Residential Noise on a Narrowboat

[smerlo]

Hi, I am thinking about living on a narrowboat permanently in residential moorings. This may sound like a dumb question but when living in such close proximity to other boats on a city canal, is there a problem with neighbour noise from other boats: radios, tvs, musical instruments etc - does one have to have them on really low at day/night? Does noise travel badly? Can you hear neighbours talking to each other? etc etc I have been on narrowboats before on holiday but was never moored up close enough to other boats before to have this a problem. But when camping it's a nightmare.

 

Thanks in advance for any replies.

Edited October 10, 2011 by smerlo

[blackrose]

If your neigbours are having a full on domestic row in their boat then you'll probably hear it, but in general the noise situation on narrowboats is much better than one might imagine given the close proximities. Steel makes quite a good sound barrier and it's just the windows and hatches where it escapes. I can have my music on quite loud, yet it's very quiet outside the boat. Most of the complaints about noise are to do with generators, engines and occasionally diesel heaters - so it's probably only the latter that would be relevant on residential moorings.

[Robbo]

Also depends on what the boat insulation is. Spray foam is poor at sound insulation whilst rock wool is quite good.

 

I'm refitting the boat and have spray foam but no panels over them yet and can hear quite a lot of outside activity, but mainly via the vents and only when people are chatting next to the boat. Can't hear anything from other boats, just bloody ducks at 5 in the morning.

 

Edit to add, when I have tv/radio on I can't hear it from outside so in guessing the steel bounces back most of the internal sound.

Edited October 11, 2011 by Robbo

[i love my narrowboat]

Also depends on what the boat insulation is. Spray foam is poor at sound insulation whilst rock wool is quite good.

 

I'm refitting the boat and have spray foam but no panels over them yet and can hear quite a lot of outside activity, but mainly via the vents and only when people are chatting next to the boat. Can't hear anything from other boats, just bloody ducks at 5 in the morning.

 

Edit to add, when I have tv/radio on I can't hear it from outside so in guessing the steel bounces back most of the internal sound.

 

We have boats moored either side here at Billing Marina and have no issues with them whatsoever. once your boat is fitted out you will not notice the noise,

 

If ducks at 5am is all you have to worry about!! bring it on, what a wonderful life we have :-)

Edited October 11, 2011 by i love my narrowboat

[AlanH]

Also depends on what the boat insulation is. Spray foam is poor at sound insulation whilst rock wool is quite good.I'm refitting the boat and have spray foam but no panels over them yet and can hear quite a lot of outside activity, but mainly via the vents and only when people are chatting next to the boat. Can't hear anything from other boats, just bloody ducks at 5 in the morning.

 

Edit to add, when I have tv/radio on I can't hear it from outside so in guessing the steel bounces back most of the internal sound.

I'd dispute that. Both are poor sound insulators. As an ex sound engineer I can assure you that there are only two things that will prevent sound transmission - a vacuum or mass. In other threads people have stated things like open cell foam is a sound insulator. Ridiculous as open cell foam is used for microphone windshields and designed to let sound through.

Recording studios often have foam panels (Used to be egg boxes!)around the walls. These are to prevent the sound reflecting from hard surfaces and are necessary to make the studio "dead" acoustically so that the required effects can be added electronically.

[Robbo]

I'd dispute that. Both are poor sound insulators. As an ex sound engineer I can assure you that there are only two things that will prevent sound transmission - a vacuum or mass. In other threads people have stated things like open cell foam is a sound insulator. Ridiculous as open cell foam is used for microphone windshields and designed to let sound through.

Recording studios often have foam panels (Used to be egg boxes!)around the walls. These are to prevent the sound reflecting from hard surfaces and are necessary to make the studio "dead" acoustically so that the required effects can be added electronically.

 

I thought rockwool was closed cell? Only reason I mentioned it.

 

I'm using sound insulation material (looks like compressed loft insulation stuff, but so compressed it more board like), over the spray foam and between the interior plywood. As the plywood is quite light I may look into other more dense material with a rubber thing sandwiched inbetween. Am I correct in that as to be more effective for outside noise I need a dense material on top of the "closed cell" wool?

 

To the original OP, my point was that even with my boat having no sound insulation, I only hear people talking that are next to the boat, and nothing from other boat themselfs (apart from prop noise). However, if anything touches the steel it's quite loud inside, this includes water, ducks, etc.

[Chris Pink]

Does noise travel badly?

 

De bass he travel well good in de water, man

[smerlo]

Thanks for all the replies, much appreciated.

[blackrose]

I'd dispute that. Both are poor sound insulators. As an ex sound engineer I can assure you that there are only two things that will prevent sound transmission - a vacuum or mass. In other threads people have stated things like open cell foam is a sound insulator. Ridiculous as open cell foam is used for microphone windshields and designed to let sound through.

Recording studios often have foam panels (Used to be egg boxes!)around the walls. These are to prevent the sound reflecting from hard surfaces and are necessary to make the studio "dead" acoustically so that the required effects can be added electronically.

 

Firstly, we aren't really talking about preventing sound transmission, but reducing it, and you are correct that the mass of a steel hull certainly helps in that respect. Secondly, sound insulation is a very broad term which encompasses sound absorption, reflection and transmission. While most open cell foams will allow the transmission of a certain proportion of sound energy, depending on their thickness many will also attenuate certain sound frequencies by breaking up and absorbing that sound energy, and so they are certainly utilised as elements of sound insulation applications when applied in thicker gauges.

 

Not all open cell foams are the same. The microphone windshield you mention is made from an open cell foam with large pores designed to allow transmission of directional sound aimed at it while reducing background noise, and it's applied in an intentionally thin gauge to allow directional sound transmission. The other example you mention is (open cell) foam panels on studio walls used to prevent the reflection of sound. Well, these panels are only able to do that because they absorb sound energy. Whatever proportion of sound energy is absorbed can't be reflected. Using the same principal - whatever proportion of sound energy is absorbed can't be transmitted. Ideally different sound absorbing materials are applied in laminate constructions to attenuate different sound frequencies and a hardwall is used to provide an acoustic barrier. Thus transmission and reflection of sound energy are both reduced.

 

Here's an open cell foam laminate construction commonly used in engine room noise reduction applications. http://www.soundservice.co.uk/foam_laminates_SA25FFB6%20_SA25FFL6.html

 

Have a look at the sound absorption coefficients of these materials.

 

http://www.800nonoise.com/foam.htm

 

http://guide.rockwool.co.uk/products/building-insulation/acoustic-infill.aspx

 

 

 

 

I thought rockwool was closed cell? Only reason I mentioned it.

 

Rockwool is glass wool material (not a foam at all), but you were right it does have some sound absoption properties, but not as good as many modern open-cell foams.

Edited October 11, 2011 by blackrose