hull "slapping" noise

I wonder if you just got a length of oil spill boom and tied it to form a breakwater around the bow. They make small stuff that is easy to stow and deploy.

Oil spill containment boom - EconoMax boom

That would probably knock down the wind chop but you would probably also get a visit from the Coast Guard asking how much fuel you spilled!

How about foam battens, the type used to insulate water pipes?

The problem with laying anything in the water (besides looking pretty weird) is that it will ride the waves, not flatten them much, unless it's tied tight to the hull somehow. Lay an oil boom like that and yes, I'd expect a visit from curious CG since that's meant to lay on the water and not ride with the vessel. You also have to do that every time you anchor. I'd put my "solution" inside the hull.

Nycapp

Mine was just a thought -, but agree with you on all levels - might as well hang some orange towels out to dry also.

My Post is pretty heavily carpeted with insulated leather wall lining on the hulls. I have a "stepped" chine (think of an inverted L) so those little wavelets catch most of the boat length for me. I'd be interesed to read what people come up with for a solution - my wife would be most interested. I sleep like a log.

roflmao:d

I was suggesting that for guests. But getting no sleep is not a great idea for the master of a vessel either.

It's not so much about knock the waves down before they get to the chine as filling the gap. If you fill the gap and there by change the shape of the chine from flat to rounded you cut down or stop the noise. At least that is what those who have tried the swim noodle thing have said.

Exactly, it has to be laid so that it doesn't ride the wave, but instead stays in place at the chine. OK for a swim noodle, but not how the CG would expect to see an oil boom.

Not meaning to hijack the thread, but you mentioned something else in the previous post that got me thinking. I expect to be anchoring out a fair amount on the Loop and my SR is away from the helm. Would you or anybody have any ideas about rigging a remote anchor alarm off a Garmin 3206. I'd surely sleep through the alarm on my handheld GPS. Please PM me so the thread doesn't get hijacked. Thanks.

PM sent

I have almost never dragged anchor in all of the times I've anchored. I always put out A LOT of scope if I'm anchoring overnight.

But, typically on the loop you will almost never swing on anchor because the current is always coming from the same direction and you will almost always sit tight on your anchor at all times. Also, many times you can find empty barges to tie up alongside or other nooks and crannies....like empty barge canals to closed factories.....or a marina..... As for the anchor alarm, I cannot help you with ideas there...... Pay attention to where you're anchoring, because if you're close to the channel in a narrow area, barges will suck you around towards them because they're sucking so much water.

What size boat are you doing the loop with? I've done it in entirety once, and the eastern half a few times. Taking the Mississippi south, even though it is 350 miles longer, will be a lot quicker since you'll gain a lot of speed from the current, and only have a few locks to clear at New Orleans.......

On the hook I sleep with a hand held GPS and the anchor alarm set, believe it or not it works in the SR. The drawback is that the alarm is not loud at all.

I also have my chartplotter wired to ANT B on my TV, so I can sleep with the TV on or just flick the TV on if I feel the wind shift.

The best thing to do would be to wire an alarm in the SR that is loud enough to wake you up. but I guess if the hull is slapping with every ripple you don't have to worry about getting into deep REM sleep.

I rarely drag anchor because, like you, I always put out lots of scope, check my hold and check it often. But it has happened a couple of times when a squal popped up. Plus I'm one of those guys who lives by the words "What if". This will be on an older 56 Hat.
RT46, after all these years in engine rooms I want loud when it comes to alarms. Wiring the plotter to the TV is a great idea. I already planned on a buzzer in the SR, and Bill suggested a baby monitor, although I'd have to remind the owner not to make personal calls near the helm at night. Would hate to hear 'Getting real tired of the cap. Think I'll throw him overboard in the morning'.
I'm a light sleeper on a boat, but we all know Murphy's Law. The one time I go comatose is the one time we'll drag anchor.
Thanks for the suggestions. We have a lot of "thinking people" here. Now let's get this thread back on track and see what else can be thought of for the op's situation.

Is it an echo chamber? That is to say, if you are in calm water, say tied to the dock, and try to have a conversation inside does it become difficult as the sound you make echos around?

There are two ways to end up with too much sound.

One is the echo chamber, where sound bounces around the rooms (not boat specific) and that is capably solved by hanging acoustic panels like those designed for a home theater. Anything with slats is a good idea, present a complicated surface to break the waveform up and get chaotic interference to degrade the sound waves before they assault your eardrums.

I suspect that what is more likely is the other problem, where in your hull acts like the membrane of a drum. That problem you want to address at the hull, preferably inside with sound damping insulation mentioned by the others, so that you will not have to redeploy every night.

It is possible to have both of these problems (and to varying extents) but you want to address the one that you have the worst rather than addressing the one that you don't.

In January, 2012 I was in a boat yard in Portland, OR with a friend who was getting his boat commissioned. While walking the yard I spotted about a 60'-65' Marlow with the bow under polyethylene with a yard worker inside the wrap.

I stopped to ask him what he was doing and he said the owner of the boat couldn't sleep because of the waves slapping on the hull. The owner was having the chine ground off the forward 1/3 of the boat in the hopes that would fix the problem.

I never did find out whether it worked, but I'm guessing it had to be a lot better than the hard chine.