horn question

D

Daredevil788

New Member
Sep 9, 2010
64
Pompano beach
Boat Info
2005 220 sundeck
Engines
5.0MPI bravo IIIdrive
Question I have a 2005 220 the horn keeps getting water in it and breaking. I am sure others have this problem I just wanted to know how people are fixing the problem. I have a boat cover that covers the horn so no water gets in there. Anywho after some time horn breaks and I end up buying new horn. Now that I have went through 3 horns i am going to try this tape that lets sound out but doesnt let water in. Any other ideas?
 
I put a car horn in, just drilled a hole that is hidden under the ss cover. If it goes bad I can pick another up at the junk yard for under $5. The benefit is not only cost, but another boat can actually hear it! :thumbsup:
 
i installed a stainless steel single trumpet horn on my boat and left the standard horn in place just to fill the hole in the hull.....

cliff
 
Next time you buy a horn make sure its got a drain hole in it. For some reason they were making them without a drain and they filled with water. I had mine replaced and haven't had any problems since.
 
Patrick McMahon said:
I put a car horn in, just drilled a hole that is hidden under the ss cover. If it goes bad I can pick another up at the junk yard for under $5. The benefit is not only cost, but another boat can actually hear it! :thumbsup:
Click to expand...
Good idea I was going to put an air horn in there but a car horn is cheaper and smaller. I had to put a new horn on last summer after taking a 6-8' wake head on water over the windshield at idle didn't see it coming filled the horn with water the new one does have a drain hole but still sounds like a mini party horn.
 
I got over the dopey horn 'problem' years ago. I doesn't really get water 'in it' - it comes from condensation and accumulates. The diaphram and electomagnet is steel (can't be stainless which is not magnetic), gets rusty and won't work. I just carry a handheld/compressed air horn and an extra bottle. As often as I use the horn I've still to use the spare (goiing on three years - bottle will probably rust out before I ever need it). 90% of pleasure boat owners don't know what horn signals mean anyway.
 
Mine has had water in it as well. On my third horn. It is a Sea Choice horn. Where are people drilling holes in it?
 
njmello said:
I got over the dopey horn 'problem' years ago. I doesn't really get water 'in it' - it comes from condensation and accumulates. The diaphram and electomagnet is steel (can't be stainless which is not magnetic), gets rusty and won't work. I just carry a handheld/compressed air horn and an extra bottle. As often as I use the horn I've still to use the spare (goiing on three years - bottle will probably rust out before I ever need it). 90% of pleasure boat owners don't know what horn signals mean anyway.
Click to expand...
I carry a couple also I just like all the switches to work mine definately was filled with salt water and worked before taking on the wake after it made a little sqeal and quit I poured about 1/8 of a cup of salt water out of it.
Agree nobody seems to know what signals mean anymore I was over taking a wind boat to port side to get to a fuel dock a couple days ago gave him a couple quick horn blasts and all I got back was the finger.
 
Agree nobody seems to know what signals mean anymore I was over taking a wind boat to port side to get to a fuel dock a couple days ago gave him a couple quick horn blasts and all I got back was the finger.
Click to expand...

so true...same has happened to me several times.....

cliff
 
My original horn had a some sort of protective sheet over the opening (under the SS grill) and got torn with a scrub brush as some point. Needless to say it filled with water and eventually failed. I bought a new one (with a new protective sheet) from searayman13 on eBay.

I have since dried out the original one and it now works again... spares! :smt038

The hole is an interesting idea... I will look at the mounted position and see if there is a low spot for a drain. :thumbsup:
 
I wonder if you could unscrew the cover, put some kind of protective plastic there, and recover it. The plastic wouldn't show. It might mute the horn a little.
 
What i did for this horn is now got this tape from 3m its water proof but can let sound out...put over the frint. The two wires inside the case arent siliconed to be sealed thats how the water comes in:(
 
where is a good place online to look up horn signals or is it rule of thumb, honk horn for warning that your overtaking or something?
 
I went through a few on my 185. Drilling holes in the bottom did seem to prolong them some. I understand that a horn needs iron, but it seems like they could be designed with a 25 cent gasket or "O" ring. I've never had an issue with my marine stereo speakers...
 
"I've never had an issue with my marine stereo speakers... "

They operate on a different principle - Speakers have a permanant magnet with a lot of nickle which inhibits rust/corrosion and the 'signal' puts current on the diaphram material which is much like magnetic tape, the 'iron' being enclosed or encapsulated in mylar. On a horn the steel diaphram is part of the circuit which 'makes' and 'breaks' the circuit creating the sound.
 
I just replaced mine, was filled with water and sounded like a sick duck. New one (Faria) didnt have a drain hole so I just drilled an 1/8" hole on the lowest part of the plastic 'snail.' We'll see how long it lasts..
 
It is somewhere between hilarious and pathetic that this design defect has existed for so many years, and Sea Ray, with all their engineering and design know-how, can't seem to master such a seemingly simple/low tech thing. (We can put a man on the moon, but...)

They replaced mine under warranty after the first season. It's dead again. Not gonna bother with it anymore. I always have a handheld/compressed air horn anyway for safety. If you end up with some sort of catastrophic electrical failure and are adrift, that electric horn ain't gonna help any! And even on a good day it's not loud enough to be heard at any distance.
 
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