Clacking haylards and running rigging at anchor in a blow!

MagicalArmchair

MagicalArmchair

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Hello all,

At anchor, no matter how tight I tie my running rigging up, it still insists on clacking like crazy. On the last night of our holiday away to the delightful wilds of Suffolk there was a bit of a blow at anchor leading to me prancing around on deck at 3am in my boxers trying increasingly complex and ineffective ropework to tie my rigging away from the mast.

The main culprets are the topping lift and the main hayard, although the spinnaker haylard also pipes up to join in the jolly little ensemble on occasion too.

Does anyone have any tips how to stop this infernal clacking? I have tried tieing the halyards back to the standing rigging, tightening the running rigging, slackening it, all to no avail.

Does anyone have any advice to stop said infernal clacking??

Ta,

Mark
www.albinballad.co.uk
 
Remove the main halyard and fasten to back of boom, take spinnaker halyards to some point forward or tie to toe rail and loosen topping lift.
If you can't loosen TL then slacken off main sheet and tie boom to one side with spare line
Always worked for me.
Good luck
 
when you say 'tight' do you mean 'under tension' or do you actually pull them away from the mast with a piece of rope and then make fast to the stays? pulling minetight then away to the side and tying off to the stays stops any tendency to rattle.
 
The only way of stopping halliards from rattling is to take them away from the mast. If they're running along the mast, changing the tension will only change the frequency of the rattle. If they're tied away from the mast, they can't rattle, but you might get a sort of low frequency "wobble" effect as they flutter in the wind.

Various techniques for tying halliards away from the mast work - either lead them to fixing points off the mast (I take the standing part of my spinnaker and spare jib halliard to the pulpit and the main halliard back to the end of the boom), or use a short laniard round the shrouds to pull the halliards away from the mast. The latter works, but is less effective as you don't get such a good clearance from the mast. The fall of my halliards run inside the mast, so I don't need to worry about them.
 
AntarcticPilot said:
The only way of stopping halliards from rattling is to take them away from the mast. If they're running along the mast, changing the tension will only change the frequency of the rattle. If they're tied away from the mast, they can't rattle, but you might get a sort of low frequency "wobble" effect as they flutter in the wind.

Various techniques for tying halliards away from the mast work - either lead them to fixing points off the mast (I take the standing part of my spinnaker and spare jib halliard to the pulpit and the main halliard back to the end of the boom), or use a short laniard round the shrouds to pull the halliards away from the mast. The latter works, but is less effective as you don't get such a good clearance from the mast. The fall of my halliards run inside the mast, so I don't need to worry about them.
Click to expand...

+1

Our marina insist all rigging is tied in such a way as to prevent the clanging = 200+ boats and hardly a clang to be heard but plenty of whistling in the wires. Personally I tie off to the end of the boom or the guardrails as the mood takes me and sleep soundly :)
 
+1
"The only way of stopping halliards from rattling is to take them away from the mast. If they're running along the mast, changing the tension will only change the frequency of the rattle. If they're tied away from the mast, they can't rattle, but you might get a sort of low frequency "wobble" effect as they flutter in the wind."

This is the only answer in my opinion too.
I run haliards out to the handrail (eg main haliard, which is internal on the winch end, and flappy on the sail end), and apply some tension off the winch.
The spinnaker haliard (both ends) are tied to the bottlejack on one side stay.
Topping lift isn't anywhere near the mast - except for one fixing point at top - it is tensioned by weight of boom.
Spinnaker pole haliard tied to another stay.
That leave no ropes lying external to the mast along its length anywhere.
If they can't touch it they cannot clack against it.

Not much noiser or more annoying that being in a marina next to slapping rigging.
 
Frapping the halyards. The age old job before you turn in or leave the boat on its mooring. A term that isn't used very often nowadays.

The only thing to add to those who have pointed out that halyards might hum is to wind another halyard in a spiral as a vortex breaker. It works a treat.
 
Or come and moor next to me, clanging halyards are dealt with by tying off with scabby bits of string various which I keep specially. The recipient is welcome to keep them.
 
AntarcticPilot said:
The only way of stopping halliards from rattling is to take them away from the mast. If they're running along the mast, changing the tension will only change the frequency of the rattle. If they're tied away from the mast, they can't rattle, but you might get a sort of low frequency "wobble" effect as they flutter in the wind.

Various techniques for tying halliards away from the mast work - either lead them to fixing points off the mast (I take the standing part of my spinnaker and spare jib halliard to the pulpit and the main halliard back to the end of the boom), or use a short laniard round the shrouds to pull the halliards away from the mast. The latter works, but is less effective as you don't get such a good clearance from the mast. The fall of my halliards run inside the mast, so I don't need to worry about them.
Click to expand...

Got to agree with this. Cant see how your efforts to tie them to the shrouds have failed unless either you left them slack or you have external halyards.
 
The clanging might be not from the halyards on the outside of the mast, which as most posters have pointed out can be dealt with easily, but with the halyards inside the mast. They can still make a very audible noise - especially in the boat - but are v. difficult to deal with.

I'm going to try to run mine through a noose made of cable ties with the tails jammed against the inside of the mast, but that means waiting until the end of the season to drop the mast.

Anyone got any bright ideas?
 
Yes, Tigr, that's a good idea and would perhaps be easier than the cable tie trick. Presumably if they obstructed the run of any halyard they'd simply be worn away, whereas a cable tie in the wrong place could cause a serious problem.

I'll write it in my book of things to try in winter.
 
Corribee Boy said:
The clanging might be not from the halyards on the outside of the mast, which as most posters have pointed out can be dealt with easily, but with the halyards inside the mast. They can still make a very audible noise - especially in the boat - but are v. difficult to deal with.

I'm going to try to run mine through a noose made of cable ties with the tails jammed against the inside of the mast, but that means waiting until the end of the season to drop the mast.

Anyone got any bright ideas?
Click to expand...

If the boat has a bendy mast, bending it a little will mean the halyards are against the wall all the way down.
 
Once you've tied them away from the mast they may actually be clattering against the spreaders - it sounds pretty much the same. I often loosen mine, flip them out & round the spreader tip & then tie take them back to the mast cleats. It does look a bit of a cat's cradle but seems to work well.
 
Thanks for all the great advice. I will try tying the main halyard aft and the others to the pulpit and hope for some peaceful nights at anchor! Did someone mention a method for stopping the halyards from humming in the wind?
 
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