Visit our Popular Forums

jvoit · 11-02-2019, 06:40

On Jan 3 2019 I bought a 2012 Lagoon Catamaran, Hull 1 Commissioned in 2015. This boat sailed for three years by the previous owner. The boat is now in Ft Lauderdale and our home is in Pennsylvania. At the end of March we will be taking her to the Chesapeake - which will be her home port. The first week sleeping on the boat all systems worked fine, except a leaking toilet and a malfunction of a bilge pump level switch, which I repaired. A month later we returned to the boat for another weeks stay. The first night, going to bed we heard a buzzing sound. Every two minutes are so two short buzzes sounded. This lasted all night. The buzzes start at dusk and end at dawn. They could be heard from both hulls but are the loudest in the owners side, near the head. Every evening when the noise starts we tore the boat apart looking for the source of the sound. Every nook and cranny was checked, to no avail. I also turned off the the circuit breakers under the chart table but the noise did not stop. We suspect it is from the solar system because of the start and stop time. Does anyone have any idea what this may be?

Jason Flare · 11-02-2019, 06:52

It might not be your boat.

In Vero last year we had a pinging type sound. Just like you we tore the boat apart and shut everything electrical off. We seemed to hear it a little more distinctly forward with the sole taken up.

Turns out we weren’t the only people in the mooring field to have heard it.

billknny · 11-02-2019, 07:17

If it starts at dusk, and ends at down, I'll bet a beer it is biological, not electrical.

The number of sea creatures that make noise is large, and during breeding seasons, gets even larger. And some of the noises are very odd. The strangest I have ever heard is the "hum" of the midshipman fish in San Francisco Bay. "Hum" isn't the right word, it is almost a pure tone. A musician friend insists it is middle C. When a bunch of them get going, it is LOUD and since they are not all perfectly in tune you get a beat on top of the the main frequency.

The crackling pop of snapping shrimp, the grunts of grunts, the drumming of drums, and on and on.

I haven't been in the Chesapeake this time of year, but I bet if you find a fisheries guru he or she can tell you what it is...

Privilege · 11-02-2019, 07:43

Could the buzz be a hum?

Mast hum is a common occurrence and is only noticeable in light winds. It vibrates down through your boat and then stops just when you are about to identify it! It's caused by a karmen vortex around the mast and can be stopped by creating your own 'helical strake' by wrapping a halyard around the mast or otherwise disrupting the smooth air flow.

Suijin · 11-02-2019, 07:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jason Flare

It might not be your boat.

In Vero last year we had a pinging type sound. Just like you we tore the boat apart and shut everything electrical off. We seemed to hear it a little more distinctly forward with the sole taken up.

Turns out we weren’t the only people in the mooring field to have heard it.

I’m in Vero right now. I’ve heard a pinging/crackling/snapping sound at night. Assumed it was shrimp.

Suijin · 11-02-2019, 07:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by jvoit

On Jan 3 2019 I bought a 2012 Lagoon Catamaran, Hull 1 Commissioned in 2015. This boat sailed for three years by the previous owner. The boat is now in Ft Lauderdale and our home is in Pennsylvania. At the end of March we will be taking her to the Chesapeake - which will be her home port. The first week sleeping on the boat all systems worked fine, except a leaking toilet and a malfunction of a bilge pump level switch, which I repaired. A month later we returned to the boat for another weeks stay. The first night, going to bed we heard a buzzing sound. Every two minutes are so two short buzzes sounded. This lasted all night. The buzzes start at dusk and end at dawn. They could be heard from both hulls but are the loudest in the owners side, near the head. Every evening when the noise starts we tore the boat apart looking for the source of the sound. Every nook and cranny was checked, to no avail. I also turned off the the circuit breakers under the chart table but the noise did not stop. We suspect it is from the solar system because of the start and stop time. Does anyone have any idea what this may be?

Do you have a light activated anchor light?

LeeV · 11-02-2019, 08:43

You mentioned fixing the bilge pump switch; I don't suppose there's and alarm wired to it? You've probably already checked, but.....

SeaBreeze-1 · 11-02-2019, 08:44

I used to have a humming noise (sounded a bit like a UFO) on a previous sailboat that took 3-4 years to find. It turned out to be the topping lift on the end of the boom. I also parked my main halyard there when not in use. A couple of turns around the topping lift with the halyard, before snugging it up and the noise stopped. If yours only happens at night, it more than likely is critters. Do any other boats around you hear it as well?

Lihuedooley77 · 11-02-2019, 08:54

Interesting,

Of course another sea story..... we had rented one of our 30 ft sailing vessels to a non member. He and his family wanted to sail over to Catalina and spend a short vacation at Avalon.

Well, he calls and is pretty angry, he us upset because there is something wrong with the boat, probably the electrical system , mayb something is shorting out, and he is concerned the boat is going to catch fire, or some other wild horrible demise is emenent. They are going to die and the boat will burn to the water line. That was his message that awaited us on the office answering machine, sunday morning.

So, they sail back, the 26 miles, they are P.O'd, and we can find no electrical or any other problem. After having him describe the crackling sounds that he heard.....fact was it was brine shrimp munching away on the tasty hull.

If we would have known what the sound was, i would have told him, get some ear plugs, there is no danger, and enjoy your vacation.

Seems no matter how much effort we put into silencing the boat, there are rattles, smacks, doinks, squeeks, and thunks. I would be up trying to track them down, found some, missed some. Hence EAR PLUGS are standard and we sleep well.

Other annoying noises, we tie off all of the halyards away from the main mast. Most often we have a whole anchorage full of clanging and banging all night. Ear Plugs !

Or, the dink is tied off at the stern, the tide shifts, and bump, bump sounds come from the stern quarter. OK, walk it up forward and cleat and tie the painter off up there.

A rolling jar of peanut butter, banging into the fiddle rail. or the banging of a head , or berth door. Sometimes, we need to tie them off with line so they will stay open and not bang anything.

it is all just part of sailing. Hope you can find and fix your problem, or stuff in them ear plugs pardner .

Jason Flare · 11-02-2019, 09:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by SeaBreeze-1

I used to have a humming noise (sounded a bit like a UFO) on a previous sailboat that took 3-4 years to find. It turned out to be the topping lift on the end of the boom. I also parked my main halyard there when not in use. A couple of turns around the topping lift with the halyard, before snugging it up and the noise stopped. If yours only happens at night, it more than likely is critters. Do any other boats around you hear it as well?

I was going to mention this. 🙂 Our rig plays tunes too. If I touch the topping lift it’s vibrating like a guitar string.

SV Bacchus · 11-02-2019, 09:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by Suijin

Assumed it was shrimp.

Yup, that gets my vote!

HopCar · 11-02-2019, 09:33

It doesn’t fit the dusk to dawn time line but Rule makes a bilge pump that turns on briefly about every two minutes. If you can hear it, it’ll drive you nuts. If it senses resistance on the impeller it keeps running.

danielamartindm · 11-02-2019, 09:50

I agree with another poster who suggested that the "dusk til dawn" nature of the sound suggests a biological, rather than a mechanical cause. I would see if changing locale rectifies the problem or not.

sailingchiro · 11-02-2019, 10:00

Also purchased a Lagoon a few years ago. We had an alarm that would sound at night only. And it would only do it at unpredicted time. Extremely frustrating. During some rewiring, I came across a very small button alarm under the main berth with two very small wires attached to it. I cut them. It was not a bilge alarm. I didn't know what it was. Several months later when I was wiring a genset, I came across alittle white box behind the 12v electrical panel. I opened it up because no markings on the outside. The circuit board was some type of security system that was activated at night. If someone opened the door, it would go off. Go figure. I wasn't able to find any other information on it. Tore it out. No more alarms.