Whistle, gong, bell, or aerosol can of refrigerant?

[Jammer]

What do you carry for noisemakers and why?


Do you think the environmentally unfriendly aerosol horn in the lazarette is a good enough answer? You know it's filled with either global-warming-contributing R-134a (if newer) or ozone-depleting R-12 (if older), and that it won't work in cold weather, don't you?


Does the aerosol horn comply with COLREGS for vessels over 39.4 feet that are required to carry a whistle that meets certain technical requirements?


Do you find that a horn/whistle is actually a useful device for communicating with other boats in a crossing situation?


Do you find it to be useful for communicating with locks and bridges? Do you find that there are any locks or bridges that lack VHF communications where a whistle is the only practical means of communication?


If you have a horn or whistle that is permanently installed, where is it placed?

[Lake-Effect]

I can't remember where, but we found an airhorn whose tank is a 1liter pop bottle and it has a tire valve on it so you can pressurize it with any bike tire pump (we have a small one aboard). It seems to hold pressure for a few months. It's very loud.

[CharlzO]

I have emergency whistles, but I also found on the boat, a battery-operated handheld sounding device. Horn/siren sound, and I can tell you that for the little 9v battery in it, it is ear-piercing loud. Easily on par with the little handheld airhorns that you can find in Walmart and such. I do carry one of those also, but this little battery job, and apologies that I don't know off-hand what it is as the boat is on the hard in the marina 3 hours away, but it will serve as a very good alternative for my usage.

As to the rest of the questions, I have only sailed on Ontario (not counting a passage on the canal between Cayuga and Seneca lakes) and have not had a situation arise where I've needed sound bursts. The locks I've used had VHF and was never an issue, but it's a pretty small waterway, we could've just motored up to the gate and yelled to the master.

[Snore]

First effective or not you need one. Candidly if someone is so numb that they force you to use the horn, it is useless.

I have done one and two whistle passes on the ICW. If things look dodgy and I am under license, I do it by the numbers. INVARIABLY- when I signal they pass the operator and passengers give me “HUH?” Look.

IMHO the environmental impact of an air horn can, over the 3-4 years of ownership, is nominal. Stop running the genny or have wife stop using hair spray.

But if you insist, check this out https://www.walmart.com/ip/SUPER-BLA...-HORN/16203735

Bill

[toddster8]

The Standard Horizon radio/hailer has a horn built-in. The hailer is up on the mast, beneath the radar. Unfortunately, to activate it, you have to navigate through several menus on the radio, when what you need is a big red dedicated button. (Automatic fog horn function works great though.)

Got an aerosol can (for now) within reach of the helm, and whistles on the lifejackets. Would like a bell to give a friendly warning when pulling out to clear away the kids & kayaks, but can't figure anyplace to mount it. Some day will probably install an electric horn with dedicated button.

At my old marina, there was a long, very restricted-depth and -width channel in the middle of a vast swampy area. And a kayak rental franchise. Clueless hipsters would glide out from behind the trees and out into the channel right under your bow without even looking. I got good at hoarse outraged shouts, but half of them were wearing headphones anyway. What was really needed was an enormously loud horn on the bow.

At my current marina, on summer afternoons, you have to plow through the middle of popular windsurfing and kiteboarding areas for a couple of miles. There are hundreds of them zooming around, many of them beginners barely in control and mostly unaware of their surroundings. But only the cruise ships and tugs seem to use horns. I've come very close to having a kite wrapped around the mast a couple of times.

Now that the kiters are all moving to foils, some of them are mounting deer-whistles on their boards, so you can hear them coming. I appreciate that. Not sure how it will work when there are a hundred of them within earshot.

If you call up the railroad bridge in PDX on the VHF, they will usually only answer with horn blasts. I guess you're supposed to acknowledge - I doubt they could even hear my little aerosol can, from up in their booth.

[thomm225]

Whistle (s).

https://www.personalizationmall.com/...iABEgL3qvD_BwE

They are simple and I have a couple hanging near the hatch

[Snore]

Originally Posted by thomm225

Whistle (s).

https://www.personalizationmall.com/...iABEgL3qvD_BwE

They are simple and I have a couple hanging near the hatch

PLEASE do not use these, especially in a fog. Most people associate whistles with a MOB in the water, and not a vessel.

[emilecantin]

I've got one with a spring-loaded piston (blue and white, sold at Canadian Tire), it makes more noise than the aerosol ones.

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by Snore

PLEASE do not use these, especially in a fog. Most people associate whistles with a MOB in the water, and not a vessel.

Ok, when they wear out maybe I'll buy something else

So far, I've only used them to say high to folks I know.

I haven't sailed in fog at all in 33 years of sailing so there's that. There usually isn't a lot of wind when it's foggy.

I've motored though but there was nothing within 5 miles except a few crab boats and I could hear. The biggest problem was seeing the channel markers.

Lower Chesapeake Bay, Eastern Shore Side. Late Fall

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Bcir-4ktrc

[Mike OReilly]

My sounder is a ships bell. It is a large bronze bell which (I think) can be heard further and better than most horns. It’s also far less abrasive to me on board.

[chris mac]

Originally Posted by Snore

First effective or not you need one. Candidly if someone is so numb that they force you to use the horn, it is useless.

I have done one and two whistle passes on the ICW. If things look dodgy and I am under license, I do it by the numbers. INVARIABLY- when I signal they pass the operator and passengers give me “HUH?” Look.

IMHO the environmental impact of an air horn can, over the 3-4 years of ownership, is nominal. Stop running the genny or have wife stop using hair spray.

But if you insist, check this out https://www.walmart.com/ip/SUPER-BLA...-HORN/16203735

Bill

I have one of those plunger horns. It works great. All plastic, so isn't all rusted and useless like the pressurized ones get. It is very loud, and easy to alter sounds. Hard push gives short, very loud blast, slower push draws out a long slightly less loud sound. Easily gets someone's attention.
I have had the same one for 4 years now and it still looks and works like new

[Kokanee]

A bell works for me too.

The bonus is that it automatically starts sounding when its time to reef the sails.

[Jim Cate]

But a bell does not meet the requirement for a horn/whistle for signalling, does it?

Jim

[Shrew]

Air horns, permanently mounted. Yes, bridge and lock tenders are familiar with their usage. I've never seen a bridge or lock with an attendant without a VHF. Horn signals would be useful if everyone else understood them. (Most people wave)

About the only use I have for a horn is during fog, getting friends attention as I pass their marina and the occasional 5 blasts for "WTF???" (most people flip you the bird).

Return to V-Directorate's Home Page.

Item 8 - Sound Producing Devices / Bell:

To comply with Navigation Rules and for distress signaling purposes all boats must carry a sound producing device (whistle, horn, siren, etc.) capable of a 4-second blast audible for ½ mile. *Boats larger than 39.4 ft. are also required to have a bell (see Navigation Rules.)

*Under a recent change, a vessel 12 meters (39.4 ft) to less than 20 meters (65 ft) is no longer required to carry a bell on board.

The Coast Guard said: "The bottom-line, a bell is no longer required on a vessel less than 20 meters in length. That of course means a bell is not required for those same vessels for successful completion of a VSC."

[Mike OReilly]

It’s a good question Jim. My reading of the colregs is that a bell can meet the requirements for a "Sound Producing Device”. Not all bells do, but mine does (even came with a fancy certification stamp ).