Loud Crack Sound at Night

[JeffBurright]

Hi all,
I was wondering if this sound I hear in the evenings is normal. I live on a wood/epoxy/glass composite sailboat with a fiberglass deck in Seattle, and nearly every night I'll hear a single loud crack coming from the direction of either the deck, the side hull, or the window housing (it's a single large sheet of poly-something adhered and bolted in place).

My guess is that it has to do with the expansion and contraction of one of these components as the day cools off, but it's loud enough to be startling and a little worrisome. Do other folks experience this? Should I worry about the wood cracking or some other kind of separation taking place?

Thanks,
Jeff

[AdamLein]

Do you have a neighbor with poor docking skills?

[wwilson]

Originally Posted by JeffBurright

nearly every night I'll hear a single loud crack coming from the direction of either the deck, the side hull, or the window housing

Jeff,

I sail a fiberglas boat slathered with mahogany in its innards and (unfortunately) teak on the deck. Occasionally I hear a similar, "pop" that is the difference in expansion, or contraction between the dissimilar materials. Unless the "pop" precedes a frantic bilge pump, I'll bet your noise is from similar source.

Wayne

[Vasco]

The dreaded pistol shrimp again!!! But only one this time.

[JeffBurright]

Oh Jeez, I had to wiki the pistol shrimp. Thanks for the new nightmares.

[Vasco]

Have you looked at the you tube video?

[SEMIJim]

Shrimp that "pack heat," one could say

Jim

[OhioTom]

My guess would be the window housing you mention. A large sheet can expand and contract quite a bit over the temperature change between night and day. If its bolted on, it could be that there is not enough flexibility in its mounting and that is causing the sound. Are there any cracks?