R23 Hull Noise

K

kkassahn

Member
Joined
Apr 3, 2020
Messages
17
Fluid Motion Model
C-242 C
Vessel Name
AZUL
I'm a new owner of a 2016 R23 with the 200 Yamaha and was a little surprised by the hull noise. Has anyone else felt the same and have you added sound control material? I'm looking at several options but welcome any success stories.

Thanks,
Kurt
 
Just for clarity, are you talking about the noise the hull makes going through the water when underway? There have also been discussions about the slapping of water on the hull at anchor.
 
I've had my 2020 R23 for 4 months now, and I agree that the hull noise whilst underway was a bit of a surprise.

Mainly because my last boat was much larger/heavier, and the helm was a bit away from the actual hull, so it was fairly quiet unless you were in the front berth, where you could hear the muffled hull-slapping of which I assume you're talking?

I attributed the increase in noise to the fact that we are sitting fairly low in the hull, and there is a large portion of the front berth that is not only close proximity to the helm, but by nature of maximizing usable space, not able to be well insulated.

While I doubt that the noise is coming from the keel and garboard (admittedly wooden boat terms), I would assume that it's coming a bit up the rake. Probably around the area of the V-lockers? That's about where the chop would be slapping the boat. I was thinking of adding some sort of sound cushion that can be adhered to the inside of the lockers, which may mitigate some of the noise. I have yet to do any research.

If anyone has any input... I'm interested as well! 😀
 
Kurt,

I have heard of some of our customers adding automotive sound deadening material on the hull sides. You can access these areas on your boat by removing the mattress cushions in the vberth. There are a lot of options on the market, personally, I would recommend going on the lighter side so that you do not modify the performance of the boat.

As for the fiberglass parts rubbing, you can add gasket tape to moving parts (such as hatches) as needed or tuck rat fur strips in between fiberglass/wood seams.

Feel free to send me an email if you have any questions.
 
Thanks everyone for your replies.

I had a heavier boat as well and am talking about being underway. I'm planning in the future to try some sound deadening inside the lockers. Will update you when it is done.

Kurt.
 
Kurt - I bought a 2020 R-23 late last year and had the exact same reaction. At first, the choppy water slapping against the hull was a little disturbing, I never noticed it with my previous larger, but lighter, center console. My initial thought was that the R-23 hull was thinner, which also led to disconcerting thoughts. But, perhaps, given the enclosed cabin, such sounds will naturally be more noticeable, I don't know. I just turn up the music to drown it out 🙂 . Also, if the boat is trimmed too much upward, I have found that this will exacerbate the noise. At cruise speed of around 23-25mph, I have the motor fully trimmed down and the trim tabs somewhat trimmed down. I have found this to help with the noise as well as optimize fuel efficiency. Cheers! -Norm

kkassahn":zgwe2z6t said:
I'm a new owner of a 2016 R23 with the 200 Yamaha and was a little surprised by the hull noise. Has anyone else felt the same and have you added sound control material? I'm looking at several options but welcome any success stories.

Thanks,
Kurt
Click to expand...
 
We own a 2017 R23, and felt the same way about the noise. I injected 16+ cubic feet of two part foam in and around the V-berth. That reduced the noise by over 90%, my estimate. I’m happy to share further thoughts and pictures if desired.
64391405e71a97f8e6827fd8f2137fbf.jpg

5fb857bc76c077ef390769244edb6500.jpg



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
That is a very significant reduction in noise, thank you for sharing this info. By doing this soundproofing, do you know for certain that no wires or access to components would be sealed off? That would be my biggest concern. As well, would there be any interference to water drainage should it make its way in? I'm not suggesting that it would, but also do not know if it wouldn't. Perhaps, someone from the factory could chime in, because this would be something I would consider as I do find the amount of noise from the hull a little distracting. Cheers! -Norm
 
Hello,
I had the same concerns with ours. I found that closing the door helped somewhat but the sound would then funnel up through the top and of course the canvas hatch would not cut any sound. So I built a teak hatch out of an old teak table that I found on Craigslist. I LOVE the new hatch as it does two things, first, when closed, it significantly cuts the noise while cruising and second it makes sleeping a whole lot better as the cabin is now a lot darker. IMHO, of all the fantastic design innovations that Fluid Motion has come up with they sure missed the mark with that canvas hatch.
Check out my pics ‘The Hatch’
 
Unfortunately for every positive aspect of a hull design there are negatives. I have seen the R23 in action on Lake Michigan. The boat fly's through the waves the same with the R27 outboard. From a short distance away as one goes by an anchorage I have heard it flying through the waves. There is a lot of hull surface in the air that water can slap against. The boats don't look like they are pounding though. I think the hull designs are good. The design gives more water line length than any boat in its size. The bows are blunt. This increases hull speed and efficiency. This is great for a displacement hull or semi-displacement hull and can be effective with a planing hull if the owner intends on using the boat at "trawler speeds". The other advantage of this hull design (Ranger) is interior room. The blunt bow longer water line length gives an additional amount of usable space in the berth area.The disadvantages (my opinion) are the boats appear to run bow high with more hull out of the water, the blunt bow tends to make the boat a wet ride even when in light sea's. This is common for all Rangers and Cutwaters inboard or outboard. I have posted a picture of a R23 and a 26 SeaRay for some comparisons in hull design.

https://inventory.level5marketing.com/d ... -13141.jpg
posted LOA 26.7,' beam 8.6, weight 6700lbs

https://www.rangertugs.com/Userfiles/Bo ... 850--N.jpg

28.6 LOA, beam 8.6 weight 5000 lbs

There isn't a posted LWL but I'm sure the R23 Ranger has the Sea Ray beat by close to 2'. View each picture and imagine a plumb bob dropped off the tip of each bow. If you can image that, then you understand the difference in hull designs. Look at the difference in the hull area out of the water in the Ranger compared to the Sea Ray. The hull designs are completely different. The advantage of the Searay hull is quieter, drier, and faster. The disadvantage is less interior space, less amenities and there are thousands and thousand of them on the water. Has far as the hull construction I would say apples to apples although Searay uses much less wood in their construction making them slightly heavier (biggest weight difference is in the engine weight). I'm by no means promoting the Searay is a better boat because I personally don't think they are. I'm just comparing the standard production planing hull in a comparison, I have owned 3 Sea Rays 26', 21' and a 19'. I had no complaints with any of them. When my wife and I were looking for a trailerable boat to do some extensive cruising. One that had the most amenities and comforts we never looked at a Searay, we purchased a Cutwater. Sorry for getting carried away with my explanation ! Bottom line to much bow out of the water! Put the trim tabs down and tuck the engine ? It will help but decrease fuel efficiency. Just deal with the noise? Probably the best answer! Add sound deadening material? Sounds like a bandaid but if it works and the material adheres well and doesn't absorb moisture OK! Try to store and move as much weight forward. Instead of midship aft storage go midship forward? Probably would help. Cruise like us inboard Cutwater and Ranger Tug owners at 14kts? Your boats will be quiet then but your fuel consumption would increase. There are many times i'm on the water that I would rather listen to some hull slap at 30Kts than have a quiet ride at 14kts. But I can't! Everything has compromises! Enjoy your unique looking fast R23 ! Stay safe out there and stay healthy.
 
I have an R23 too, and did notice the water slaping the hull also. I think the reason we hear it is because the outboard is so quiet. My previous boat was a hardtop with twin 140 Suzuki's and all you could hear was the outboard at cruising speeds. Kevin
 
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