Buell Horns

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Baker

Baker

TF Site Team/Forum Founder
Site Team
Joined
Oct 1, 2007
Messages
7,331
Location
Texas
Vessel Name
Floatsome & Jetsome
Vessel Make
Meridian 411
Well I have had horn envy for quite some time. And I didn't think my horn actually was up to USCG spec...it was quite embarrassing actually. I have a friend that has a Buell horn(s) and is also a marine electrician so he installed it. We used a "California Air Tools" AC compressor so that runs off of the inverter if the generator is not running. I have to admit....it is damn pretty....loud as hell...and not cheap!!! I'm sure there is a joke in there somewhere!!
 
When the original owner of our boat was showing us around, he was very proud of a few things; his 120v AC stereo system, a block and tackle rotting on the after rail of the boat deck (for MOB rescue), and his most favorite, his dual air powered horns.

I have to admit that the horns are kind of fun.
 
Funny coincidence. Installed a Kahlenberg horn on the boat during the refit, but just hadn't decided how to supply air to it. Just finished the install this afternoon. Hooked it to a very small scuba tank through a regulator and 12 volt solenoid. Will decide later if I stay that way or add a small air compressor to the boat. Uses very little air and is surprisingly loud!

DSCN1653.jpg

Ted
 
O C Diver said:
Funny coincidence. Installed a Kahlenberg horn on the boat during the refit, but just hadn't decided how to supply air to it. Just finished the install this afternoon. Hooked it to a very small scuba tank through a regulator and 12 volt solenoid. Will decide later if I stay that way or add a small air compressor to the boat. Uses very little air and is surprisingly loud!

View attachment 55725

Ted
Click to expand...

Great, our boat isn't even in the mold yet and I have horn envy...
Kahlenberg is the big time! I believe they are the preferred horns of mega yachts everywhere...
Sigh...
Bruce
 
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Greetings,
Mr. BB. "...the preferred hors of mega yachts everywhere..." Wearing our Freudian slip today are we?
 
After a near miss with a fishing boat in thick fog, I installed a radar reflector (in the unlikely chance some body might be looking) and a double Buell air horn. Got it relatively inexpensive from Ebay in great condition. I installed a 1 gallon pressure tank and a 12V compressor in the lazarette and ran the air line up to the pilot house. Activated the air solenoid via the regular horn press. To deal better with the fog situation, I installed an automatic timer to sound a long blast every 2 minutes. So now , if we can not see each other, they sure as heck will hear me!!! Did not need an inverter, just ran off 12V house battery.
 
Baker said:
Well I have had horn envy for quite some time. And I didn't think my horn actually was up to USCG spec...it was quite embarrassing actually. I have a friend that has a Buell horn(s) and is also a marine electrician so he installed it. We used a "California Air Tools" AC compressor so that runs off of the inverter if the generator is not running. I have to admit....it is damn pretty....loud as hell...and not cheap!!! I'm sure there is a joke in there somewhere!!
Click to expand...

Hummmm....What is the usual response on this forum? Oh yes: "If there's no picture (video with sound), it didn't happen"!! :rofl:
 
RT Firefly said:
Greetings,
Mr. BB. "...the preferred hors of mega yachts everywhere..." Wearing our Freudian slip today are we?
Click to expand...

I think I intended to type the word "horns"...
Not sure what excuse I have...
Bruce

P.s. I still had access to the edit button...all fixed now!
 
Dual air horns rock! They are "rich" in sound. My Kahlenberg D-1 is loud enough to be heard! They're no pip-squeaks. Just ask my dock mates when I'm entering/leaving the marina when the breakwater obscures visibility.



 
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Last year I was out in the fog when my bass horn failed on my cheap electric horn. I sounded like the roadrunner (beep-beep) when my foghorn sounded! Two weeks later some horns fell in my lap here on TF when I read the Classifieds. I picked up Twistedtree's cast off Kahlenberg K-380s when he upgraded his N60 right after commissioning. The dual horns came complete with the tank, 12V compressor, solenoid and all the plumbing.

They have proven to be a welcome and popular addition to the boat. Even one of the Coasties docked behind me gave them a cheer when I briefly tested them in my slip after installation. Connected to my Fogmate foghorn timer, they provide great signalling in the pea soup we often get here in the SF Bay/CA Delta. Good horns can be entertaining, but they're also important safety equipment. It's a win-win!!

Here's what they look and sound like...

Model K-380 Chrome | Kahlenberg
 
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markpierce said:
They're no pip-squeaks.
Click to expand...

I'll attest to that! When Mark 'toots his own horn', it sounds like a tanker is rounding the bend. Then The Coot shows up and blasts his cannon! It's a real Coot Toot and Shoot!!

 
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Dual trumpet Kahlenberg's here. Only problem is when I sound them the drawbridge in the next town opens. :dance:
 
Those K-bergs sound just fine!!! But I gotta admit, the Buells are deeper and I like the noise a little better!
 
When we got our boat, it had a wimpy electric horn that would not get the attention of the ducks on our swim platform. I could not justify Ted's Kahlenberg horns so I bought a pair of Grover 1700 horns (designed for truckers), and a ViAir compressor. They will not make the bridge tender spill his coffee like Ted's but they are plenty loud enough to be noticed.
 
Now Henry.....I just can't get that Ken Fickett produced such a masculine vessel and put such a sissy horn on it.
 
I had a pair of air horns on Retreat when I bought her. not bad, but nothing like friends with REAL air horns.
Then I bought a 38ft Motorhome. On our first freeway trip, I was cut off by a dimwit who needed a blast from some REAL airhorns so I hit them, FIAMM trumpets, a matched pair, sounded real nice! However, Real Nice wasn't what I needed, so I replaced those with a pair of Western Star Truck horns. Well, the first one said Western Star on it, the second one said HADLEY. Better! Now, what to do with the Fiamms? Retreat now wears those. Only trouble is the compressor that happily drove the original air horns wont drive them. So, I tried a Harbour Freight pair, the little red plastic horns like the set I put in the console of my dinghy, took the compressor off, fed it to one of the Fiamms, no joy, so I now have a functional pair of high pitched, very loud, little red air horns under the flybridge, and another HF compressor, this one from a triple horn set, feeding one of the Fiamms. Not satisfactory. The next iteration will be a tank and a bigger 12v compressor just haven't sorted it all out yet.
For now I have lots of noise, just not quite the noise I want.
And, so far, not too $pendy.
 
koliver said:
I had a pair of air horns on Retreat when I bought her. not bad, but nothing like friends with REAL air horns.
Then I bought a 38ft Motorhome. On our first freeway trip, I was cut off by a dimwit who needed a blast from some REAL airhorns so I hit them, FIAMM trumpets, a matched pair, sounded real nice! However, Real Nice wasn't what I needed, so I replaced those with a pair of Western Star Truck horns. Well, the first one said Western Star on it, the second one said HADLEY. Better! Now, what to do with the Fiamms? Retreat now wears those. Only trouble is the compressor that happily drove the original air horns wont drive them. So, I tried a Harbour Freight pair, the little red plastic horns like the set I put in the console of my dinghy, took the compressor off, fed it to one of the Fiamms, no joy, so I now have a functional pair of high pitched, very loud, little red air horns under the flybridge, and another HF compressor, this one from a triple horn set, feeding one of the Fiamms. Not satisfactory. The next iteration will be a tank and a bigger 12v compressor just haven't sorted it all out yet.
For now I have lots of noise, just not quite the noise I want.
And, so far, not too $pendy.
Click to expand...

I'm telling you. If you have an inverter, get the California Air Tools compressor. It is an AC compressor. And the beauty is you can drive air tools or anything that requires air. You could even use it as a dive compressor. It was $180. I don't know if you consider that cheap but it works very well and is very quiet.
 
An old propane tank works great as an accumulator tank.
 
The Buells sound like an ocean liner!! Very manly!!
In my earlier post I indicated a 1-gallon tank. It was actually a 3-gallon tank.
A bit more difficult to position on the boat - mine was in lazarette - but provides enough reserve air pressure that your horn does not begin to wimper when you need 5 long blasts!! You can get a 3-gallon 150psi tank on Ebay for about $50.
 
My '76 had builder installed tri-horn Buells (with all Buell accumulator, solenoid valve, and compressor) that were inoperative. Discovered that the compressor was shot. After looking at the cost of factory replacement/rebuild, bought a 12v 4wd compressor ($100) and a Granger solenoid valve (not much). Used the Buell tank (good), had to buy a couple of parts/gaskets from Buell. For something like $200, put the horns back in business. Sounds like a 150k DWT ship.
 
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