Replacing original horn air compressor! Help!

[mattmett]

I have a 1980 50' conv that I recently purchased. Incredible boat! My horn is not working and after tracing the pvc air line down into the engine room I notice two hanging wires, a black air hose that is not attached and what seems to be 4 screw holes in the floor where the old compressor was.
Here is my question! should I replace it with the original model or can I get a compressor at Home depot or Loewes that will do the same thing? Not sure how many psi I need to operate the horns either. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Matt

 

[Tim Powell]

i have a 1980 50' conv that i recently purchased. Incredible boat! My horn is not working and after tracing the pvc air line down into the engine room i notice two hanging wires, a black air hose that is not attached and what seems to be 4 screw holes in the floor where the old compressor was.
Here is my question! Should i replace it with the original model or can i get a compressor at home depot or loewes that will do the same thing? Not sure how many psi i need to operate the horns either. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Matt

not positive about the 50 but the 45 which i would belive to be the same the compressor is inside the fly bridge consol. You can purchase the compressor and hose from the likes of west marine . Check them out on line. Good luck tim

 

[mattmett]

not positive about the 50 but the 45 which i would belive to be the same the compressor is inside the fly bridge consol. You can purchase the compressor and hose from the likes of west marine . Check them out on line. Good luck tim

Tim,
thanks for the reply. Most boats I have seen are in the flybridge like you said. for some reason mine is in the engine room. I think one of the previous owners wanted to use it for the horn as well as for a regular air compressor so they moved it down below.

 

[GJH]

Interesting. On my 1981 vintage Hatt, the compressor is mounted to and driven by the port engine, and so noted in the boat's owner's manual. Did OEM compressors of this era come in both flavors?

 

[luckydave215]

The OEM air compressors are engine mounted/driven. Sooner or later they start leaking.
Most of us have replaced them with 110V compressors plumbed into the OEM storage tank. This not only cures the old leaky pump blues for a couple hundred fifty bucks or so (way less than fixing the OEM pump), but supplies compressed "shop" air when the mains aren't running. Like when you're working on them

 

[Tim Powell]

Interesting. On my 1981 vintage Hatt, the compressor is mounted to and driven by the port engine, and so noted in the boat's owner's manual. Did OEM compressors of this era come in both flavors?

George
I can not sware that mine was original or oem as you say.
Understand that the storm cut a hole in the hook just next to the rock jetty you know anything

Tim

 

[ron6785]

Yes , you can mount a 110AC 115psi off the shelf compressor from Loews etc. However, unless your running your Gen Set constantly your inverter will have to power the horn while underway, which of course is no problem

Since I have an auxilliary Alternator charging my house batteries while underway, I run all my 110 electrical except AC's .

I think you can pick up a wall mount at Harbor Freight for about $65, I've had mine for 4 years and still going strong and I have some KA horns.

 

[Fanfare]

I bought a 12v air compressor with air tank years ago. Probably West Marine. It works fine for the horns for most uses, however it can't handle fog signals of one 5 sec. blast every two minutes. Just doesn't recharge fast enough. That takes a 110v compressor from Sears. But unless I head up North fog is not a problem. The 12v is smaller and quieter.

My boat came with the engine mounted compressor, the same one trucks use for their air brakes. Rugged, powerful and long lasting, but overkill for me, especially after I removed the air-operated windshield wipers which were always rusted and inop. It wouldn't fit on the 6-92TA replacement engines. My DC system is, of course, 12v so my choice was easy.

 

[sandspur1966]

I went a slightly different route. I bought a hookah dive compressor and wired it in to a 110 circuit fed by my inverter and T'd the air hose off to run the horn, a feed down in to my ER's for tools and i get the benefit of being able to dive at the drop of a hat should something foul my wheels.

Pricier option then a 'home desperate' cheap compressor but i like the setup very much.

 

[MikeP]

My 1980 53MY came to me with a 32VDC compressor in the engine room plumbed to an air tank and the horns. It appeared to be original; there is no mention of an engine-driven compressor on the boat in the original paperwork/owners manual. The 32 compressor failed a few years back and I replaced it with a 12V compressor since I could't find a 32 and I had a source of 12V since the NL genny uses a 12V starting system.

The system works great for the horns but is lacking in its ability to do real "air compressor" jobs.