Air Horns

I go ta good laugh out of this post -
Was working on my boat last weekend in storage and the guy behind me just installed a new (duck) horn on his boat...definately needs some help if you ask me!

I have sitting at home - but I just need to look into mounting - a set of freight train air horns that I bought. Found them on eBay when I had my 360 and was going to mount on that... I think it would be great to come up behind a 15 foot fishing boat and lay on that...

I am concerned that putting in the locker might not be good - a little too much vibration from when It goes?? Plus, not sure if it will fit. So, my other option is on the hard top...but then the looks??
 
Take another look at rondds link. The key is the tank, not the size of the compressor or the horns. I have 2 small , white powder coated horns mounted on my hardtop. I can't remember (if I ever knew) what brand they are but those things sound like something off the Queen Mary. The compressor and tank are mounted in the bilge and the tank is connected to the horn with some plastic tubing. When I first got the boat I couldn't figure out what the compressor and tank were for until it cycled after blowing the horn one day leaving our slip. It sounds just like the air compressor in your garage but not as loud.
 
Horn on 2006 SeaRay Amberjack 290 ( NOT !!!)

When we were moving our new Amberjack 290 from the Dealer's dock to my marina, there was a large 48SB passing us from the rear on our port side. He have 2 short blasts from a very impressive horm. I pressed the horn switch twice to acknowledge, and I heard nothing. We were cruising at about 3800 RPMs and the ambient noise was pretty loud so I didn't think much of it.

Later on, after we were tied up at our marina, I tested the horn, and it sounded like a wounded duck, a small one at that. A little after than, I opened the windshield vent using the electric switch. The Admiral asked who I was blowing the horm at. I have to admit, the windshield vent motor made more noise than and had a similar sound to our "stock horn" supplied by SeaRay.

I called the service department and they came over to my marina and installed a different horn that is much louder, but no where near the presence of that 48SB that passed us on the day we commissioned the boat.

I am really disappointed that SeaRay cannot install a commanding horn in a 29+ foot cruiser that retails for nearly $200K. The dealer did come through, but, if/when I get a bill from them, ...???
 
Asureyez said:
Been there, done that and have waxed my car with the T-Shirt on that one.

Here is what I've encountered.

When you bury the bow, the water runs through the external horn grill floods the sound box and blows the trumpets off their retaining gaskets. So first, make sure the trumpets are seated.

Second is that when an all chain rode comes it can let a few pounds of chain slide off towards the horns. I've had my chain pull the clear vinyl air hose off the air manifold for the horns. There was no clamp on mine. So the compressor runs but no horn. I've secured mine better than factory.

To inspect the horns open the access hatches and get a strong flash light down in there and trace the air lines. You should have one airline feed to a T fitting that drives the horns. If any one connection is off it kills the other horn too. Bet you have an air hose dangling.

While there check the trumpets to make sure they are seated in the rubber gaskets firmly. The horns can be working but unless they are in the sound box correctly you won't hear much if anything.

Good hunting. Honk Honk!
Click to expand...

I took the liberty of pasting Chad's response from another thread over here...and Thought that I would update my findings also...

To update quickly, I lost the use of my airhorns after anchoring in some heavy seas. I suspected sea water got into the horns.

After letting the horns sit and hopefully dry out for two days, I went out this morning and still....nothing but air......so.....as per Chad's suggestions, I did the cursory inspection of the air lines and didn't find any dangling hoses in the anchor well....see the pic of the air horns in previous post in this thread. So, I traced the lines back towards the air compressor, thinking I may have a dangling hose back at the compressor. On the 410, the compressor is located along the inside of the hull, on the starboard side, behind the master lazzertte. In order to get to the compressor, you have to remove the TV in the master stateroom. Luckily for me, in a previous project, I had replaced the master TV with an LCD that I mounted on an articulting arm. That made this part of the discovery a much simpler project, but that's not to say it was simple. Anyway, I was able to determine that the hose to the compressor was in place and that the compressor was in fact blowing air. That left only one other possiblity....the horns themselves....

Well, if you are about 3 feet nothing and weigh about 45 lbs, removing the horns would be a simple project......however....for average size humans, with 25 lbs extra on the frame, I will be swallowing ibuprofen for the next two days.

After about an hour of contortionizing I was able to remove one horn.....I blew through the inlet and nothing. I took it over to the bench and disassemled the housing and to my astonishment, the inside of an airhorn is...well....nothing but air......and a little plastic "reed". I took out the reed, dried it on my T-Shirt, put the housing back together, blew through the inlet and....HOOONNNNKKKK.... :smt038 . To be quite honest, there really wasn't much moisture in the housing, but I guess it doesn't take much. Now for the real test...put the air hose on, and see if it works ....well....it worked just fine. I spent another hour and a half removing the other horn, drying it out, testing it, and the worst part of the job....putting everything back toghether....

After it was back in place.....HHHHHOOOOONNNNNKKKKKK.....they both worked fine.
 
Air Horns need ...

Air horns need clear air to resonate. On the larger boats these horns blast into a otherwize sealed box that vents to the outside via a plastic grill.

Just putting air horns inside the rope locker won't do much for you unless you can get the sound focused and out of the locker.

Perhaps adding chrome airhorns to the Arch or on the side the arch facing forward? the compressor can be placed under the dash if need be and the air hose run up to the horns.
 
I put a pair of ARI air horns on the starboard side of my 330 and ran the air line beind the small storage compartment on the cockpit side of the boat and mounted the compressor under the cup holder. Wiring this in was easy and then the switch needed to be replaced.
A DEFINITE IMPROVEMENT!

Only downside is the occasional foot bump into the horns!
 
I just replaced the Sea Ray famous "silly wounded duck" horn with air horns. Now I'm not embarrased to use them. I used Chads idea for the placement...Thanks.
 

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Bridog said:
I just replaced the Sea Ray famous "silly wounded duck" horn with air horns. Now I'm not embarrased to use them. I used Chads idea for the placement...Thanks.
Click to expand...

Brian

What brand of horns did you use and what was your cost (if you don't mind me asking)?

Dave
 
Hmmm... I wish I could post a link. Let's just say they sure sound better than that horrible sounding...Quack.. Quack, that anyone who own's a Sea Ray less than 40' knows all too well. It really is a shame.
 
Bridog - I was thinking of the same location. Looks good too. How loud is it when you are at the helm?

You guys are lucky...atleast you boat in waters that others know what your honk means...It is sad to say, but if I installed horns loud enough to be heard, and if I honked to signal my intention, I'd get a "hi - how ya doin wave" or a middle finger... Seems like the only horn that gets attention is when it blows from a tow boat. Yet I've even seen that get ingnored too.

My point - just because you can be heard, doesn't always mean you're being understood!
 
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