In Mast Cable Clatter

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hebdena

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Hi All,

Has anyone solved the problem of the irritating noise caused by cables slappng the inside of the mast? It is noticable but unobtrusive whilst sailing but at anchor whilst trying to get to sleep, that's another matter!
A solution could be achieved by drilling a large enough hole half way up the mast and capturing the cables and securing somehow but being careful not to capture the halyards. Anyone done this? Any problems with weakening the mast? My boat is a Rival 31, not exactly a race thoroughbred but with heavy duty spars etc.

Regards....................Andrew
 
One solution I have seen is to withdraw the cables, and then bundle them together using groups of 3 cable ties abt 1 metre apart, with the ends of the ties at 120 degrees seperation, these then stop the cable banging against the side of the mast.
 
something I had some success with donkeys ago, maybe worth considering at some point?

remove halyards, prepare your spaghetti collection- sort into neat bundle and loosely but neatly entwine from top to bottom with wool, grey coloured preferably, with mast in the absolute vertical and yourself in a suitable position - be safe-
drop your tethered mouse down his chute, when you're ready to lower you're bundle, apply blobs of mastic at say, 1 foot intervals, as a partner entices the bundle out the bottom, now induce the slightest of lean in the mast in the obvious direction you would want the bundle to lay inside, give the bundle a pinch in this direction and that - just to force a bit of sticky into contact somewhere in there. If poss. leave it laying in the correct attitude 'till next day. re-introduce your halyards and bingo.
Worked perfectly for as long as I was involved with the boat, even the concern that dirt/dust might cause a lack of adherance was not founded as it transpired.
I just got a new boat two months ago so am leaving doing mine 'till the end of season,but I will be doing this then myself.
 
Been giving this issue some thought myself and am planning to go down the cable tie route. I'm also planning to include a short length of conduit tubing in each cable tie bundle and run a messenger through - gives the option to add an additional cable or two without pulling out the whole bundle and starting again.
 
Two options -
1) when the mast is out have conduit riveted to the mast inside. We had one secured which had broken loose and a new one added last year and I think it took the boat yard an hour or so.
2) apparently they now make a sock that you pull up the wires and it keeps everthing bundled and stops chafe
 
cable ties........ they are ok, but, the several wires are now effectively one thicker(heavier) rope that'll still be free to move about.
dont trim the excessive tail 'tho, that sharp and quite stiff remainder could cause some unseen damage.
As for rewiring time -I dont know for 100% but it is only mastic and I imagine that it would'nt be an exactly herculean effort in tugging the bunch free.
 
Think you've missed the point a little? You don't cut the tails off, you leave them on, the tails at 120deg spacing are what stops the cables moving.
 
I used 6 lengths of plumbers insulation foam things, the foam tubes they fit over pipes.

Tie wrapped them at equal distances. Ok, unlike the tie wrap method it does not hold the cables still in the mast, the insulation has deadened the sound to zero not even a thud.

Just another method.....
 
The tie-wraps worked for me.

(unlike an earlier attempt when I filled the mast with expanding foam thinking "what could possibly go wrong with a wire encased in foam?!" - that very winter someone must have brushed past the VHF antenna and snapped it off so I had to replace it - and of course, the new one came with a length of cable...

...took me a couple of weeks to dig the old one out)!
 
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