Yet, those 2 tasks can easily be outsourced to the horn controller and the autopilot. Now, you have a lot more capacity and less distraction with which to focus on your course, surrounding, other traffic etc.

Those of you who do not know what fog is, won't have the same needs. However, one year I taught a radar course at a Nordic Tug Rendezvous in mid July and had that year alone run more than 300NM on LI Sound in fog with 1/4NM visibility or less by the time I taught the course! it would be a lot worse boating in Maine.
 
I doubt that any of the C Dories came factory equipped with an airhorn as a standard item. Most of the cheap air horns have an in-expensive compressor directly to the horn via a plastic tubing. The good horns have a larger compressor and an air tank. The cheap air horns will give less durability-and less sound. If you get water in the horn, it will most likely damage it. There is a diaphragm--many of the cheaper ones are some form of plastic.

The better horns, like Kahlenberg or Buell a have a compressor which fills the air tank. The connection to the horn (best not expansile)has a manual or selenoid valve is opened with the full force of the compressed air--up to 150 PSi. The cheaper horns have to built up the pressure, which is lower, gradually, and thus have a weaker sound. Kahlenberg in the small boat size is 122dB--the next size up to 62 feet is 133 dB (over the threshold of pain if you at one meter from the bell of the horn). These horn and compressor systems start in the $600 on up range. There are specified frequencies for the size of boat.

Grover and Hadley make slightly less expensive horns and compressors/tank combos.

There are some internet providers who do produce a good horn with compressors and a 1 1/2 gallon air tank for $250 to $300 on up. I had one of these which worked well for a number of years on both RV's and boats. It was in the 130 dB range--which is plenty to get attention. The problem on a C dory is where to put the compressed air tank.
 
I also have a VHF with hailer/listener/foghorn. The listener function is great -- you can hear boats (or waves breaking on the rocks) ahead of you in the fog. The foghorn function makes you legal, but isn't very loud. My Fultone air horns are LOUD.

If you're looking for something not as exotic and expensive as the Kahlenbergs but WAY better than any electric horn, check out Fiamm Fultone II. Here's one link:

http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/c ... tid=289262

I was thinking of adding a Fogmate to the Fultones, which do use a relay, much as a windlass uses a solenoid. The button connects only a small amp current to work the relay, and the relay then connects the high amp current that powers the air pump.

Why wouldn't the Fogmate work to activate the relay, just as the button does?
 
Good discussion, no one has given convincing evidence of why I should keep this frustrating air horn so.........I just ordered an AFI Electric horn from Fisheries Supply.

The automatic foghorn function is a GREAT idea and I'd never heard of it before. We are DEFINITELY complacent on getting our horn sounded on schedule in the fog. I wish the price was a little less than $125. I'd jump on it for $50.

Thanks for a great lively discussion.
 
John said:
".....We are DEFINITELY complacent on getting our horn sounded on schedule in the fog. I wish the price was a little less than $125. I'd jump on it for $50. "
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I have a $12.95 large digital kitchen timer with a countdown function (2 minutes then a beep) followed by Marti's Canned Air out the window. Not as fancy but I think we could be heard.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon
 
Tom,

my 22 has a electric horn that makes susan jump even if I tell here Iam going to us it. I also have the canned airhorn for a back up. I am thinking of up grading my vhf to a vhf/ hailer with auto horn. does anyone have one and have you ever used it.
_________________
Thomas J Elliott
Click to expand...

I did this upgrade, and I love it. I think the hailer/horn is or can be, louder than my electric stock horn. (Maybe we can test it out at Friday Harbor. :wink

The volume is adjustable on the hailer/horn and it has the auto fog signals or manual horn function. The speaker must match the impedance and watt rating of your VHF and (at least with the Raymarine 218) there is plenty of volume. I have not tried mine full up yet.

Hope to see you at Friday Harbor, I'll give you a shout :twisted:

Harvey
SleepyC :moon
 
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