Carver replacement air horn

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reelpriority

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Apr 13, 2013
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33227
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Has anyone replaced their OEM air horn? Carver used Marinco AFI 12 volt mini Single Trumpet Air Horn, part no. 11107.
 
Yes, I replaced mine but my answer will probably do you no good. I got completely carried away and replaced the old electric diaphragm horns that never worked well and didn't last through more than a couple seasons and winter storage. I replaced them with real air horns. I installed a very small 110 volt air compressor in the engine compartment (Bostitch), ran an air line up the lower helm post to the flybridge, installed a volume tank under the helm, and now my boat sounds like the Queen Mary. We use the compressor and tank to fill inflatable water toys too, and I can use small air tools -- I didn't really do all that installation just to blow the horn. I also installed a regulator on the upper helm air port to lower the output pressure down to about 40 psi, the lowest setting on the regulator and the lowest pressure that will still operate the horn, to both quiet the horn down and so we don't explode the water toys. The volume tank stores air at about 120 psi and so we have enough stored with a 40 psi output to run the horn and blow up most toys without 110 shore power or running the genset.

Anyway, all that aside, I tried very carefully cleaning and re-seating the diaphragms on the old marine electric horns and could never get them to work properly for very long. I understand even expensive ones are hard to maintain. The (real air-operated) air horns are much easier and more reliable.

P.S. You'll hear those Marinco horns often called "air horns" but they're not really air horns, they're electric, they don't operate on compressed air like trains or 18-wheeler horns.
 
If you want true air horns, look into Kahlenberg horns...they sound fantastic but a re a little pricey
 
Yup if the pump is working remove and clean the diaphragms. Squirting water up the horn stops them.
 
Just replaced my original air horns and installed the Marinco 10106 and sounds great. Even covers the original holes.
 
quote:
Originally posted by RamSport47

If you want true air horns, look into Kahlenberg horns...they sound fantastic but a re a little pricey

Click to expand...


A LITTLE pricey?!?!??? That's funny.
 
Well...for our clients, they don't seem to be too expensive. We seem to install them on a couple of boats per off season. Most of them are 45 to 60 foot boats, but we have put them on as small as 25
 
Had a pair of D2's on my 42. Great horns. Got everybody's attention right away. Worth the money.
 
Just learned that the compressor for the factory installed compressor for the Carver air horn is a Fiamm 3000. Evidently, Fiamm has a nautical horn product line. Their US plant is in Cadillac, MI. I am checking with Fiamm to determine if they made the compressor for AFI back in 1999. So, it's either a Fiamm horn or an AFI/Marinco horn.
 
I bought twin D-OA Kahlenbergs and a compressor at the Fort Lauderdale show about eight years ago. They offered a good discount at the show. The install was easy. I did have a mount fabricated so they pointed almost straight ahead instead of pointing down the bridge cowl. With the boat at rest they pointed down 15 degrees - the idea being they would drain water while tied up and point almost straight while under way. They do get attention when needed.
 
The Fiamm compressor I just swapped out is pretty much identical to the AFI/Marinco I put in its place. Even used the same mounting bracket.
quote:
Originally posted by reelpriority

Just learned that the compressor for the factory installed compressor for the Carver air horn is a Fiamm 3000. Evidently, Fiamm has a nautical horn product line. Their US plant is in Cadillac, MI. I am checking with Fiamm to determine if they made the compressor for AFI back in 1999. So, it's either a Fiamm horn or an AFI/Marinco horn.

Click to expand...
 
quote:
Originally posted by kthoennes

I installed a very small 110 volt air compressor in the engine compartment ... snip... installed a volume tank under the helm...

Click to expand...


Kthoennes, interesting set up. I'd like to do something like that on my 3007. Curious why you went with 110V compressor vs 12V? Do you run the genset while underway, or have it on an inverter?

As for the volume tank, what's the capacity? How many horn blasts do you get out it before the compressor cycles on to refill the tank?

Any pics you could share?

Thanks!
 
I Just replaced my AFI dual trumpet air horn with Wolo Model 125 The Dominator Stainless Steel Dual Trumpet Horn. I can say I like the construction of the wolo better than the AFI. The AFI was still functioning but the trumpets were rusting, the plating had worn off, they looked bad. With the sound i can tell very little difference. The main difference was price $75 to door and solid stainless.
 
Kenny AFI are still chrome, and $275. (AFI 10106 Heavy Duty Marine Dual Trumpet Deck Air Horn (12-Volt, Chrome))
 
quote:
Originally posted by rapscallion

quote:
Originally posted by kthoennes

I installed a very small 110 volt air compressor in the engine compartment ... snip... installed a volume tank under the helm...

Click to expand...


Kthoennes, interesting set up. I'd like to do something like that on my 3007. Curious why you went with 110V compressor vs 12V? Do you run the genset while underway, or have it on an inverter?

As for the volume tank, what's the capacity? How many horn blasts do you get out it before the compressor cycles on to refill the tank?

Any pics you could share?

Thanks!

Click to expand...


Rapscallion -- I went with a 110v compressor because I couldn't find any 12-volts that had decent output without spending a million dollars. A 12v would have been fine for just the horn, of course that's what vehicle horn compressors typically are, but trying to fill big water toys or run even the smallest air tool with a 12-volt compressor just doesn't work. We'll be on the boat this weekend, I'll take some photos. The compressor I chose was a Bostitch model CAP 1512, very high output for the size(2.8 CFM at 90 psi), doesn't spike the power draw badly when it kicks in so it doesn't tax the boat's 110v system, it's comparatively quiet for a small compressor, and most of all it's very small so it fit in the engine bay on a little platform. The footprint is only about 14" x 18" or about that as I recall. I have it zip-tied to the tray it's in so I can remove it if I need the room for engine work, or if I want to use the compressor at the dock for anything.

CMariner32 makes a good point about spark arrest(ignition protection). It's not a marine unit of course, so I only switch it on to charge the system after running the blowers, and then I switch it off. I don't let it cycle by itself in other words. Charging the system is part of the routine when we're getting ready to go out, if it even needs charging. The compressor itself has a little tank (only about a gallon I think) and then I have a 5-gallon volume tank under the helm on the flybridge, so the total system storage capacity is only about six gallons. The tank is installed behind the foot-panel, those 3207's have an acre of empty space under there behind that panel. I could have installed a bigger tank but I don't want to load up that space with heavy stuff. The horn uses almost nothing when it comes to air volume, I could go for weeks without charging the system if it just served the horn. The horns are still so loud it's not like you're blasting them 100 times a day anyway. Remember the compressor charges to 90 psi but I have a regulator to the horn and water toys that brings the output down as low as the regulator will go, down to about 40 or 50 psi, which of course makes the output last even longer. The horn specs said it needs at least 50psi to operate as I recall, but the air gauge is probably off a little. Water toys use very low pressure too so a small high pressure supply goes a long way.

I spent way too much time and hassle on the system I know -- if I had known how carried away I was going to get I probably wouldn't have done it, but I can't tell you how many times I've used that compressed air in ways I never expected. I've used it to blow junk out of the bilge pump intake, blow dust off the A/C louvers and fins, that kind of thing. Very handy.
 
I think I may have used that same compressor on my 4207. Except I mounted it under the cowling in front up on the bridge and ran an air hose down to the engine room, along with an outlet at the bar (where everything above passes through heading down to the engine room). Monuted it on additional isolation mounts.

There's almost enough room under that front cowling for a short-headroom state room!
 
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