Loud engine alarm, recommendations?

[jdoe71]

I am looking for a new engine alarm, the one in our panel is a bit wimpy. You can hear it when the ignition is turned on but when the engine is running or there is a lot of wind it is hardly audible. Since our panel is mounted down low and 90 degrees away from the helmsman, the alarm is critical.

Anyone know of a company that makes a really loud alarm buzzer that will fit in an engine control panel?

[David M]

You can find 12 volt, waterproof, piezo-electric alarms up to 120dB by doing a Google search. I just did one and there are plenty to choose from.

[jdoe71]

Yes, google is good, but what I was hoping for was some feedback from folks who can recommend a suitable device from personal experience. Everyone's product is the best according to their website, right?

[GordMay]

A David M implies, a 120dB Alarm is LOUD, but (perhaps) not all that common.
The threshold of pain occurs between 130 & 140 dB.
A nearby car horn would generate about 120 dB, as would FRONT ROW seats at a Rock Concert.
I’d suspect that a 90 - 100 dB alarm might suffice.

[Zach]

I'm curious... what exactly is this buzzer buzzing about?

Oil pressure, water temp? Is it hooked up so any one goes it will sound out like the ultimate idiot light?

Thanks

[psteele235]

I plan to fit the Model 330 specialty horn from Wolo I have had hanging around - SPECIALITY HORNS - that should do it!

[jdoe71]

Originally Posted by psteele235

I plan to fit the Model 330 specialty horn from Wolo I have had hanging around - SPECIALITY HORNS - that should do it!

Excellent! So when we hit Mexico, we will put on "La Cucaracha", for Israel "Hava Naglia", for the ICW down south "Dukes of Hazzard". Need some Bob Marley selections for the Caribbean though wot?

Zach, yes, it is the audible idiot light. Surely you've heard them in anchorages? You heard a loud "WA-a-a-a-a--a" then the neighbouring boat fires up. Only our "wa-a-a-a-a" isn't loud enough. I found one on eBay that is meant for a car alarm, says it exceeds the threshold of pain inside a car, don't think I want one quite that loud though.

[David M]

There are piezo-electric alarms available where you can turn a thing on the face that makes the loudness adjustable...just imagine how heater registers work...same idea. Having the adjustable volume may also be helpful for not waking up the entire anchorage for those oh dark thirty departures.

[jdoe71]

Originally Posted by David M

There are piezo-electric alarms available where you can turn a thing on the face that makes the loudness adjustable...just imagine how heater registers work...same idea. Having the adjustable volume may also be helpful for not waking up the entire anchorage for those oh dark thirty departures.

Yes, the volume control would be useful. And on the other hand it would be useful for waking up the noisy bastards who kept you up until oh dark thirty the night before your early getaway. That would be simpler than our current practice of loud shouting, lots of chain rattling and a couple of passes by their boat to make sure they are well shaken as well as stirred.

[donradcliffe]

I just went to Radio Shack and picked the loudest 12V one they had--it wasn't waterproof, but worked fine for years behind the engine panel. More of a siren sound than a whistle, but you couldn't miss it.

[S/V Antares]

I have had a Radio Shack unit for 5 years. It has two tones a continious and a pulsed so you can use one for High temp and one for low oil. Pearson yachts used a big bell type clanger about 8" in diameter in the 80's. It would wake the dead.