With the ever more zealous sound targets are we doing a disservice to the owners?
During the last 10 years we have seen a huge change in the luxury yacht market in regards to noise. The change has been, generally a good thing as new yacht being built at reputable shipyards are all incredibly quiet and comfortable.
To get to this stage the surveyors, builders, engineers, brokers, and captains have all used a single data point, dBA, as the all-important number. As we continually try to improve our clients (owners) experience, the goal has been to keep lowering the dBA numbers. If we built a ship that was 45 dBA in the master suite we surly could build the next one at 42 and then the one after that at 40… and then down to 37... this was the race to the quietest. But somewhere along the way we forgot a few important things.
The first thing is, does the owners team understand all the implications of an incredibly low noise target? What are these you ask?
When we get the noise level (dBA) low enough in each cabin every small noise in the cabin becomes exaggerated. The pen rolling in the desk drawer will keep guest awake, the blinds touching the window start to sound like a 3 year old who has just found a pair of symbols, coat hangers on the rack begin to drive guests crazy with the relentless clicking as the boat rocks. And the worst part is privacy… every sound is transmitted from the bathroom areas and from the other cabins… I mean every one. T
Think of this phenomena as a heart beat in a sensory deprivation tank or as Steven Orfield told the Daily Mail "When it’s quiet, ears will adapt. The quieter the room, the more things you hear." Now, I can hear you saying, "but we can build in walls that have noise barriers", and you are correct, but as we lower the background noise no matter how well be build the ship the privacy noises start to sneak in and the nuisance noises in the cabin remain.
The next thing to consider is, is this auditory deprivation what the client really wanted?
A crypt of silence punctuated by nuisance noises is probably not what the client wants. I would imagine that a boat where the drone of the generators coming online is not audible, and that the noise from the cabin next door is also inaudible. However in some cases, the sound of the wind, waves & rain on the water creeping in, and the occasional steady, muffled rumble of the main engines might just be welcomed by most clients.
Then, the final thing is how do we restore the sanity in this area of yacht construction?
The first logical step would seem to turn the the noise and vibration “Experts” in the industry, but upon closer examination this may not be the correct approach. As the “Experts” have built business around making vessels quieter and quieter, being pushed into it in most cases by their clients demand. As a result, for every decrease in Dba the consultation fees and engineering hours have increased because we are constantly pushing the Dba mark. The industry have been pushing it, some have pushed back, but have been silenced by the so called race to the quietest.
We at Hildebrand Marine have been advising a more rounded approach to our clients where we explain the owners wishes, what noises are expected and welcomed at the same time which noises are not.
In this approach we see that much more effort goes into the removal of nuisance noise and increasing privacy between spaces. The rooms are quite, but not offensive, and above all else, are enjoyable & inviting. The background noise masks the small nuisance noises & most of our clients want some reminders of being at sea.
If these goals are clearly stated to the shipyard, logical dBA goals can be set & at the same time an agreement of what noises are unwelcome can also be incorporated into the contracts. his can reduce build costs and increase comfort, resulting in a win win for the owner and the shipyard.