So I am Thinking of Adding Train Chimes (Horns)

Has anyone tried these?

https://www.hornblasters.com/products/details.php?i=shocker-240-train-horn-kit

I would buy from here instead for a boat:

Yachting | Yacht Horns | Kahlenberg

BTW: On one of those endless COLREGS threads a while back, it was stated that there are different frequency requirements for different sized boats so if you get the wrong frequency horn you will be illegal.

My neighbor has them on his pickup. They are as advertised. He tucked them away under his winch bumper and mounted the tank and compressor under the cab.

Yeah, but what about the boat you're about to run over?
They hear this, ignore you and look for the train???

Uncle has them on his Raptor, needless to say we've got some great laughs. Also if you have road rage theses really help.

rwidman said:

BTW: On one of those endless COLREGS threads a while back, it was stated that there are different frequency requirements for different sized boats so if you get the wrong frequency horn you will be illegal.

Click to expand...

Illegal becuase it is the wrong frequency? Really. I don't see any kind of regulations for horn frequency with the USCG.....

IMO regs state.....

rwidman said:

I would buy from here instead for a boat:

Yachting | Yacht Horns | Kahlenberg

BTW: On one of those endless COLREGS threads a while back, it was stated that there are different frequency requirements for different sized boats so if you get the wrong frequency horn you will be illegal.

Click to expand...

But the regulations are quite liberal. ... Love my D-2. It's no pipsqueak.



They make a wonderful echo in Mare Island Strait as well as the western end of Carquinez Strait (pictured).

I use a single road tractor horn from 1973. Loud as heck. Not sure of Hz. Would like a twin trumpet/two tone, but not worth the expense. A buddy found my horn on ebay NOS in box from 1973, then a gift on splash day. Horn runs off compressor in ER, pull cord blows it by opening air valve. Same stuff as the road tractor.

The thing has not corroded at all even after getting sprayed offshore. I guess the road tractors have to put up with road salt, not far from sea salt.

Alaskan Sea-Duction said:

Illegal becuase it is the wrong frequency? Really. I don't see any kind of regulations for horn frequency with the USCG.....

Click to expand...

It wasn't me who brought it up. Someone else did.

It's one of those things like showing an anchor ball in the daytime or having black painted boards behind your running lights. On the books but ignored.

The people who check my boat each year don't bring a frequency meter.

Blaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah. Move those sailboats out of my way!

It is true about the required pitch of horns - the new Queen Mary has two just for that reason, the old one at a lower pitch from the original Queen Mary now in Long Beach, and the new horn at a higher pitch to comply with current regs.

Anyway, I have a setup like that, air volume tank, two horns. I think this is one situation where spending a pile more money on boat horns gets you much lower quality and durability than truck air horns. The lifespan of even very expensive boat horns is about five minutes. My truck horns are so loud that when I test them at full volume (once a year) I warn my slip neighbors first so they don't go into cardiac arrest. I actually put a small regulator in the air line. The specs on my particular horn said they need at least 50 lbs of air to operate. They work much lower than that. At 20 lbs they're a little quieter than an average car horn. At 100 lbs they scare the birds out of trees on shore a mile away. It's a very handy system where the air pressure knob is really the volume knob.

kthoennes said:

... My truck horns are so loud that when I test them at full volume (once a year) I warn my slip neighbors first so they don't go into cardiac arrest. I actually put a small regulator in the air line. The specs on my particular horn said they need at least 50 lbs of air to operate. They work much lower than that. At 20 lbs they're a little quieter than an average car horn. At 100 lbs they scare the birds out of trees on shore a mile away. It's a very handy system where the air pressure knob is really the volume knob.

Click to expand...

Ah, air pressure.

so most of us fall into the class IV range

Even the folks with twin engines could not create the power to honk the big horns as used on carriers.

A local charter fisherman uses them when he backs out of his slip, enters the harbor, enters his slip and any other time he can impress his customers. NOT AMUSING at 4AM when one is sound asleep.

One nice feature of the air horn/air tank/valve arrangement is that how hard it blows depends on how hard you pull on the cord. Gentle tug only partially opens valve and you can get a gentle "toot" to say "hi". If an idiot veers in your path, they get the "full pull".