Horn Replacement ?

McBobKC

McBobKC

GreatGrady Captain
Joined
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Age
66
Location
Venice, Florida
Model
Freedom 235
Really enjoying my 2024 GW Freedom 235

I tested it’s horn the other day and it’s more like a buzzer, and would not be useful toward any meaningful notice on the water

For $170 from West Marine, I am considering putting a dual 12v Marinco 10029XLP Horn on my Hard Top as a replacement

Anyone ever done anything like this ?

Thoughts, Comment, or Suggestions Appreciated
 
By a buzzer, do you mean more "electronic" sounding? Sea Ray has used the same thing and I found out that the reasoning behind it is that the tone was specifically designed to carry further/better on the water than a traditional sound. Remember, it's not important as to what YOU hear at the helm.
 
When you cannot hear the buzzer nobody else can either. It may be picked up by some receiver for an odd frequency but not a normal human ear.
Example try to buzz a jet skier he will not hear your buzz but a trumpet (electric or pneumatic ) will get noticed. That is what my 335 have on top of the hard top And jetskiers do react to it.
Sea Ray have them buzzers even embedded under deck with an opening below the rub rail up front.
H
 
Beyond A Wake said:
When you cannot hear the buzzer nobody else can either. It may be picked up by some receiver for an odd frequency but not a normal human ear.
Example try to buzz a jet skier he will not hear your buzz but a trumpet (electric or pneumatic ) will get noticed. That is what my 335 have on top of the hard top And jetskiers do react to it.
Sea Ray have them buzzers even embedded under deck with an opening below the rub rail up front.
H
Click to expand...
If the unit is functioning properly, your first statement is incorrect.

Your last statement is correct - but there is absolutely nothing wrong with that in terms of making sound. The opening that you mentioned is EXACTLY how the sound gets out... through the opening.

I'm not discounting a good trumpet - but these horns DO work quite well. That's from personal experience with these horns - not just making it up as I go or basing it on an assumption.
 
I agree with Skunkboat. The replacement horns are junk. If you get 3 or 4 seasons out of one, you are ahead of the game. The issue with the units is that the cover may be stainless, the diaphragm and vibrator adjustment aren't and the guts corrode. One thing that can help a bit is to use it more frequently ( and not in an annoying way?) and mount it if possible so that water that gets into the horn, tends to drain out.
Since these things sometimes work fine one minute and just buzz or hum the next, I carry a small aerosol horn just in case
 
The horns are intended for forward sounding, true you may not hear much into boat but not much goes out either with most of the small sized new "buzzers". They are usually mounted below the hardtop or as I mentioned inside hull with opening on one side (stbd), so little sound going to other side When are the horns needed: for signaling warnings in fog, when showing intent for passing, or alerting to avoid accident ie warning. Not like car horns or motorcycle horns but all have same directional preference ie forward.
Also the rinsing of the horns after use in salty weather is a good idea and as mentioned use them just to shake off water (and rust). They are not expensive but often in hard to reach places making replacement hard and us forgetting about them.

In any case be aware of their intent and know how to use them when needed for passing in narrow waters.

H
 
To clarify, I agree with the comments about the horns not lasting very long. It's not so much about the horns, themselves, as they're fine - it's the unfortunate location that this style horn has to be located in.

However, the OP has a 2024... so the question still remains as whether or not the horn is all of a sudden softer than it used to be or is it just that he's not used to the sound that these horns make.
 
Schmidt makes 2 models (10001 and 10002). The latter is advertised as 100% SS. Not sure if better but I don't think there is a perfect solution. I'd be inclined to try the 10002 as it mounts in the stock location.
 
Fishtales said:
Schmidt makes 2 models (10001 and 10002). The latter is advertised as 100% SS. Not sure if better but I don't think there is a perfect solution. I'd be inclined to try the 10002 as it mounts in the stock location.
Click to expand...
you can't make a DC electric horn without a magnet and rustable iron or steel. You can wrap it in stainless and claim its "sealed"....
Nobody has reinvented it. It was designed in the late 1800s. evrybody makes the same thing. The main flaw is the contact.
 
Fishtales said:
I'll defer, you seem to be the expert.
Click to expand...
;)
Unfortunately, in the last 30 years I've had enough of them torn apart to know they are all the same on the inside.
They are just like a car horn but cars don't get sprayed with salt water in 3' to 5' blowing SW at 20kts.

Did I ever tell you about Trailer lights?????:p
 
No, I agree. I just put the more expensive ones on a few years ago and they have worked out fine. Just too easy to replace with stock equivalent and call it a day every 5-10 years.
 
If the OPs horn is just "buzzing" and not blaring and it is on a brand-new boat, my first thought would be that the mud daubers may have plugged up the airway.
 
I recently rebuilt my original Ongaro mini twin. There was a mud dauber nest on one side, I don't think I could've packed much more crap in there if I tried. The other side had some miscellaneous stuff as well. As Skunk mentioned, the electrical contacts are an area of concern. They are like an old ignition points design and both sides need to be clean to operate well. A screwdriver, toothbrush, and a bit of sandpaper was all it took. When I tested the first one on a battery it was so loud it startled me and I dropped it lol
 
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I always get a laugh out of the rusty cans of rust preventive products like Boshield and WD40!
 
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