Bow V berth noise

How much noise can you expect in the bow, V Berth.* I know that it can get quite noisy some nights when anchored out.** I'm assuming that a bow berth is more quiet in a heavily built trawler.(?)

Rope anchoring is usually quieter than chain.

There are sound dampning paints should the noise get too loud.

GRP is only loud in single skin a cored boat (AIREX?) is insulated , quieter and does not sweat.

Wood (Conventional, not stitch & glue) is also quieter than GRP.

FF

Between our two small (22 and 26) fiberglass boats there was quite a difference.* Our larger boat produces a much noisier slap.* We attribute it to chine shape and location. So even with a relatively quiet rope/chain rode I'd guess every hull is different.


-- Edited by RCook on Saturday 19th of December 2009 08:18:08 AM

Good point on the hull make up and chines.

One night, our Bayliner was positively leaping over ferry wakes.* We had a 8 knot spring tide.* We didn't sleep a wink.** In retrospect, I should have recognized this and went across the channel to any one of the harbours.* Live and learn.*** (The event wasn't too much later than the avatar in my profile)

I'm attracted to the Europa style boats.* I just need to be aware of the highs and lows of sleeping in the bow.

-- Edited by Monterey10 on Saturday 19th of December 2009 12:01:55 PM

You can insulate on the inside to help reduce the noise. Spray foam or deep carpeting on the hull will significantly dull the noise and also cut condensation.

The more blunt your bow is the more of a slap you will get from the ripples and waves, so observe the angle of the bow just above the entry to predict some of the slap.

If your Europa has the head of the bed in the front, your ear will be closer to the slapping than the tricabin with a v-berth putting your ear further from the bow.

Chines like sloboat has will add to the slap.

All these little things contribute.

When it gets really annoying, you could move the anchor to the stern and let a different part of the boat take the noise.

In a blow, the noise will be the least of your concerns.

Your hull is round/soft chine so there is no slapping water noise.** The first time*myh wife*saw the Eagle she said,* I want to look at that big trawler that is sticking out 14 to 20 ft past* the other boats.* She loved the master state room with the drawer and closet space, but when there was no water noise, she was sold.* However, the Eagle also has heavily thick fiber hull.

-- Edited by Phil Fill on Saturday 19th of December 2009 08:47:47 PM

If you're on a mooring or at anchor, the boat will normally line up with the wind, which generally means it's also lined up with the waves. So whatever waves there are will be taken on the point of the bow rather than slapping into the side of the boat. However we have had plenty of instances where the current held the boat at an angle or even broadside to the wind (always fairly light in these cases) so you can get a bit of wave slap against the side of the hull. But wave slap has never been very noticeable inside our GB, either in the forward or aft cabins (we've slept in both). We use a pair of very long snubbers on our anchor chain so there is no strain on the chain coming in over the pulpit, so the chain never moves in the bow roller no matter how much the boat moves around. So no crunching or creaking noises from that source.

And as Keith said, if the wind and waves kick up at night, the sound of the waves against the hull is going to be the last thing you'll be concerned about.

Generally, the loudest sound inside our boat after we've turned in for the night is the sort of hollow slurping sound of the waves passing by the through-hull for the aft head sink. It's right at the waterline so it doesn't take much disturbance of the water to cause ripples and waves to cover and uncover it. But it's not very loud and since we know what it is, we ignore it to the point of not really hearing it at all.

We've had a few guests stay in the forward cabin, most recently our friends from France who were with us for a week and a half and who had never done this type of boating before.* Both of them said their nights in the forward cabin were some of the most restful and best sleep nights they'd ever had.

-- Edited by Marin on Saturday 19th of December 2009 07:02:44 PM

Get a boat that has her topsides at, an bit above and a bit below the water line as close to vertical as possible. A light boat w part of the bottom at the water line and nearly parallel to the water are the worst. Our Willard makes no noise.

Eric Henning

A few sailboats I've been on for multi-night trips had rather "slappy" hulls, I expect for the reason Eric describes. I don't believe there are many production powerboats of the "trawler" variety that have hulls with this shape, however.

Marin,

In the bow Craig (Monterey10) does. Many boats have a large (or small) chine knuckle about 25% of the way aft where the chine meets the water at a shallow angle. Thats one of the worst places to get "slappy". I like that expression Marin. Actually a boat w a chine that incorporates a sharp spray knuckle (frequently preceded by a rather hard soft chine) 1 or 2" above the water line all the way aft could be the worst "slapper".

Eric Henning

-- Edited by nomadwilly on Sunday 20th of December 2009 11:16:54 AM