Silence is golden

M

martin

Well-Known Member
Joined
16 May 2001
Messages
422
Location
Herts
Visit site
Hi,

I tried a targa 52 today. It was a beautiful boat, fantastic to look at, great design everywhere you looked. I have been away from large(ish) boats for a while, only sitting on them at the boat show dreaming of travelling around the med on them one day when i retire...one problem. I am NOT a petrol head. I hate engines and noise, I love peace and quiet. I also cant stand sailing ...too slow..i want to go fast but i would like to be able to talk to my guests without shouting and i would like to be able to listen to music without cranking it up . Soooo first question, whats the quietest motor boat?.. second question...am i alone in hating the drone?..last question..why dont manufacturers consider noise more...i had my old princess soundproffed to as much as possible, it still sounded like a tank but a lot quieter than the (amost) new targa i tried today.. i spose i need a lexus boat!
 
sorry just read the sound insulation thread..sort of silimar but not really...i am after a boat "designed" to be quiet not a way of making a boat quiet.
 
If its a big issue and you really like the Targa. Have a sound cancelling setup made to quiet the engine noise.
Works a bit like an ac to dc rectifier, only on soundwaves instead of electrical polarity.

Mini versions can be found in pilot's headsets.

I would be interested to know if it worked in an engine compartment.
 
If you want less noise, hardtops are the worst choice, as you are close to the engines and the noise bounces around inside the cabin. A flybridge saloon is no better, but on the fly is a big improvement as you're further from the engines and the saloon acts as a big noise break. Best I would imagine is an aft cabin boat, certainly my Sealine aft cabin was whisper quiet on the flybridge.

Of the big UK brands, Sunseeker seem to be the noisiest, but not sure there's much to choose between the others.

The other factor to consider is how protected the helm is, at 30 knots on an open boat or flybridge, the wind noise can be more intrusive and tiring than the engine noise, and with the modern trend for front sunpads, the helms are often very exposed.

The other answer of course is to go for a slower boat, but you said you wanted the speed.
 
Leaving aside electric power, how about a steam boat. With an oil fired boiler they can be civilised and some on Windermere can do over 20 knots (that should of course have read 10 knots)
 
If you want a quiet boat, then the best solution is to get a displacement speed boat with 1 relatively small engine and that's been designed for long distance cruising. Something like a Nordhavn. If you must have speed, then a flybridge boat will put you further away from the engines and their exhausts whether you drive from the flybridge or from the inside
FWIW, I find my Ferretti v quiet to helm from the inside and you can certainly hold a conversation without shouting. This is because the engines are well aft and, importantly, the exhausts exit well underwater, in fact through the bottom of the hull. Also the soundproofing panels are obviously important. Look for a boat with proper panelling (eg lead lined) rather than cheapo glued on egg crate type foam
 
Something with IPS. Seriously, if you go for one of the IPS hardtops of around that size, and there are plenty of good ones to choose from, then with the saloon doors shut, but the sunroof open, you have probably the quietest combination out there if you want to go fast. Also, if you are spending money on a decent sized boat, there is a lot you can do to reduce the noise. Most boats, even posh ones, could do a lot more to reduce noise. Most of the time they don't, because peeps want to hear their big engines. For about two grand, and with some specialist knowledge, you could probably drop a few db's off the sound levels. What I've found so far is that most manufacturers only give lip service to noise reduction - just doing obvious things like sticking 3m on the hatch covers, but in most cases more could be done.
 
If staying with faster planing boat that you need a helm as far away from the engines as possibe, so a flybridge is best, or elevated aft command helm, but inside helms on FB or especially HT sports cruisers is just too close to the engines.

On mid sized boats 6 v's 4 cyl diesel also makes a big difference and ducted underwater exhausts

I find the 6cyl Yanmars super quite.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top