Wire banging inside mast argh!

[goletasailor]

Hello, thanks for this resource it is great!
I am hoping that someone might have an idea how to silence the wires/conduit that is slapping the inside of my mast while rocking at anchor.
I really do not want to step the mast at this time. Any ideas?. If you have heard of this problem, I would appreciate any help
Thanks, Dan L.

[T37Chef]

A cheap solution is to use these about every 6"

[Lancer28]

If you're not planning on replacing anything inside there any time soon, drill a small hole in the middle of the mast and shoot expanding foam inside it every 6 feet or so. when it dries, the clanging wire will be held fast.

[Lancer28]

you'll need the mast unstepped and laying flat on its side. Sorry, forgot that part. Otherwise the foam would all travel down to the bottom before it dried.

[J36ZT]

Goletasailor,

I'm not sure exactly what you mean. There are three possibilities that I can think of...

1. Noise is coming from halyards. Solution = keep halyards away from mast (ie attach them to bow). Do not tighten the halyards. Some slack will keep them from being taut and banging around inside the mast.

2. Wire conduit inside mast has come loose. Solution = take mast off of boat and repair conduit attachment. There will be pairs of rivets going up the mast. One of the rivets in each pair goes into the conduit, and the other one is really just a plug to cover the hole where the tool was used to hold the conduit while it was riveted. Be careful when you drill out the old rivets...drilling into the wires wouldn't be good unless you plan on replacing the wiring anyway. If there's a conduit without rivets, that would explain your problem. You should probably consult a rigger or boatyard in either case.

3. Wires are loose inside of mast without being in a conduit. Solution = Take mast off of boat and put wires into a conduit. Again, you should probably consult a rigger or boatyard.

Easiest solution to any of the above = get used to the noise (just kidding).

If the boat doesn't make the noise at dock, but does at anchor, think about what you are doing differently at each place.

Really, we need more information to provide you with a better answer.

Thanks,

Skipper, J/36 "Zero Tolerance"

PS Please let us know where you are anchoring so we'll know where it'll be impossible to get a good nights sleep.

[arf145]

Since you are looking for a solution that doesn't involve unstepping the mast, I think this is going to involve drilling a hole. If you know which side the wire/conduit is supposed to be running down, carefully drill a small hole there, fish a stiff wire with a hook into the hole, try to catch the offender, then secure the wire to the outside of the mast. Won't be particularly pretty, and may not even be recommended. I'm just throwing this out there, in case you're desperate (you are saying "Argh" after all).

Of course, you wouldn't want to secure the wire where it would get in the way of an internal halyard or anything. Now I'll step back and let others tell you what a bad idea this is

[Hartley18]

Originally Posted by arf145

Since you are looking for a solution that doesn't involve unstepping the mast, I think this is going to involve drilling a hole. If you know which side the wire/conduit is supposed to be running down, carefully drill a small hole there, fish a stiff wire with a hook into the hole, try to catch the offender, then secure the wire to the outside of the mast. Won't be particularly pretty, and may not even be recommended. I'm just throwing this out there, in case you're desperate (you are saying "Argh" after all).

Of course, you wouldn't want to secure the wire where it would get in the way of an internal halyard or anything. Now I'll step back and let others tell you what a bad idea this is

Actually, the only thing wrong with your idea is that the single low-pitched banging sound of a loose conduit or wire will be replaced by two higher-pitched banging noises from above and below the fix..

Mast wiring really should be secured the entire way up - unless you're lazy like me and you hang it from the masthead down the center of the mast with internal halyards between it and the mast wall as cushioning... but that's a topic for an entire previous thread.

[Rockter]

There is no way on this earth that I would drill a hole in a mast to silence a rattling wire.
An unplanned hole?, in a mast?

[thekeip]

Fill your mast with sand,,,that'll fix the noise.
H Keiper
Berkeley

[Lancer28]

A new mast might fix that problem too... I never thought about this until now, but they do wear out, and you could have one of those "replace the mast to fix the broken wire" situations!!!