Banging Haliyards

[Mariner69]

On the Mobo Forum there is a reference to banging halyards left to slap against the mast keeping people awake.

The previous owner of my yacht used to leave them all banging on the mast. The first thing I did was disconnect the halyards when securing and to my irritation I could still hear the sound from inside the mast!

One poster suggested that he tied all his halyards clear but sounds still come from wires loose INSIDE the mast. This cheered me up since I wasn't the only one.

It was suggested on the forum that expanding foam could be injected to silence the noise.

Is it possible, reasonable? What are the arguments in favour or against.

 

[Salty John]

The argument against foam is that the halyards will batter it into little pieces and it'll snow inside the mast. The best long term solution is to fit a conduit inside the mast for the wires.

 

[rob2]

Yes a conduit is best for wires, but the halyards are generally free to move around inside the mast between the sheave and the exit. Some mast manufacturers used to line the mast with foam which eliminated the problem, but over the years it disintegrates and falls, piece by piece, out of the halyard exits. I can't see how you can stop any halyard from slapping inside the mast, but I take all mine to the rail to stop them frapping against the outside. I suppose that if you could find a tube of insulation that fits snugly inside the mast (rather a long shot) you could take the foot off and slide it up inside, then feed the halyards down thrugh it. Luckily I find the sound quite soporific!

Rob.

 

[V1701]

Felt the need to visit someone else's boat today to stop an external halyard banging against their mast. I live on the boat so of course do whatever's necessary to keep things quiet on mine, including running a rope up inside the mast with three cable ties attached 120 degrees from each other every foot or so to stop electrical wires rattling around...

 

[rhumbunctious]

Easier than conduit, if you are able to remove and return the existing wires, is to get alot of long zip ties and put one around the wires every couple of feet or so, leaving the tail uncut, and varying the direction of the tails. The zip tie tails keep the wires at tension against the sides of the mast and immobile enough that they don't make noise. I did this on a previous boat of mine...

 

[Daydream believer]

Apart from halliards i hate the sound of wind generators turning all night
Normally if people are on board they will stop them turning as they cannot stand the noise either
One chap told me his solution
if they leave the boat & racket, the best answer is to get some strong fishing line & a fishing weight
Lob it over the blades & this drags all the line in and tangles it & stops it or slows it down
When they come back they think some kids have been fishing & lost their line
Apparently takes them ages to untangle it

 

[Ric]

Apart from halliards i hate the sound of wind generators turning all night
Normally if people are on board they will stop them turning as they cannot stand the noise either
One chap told me his solution
if they leave the boat & racket, the best answer is to get some strong fishing line & a fishing weight
Lob it over the blades & this drags all the line in and tangles it & stops it or slows it down
When they come back they think some kids have been fishing & lost their line
Apparently takes them ages to untangle it

As you are obviously a stinkboat driver, you won't mind then if I vandalise your boat one night for all the times you inconsiderately drive past my sailing boat out on the beauty of the open sea, leaving a trail of noise, soot and oil.

 

[Searush]

Apart from halliards i hate the sound of wind generators turning all night
Normally if people are on board they will stop them turning as they cannot stand the noise either
One chap told me his solution
if they leave the boat & racket, the best answer is to get some strong fishing line & a fishing weight
Lob it over the blades & this drags all the line in and tangles it & stops it or slows it down
When they come back they think some kids have been fishing & lost their line
Apparently takes them ages to untangle it

I can't believe the level of intolerance & mindless vandalism you have just cheerfully admitted on an open forum.

 

[Daydream believer]

As you are obviously a stinkboat driver, you won't mind then if I vandalise your boat one night for all the times you inconsiderately drive past my sailing boat out on the beauty of the open sea, leaving a trail of noise, soot and oil.

So you like the sound of whirring wind generators next to your berth?
I expect you have one of those yappy dogs as well
Well it takes all sorts i suppose

 

[Daydream believer]

I can't believe the level of intolerance & mindless vandalism you have just cheerfully admitted on an open forum.

Read the thread---I did not say i had tried it!
Only passed on advice from one who claims to have
Up to you if you want to try it or not
& accept the consequences of course
But is not careless noise pollution itself just as bad
It clear from this forum such noises- flapping halliards etc are not to everyones liking

 

[Searush]

Read the thread---I did not say i had tried it!
Only passed on advice from one who claims to have
Up to you if you want to try it or not
& accept the consequences of course
But is not careless noise pollution itself just as bad
It clear from this forum such noises- flapping halliards etc are not to everyones liking

It's life, just get on with it & quit stressing & moaning.

People will stomp across your decks late at night, play loud music, smoke pipes, run gennies, shine bright lights, throw litter, remove your EHU to put theirs in etc etc. You must have an awful life if minor stuff like wind gennies or tapping halliards wind you up. I expect your first heart attack quite soon because that seems to be where you are heading.

 

[onesea]

I always liked the solution one family had, they kept all there old bra's, stocking, tights etc for there charter holiday. Well placed they could publicly stop the noise.

If halyards where banging they would go and use them to stop the halyards banging on neighboring boats. I mentioned this to a friend who was with me, when she commented on the noise of a wind generator.

Her reply was next time she will bring some old ones...

 

[Leighb]

A friend keeps a roll of orange binder twine onboard. If he finds himself afflicted by noisy halyards on a neighbouring boat he goes aboard and ties them off with the twine. He reckons it may advise the owner to do better in future.

 

[30boat]

My previous boat had loose wires inside the mast that dangled horribly.After a few years I'd had enough .I unstepped the mast pulled the wires out and tied them to a 3mm stainless steel wire fixted to the top of the mast.Then (it was a keel stepped mast) drilled a hole under the deckhead ,passed the steel wire through and tensioned it with a small rigging screw attached to a fitting screwed to the mast.Problem solved.This can be done with a deck stepped mast as well.
Oops sorry,just noticed this was about hallyards.Well just tension them with a winch and pull them away from the mast with a bit of shock cord.

 

[Pitterpatter]

Our boat lives in a bay surrounded by houses - before leaving the boat I always tie off halyards and any other random bits of string to stop all noise and let our neighbors get a good nights sleep.

We live in a house at the edge of a bay full of boats owned by the north queensferry boat club. I guess others don't see it as being so important and we live with a constant 'clank, clank' from boats afloat and ashore. This year has been particularly bad, even with the fine weather. I'm not looking forward to winter at all!

Actually, that's not true - I can't wait to go skiing! I do think my neighbors are very inconsiderate in not spending the two minutes it takes to tie ropes off the mast at the end of a sail. Not everyone in coastal communities sails or has any interest in boats. Those communities should not have to live with constant pollution from our pass times and interests!

 

[rivonia]

Apart from halliards i hate the sound of wind generators turning all night
Normally if people are on board they will stop them turning as they cannot stand the noise either
One chap told me his solution
if they leave the boat & racket, the best answer is to get some strong fishing line & a fishing weight
Lob it over the blades & this drags all the line in and tangles it & stops it or slows it down
When they come back they think some kids have been fishing & lost their line
Apparently takes them ages to untangle it

I cannot believe that you would flagrantly condone willfull VANDALISEM. You are a disgrace-

 

[Mariner69]

Thank you all for your suggestions.

Come the end of the season the mast is coming down and a piece of conduit or similar will be slotted into place to cure the problem.

Happy sailing for all.

 

[30boat]

Thank you all for your suggestions.

Come the end of the season the mast is coming down and a piece of conduit or similar will be slotted into place to cure the problem.

Happy sailing for all.

I hope the conduit is for the electrical wires.Hallyards need to run free inside the mast.