[TakeFive]

While walking across the Spa Creek Bridge in Annapolis yesterday, I heard a huge racket coming from the Annapolis Yacht Club. I looked over and noticed that their entire fleet of J22s had slapping halyards, because they had been left attached to the mainsails under the covers.

I have never had a problem with slapping halyards, because I detach them, give them a couple wraps around a lower shroud, and attach them to the base of my stanchions with light tension. I consider this a courtesy to my dock neighbors, some of whom are already somewhat suspicious of sailboats and would be annoyed by slapping halyards.

Is there some reason the halyard needs to be left attached to the mainsail on a small boat like the J22? I would think a snap shackle would make removal an easy task, especially when the boom is low enough to reach it so easily. Same goes for all small boats, including mine.

 

[Faster]

Personal pet peeve of mine too... I've contributed many of my own stock of small bungees to boats who's owners left a halyard slapping. I often wonder if any of them took the hint and continued to use them.

 

[capta]

The obnoxiousness of slapping halyards is second only to the racket from the cheap AirX type windgens in the anchorages of the Antilles. I do not understand how anyone could live with that noise, but so many do. I've been in several marinas which will charge an owner if they must repeatedly send an employee to the boat to tie off the halyards and extreme offenders are eventually asked to find another marina. The other one which would cause me to sell a boat, as fast as I could, is the slapping of the wires in the mast. There are several boats we know that have this problem and we will not anchor near them, if we see them in an anchorage. I'm not sure what they think when we pick up and move within minutes of their arrival, if they anchor near us, but frankly, I couldn't care less. I just don't understand how they can live with that racket.

 

[Dave_E]

The whiring of the cheaper wind gens might be akin to a house fan or air conditioner... white noise. I sleep with an air conditioner in the room or a fan above my head in the window. Sleep like a baby. But, I can also sleep with ear buds in my head or dead silence.

The halyard slap however... that turns me over.

 

[ajoliver]

The main halyard can be tied off to a shroud without detaching it from the sail. That is what I do.

 

[ccriders]

Like ajoliver said. First flip the working end of the halyard around the spreader, then the bitter end likewise, snug up and cleat and you will have completely quiet halyards, no bungies or tie offs to worry about. That way you don't have to use an expensive snap shackle or remember to take a tool with you when you go to raise the main. KISS exemplified.
John

 

[capta]

The whiring of the cheaper wind gens might be akin to a house fan or air conditioner... white noise. I sleep with an air conditionaer in the room or a fan above my head in the woindow. Sleep like a baby. But, I can also sleep with ear buds in my head or dead silence.
The halyard slap however... that turns me over.

Not to be rude here, but now a days we are hardly talking about a whirring. Those things are often loud enough one cannot have a normal conversation in your own cockpit when the cheap windgens are hundreds of feet away. They seem to be fine for a few months, then the blades get all out of whack, soon causing a terrible bearing rattle. Those pieces of junk are false economy and a lot more on the side of noise pollution than a mere irritant. I'd much rather listen to a portable gene a few hours a day than those things 24. There are at least three around us right now and they truly make sitting in the cockpit in the evening, a less than a pleasurable experience.

 

[travlin-easy]

I just slip a heavy bungee around the halyard and anchor it to the shroud - never slaps. I do the same thing when sailing to prevent mast slapping while underway. It ain't rocket science - just common sense. But as my old dad used to say "Common sense ain't very damned common these days."

Cheers,

Gary

 

[Dave_E]

Not to be rude here, but now a days we are hardly talking about a whirring. Those things are often loud enough one cannot have a normal conversation in your own cockpit when the cheap windgens are hundreds of feet away. They seem to be fine for a few months, then the blades get all out of whack, soon causing a terrible bearing rattle. Those pieces of junk are false economy and a lot more on the side of noise pollution than a mere irritant. I'd much rather listen to a portable gene a few hours a day than those things 24. There are at least three around us right now and they truly make sitting in the cockpit in the evening, a less than a pleasurable experience.

I don't really know how loud they are, so my bad. If the noise is ridiculous, obviously wouldn't want that!

 

[Siamese]

There have been discussions as to whether it's proper to board another boat in the marina where the owner has left the halyard slapping. I don't hesitate to board and tie the halyard off with a piece of scrap.

I figure I'm being a nice guy by not just slicing the darned thing.

 

[Donna_F]

Back to the original question, if I remember the AYC and it's location, it's a racing club, no? There are only one design race boats in the slips so there is no one actually sleeping nearby on a regular basis.

I may be incorrect but my impression of the club is more of a hard-core racing club.

 

[Night_Sailor]

I can't stand halyard slap either. I use bungee cords and small stuff, or fuss with tension to make my boats silent. It comes in handy when anchored. When the other boats get close as the tide drops, you can hear it, wake up and, if necessary, shorten up.

As for the J-22's. It is easy enough to leave the mainsail attached and keep it quiet. I pull the halyard back with a sail-tie.

 

[T37Chef]

Always keep a sharp knife handy, can be useful for many things, such as stopping that annoying halyard slap.

 

[bblument]

I'm not a fan of the sound of halyards dancing away in the breeze, either...and I became "not a fan" before I even knew that one was supposed to do something to prevent it. The first night on our boat, our OWN halyard slapping kept me awake...

Thankfully, a very pleasant person at our marina set me straight with a smile and a helpful hint the next morning, instead of going the other route and treating me like crap just because I was ignorant of proper polite halyard treatment.

I've restrained my halyards two ways; bungee cords to the shrouds, or by wrapping them around the shrouds. When I wrap them around the shrouds, I worry about abrasion at the point where the line rubs against the shrouds, so I've stuck w/ the bungee approach just because it seems kinder to the halyards. Thoughts? I'm going through bungees pretty quick... they get stretched out and sun-faded in a month. O'course, bungees are cheap..


Another question, semi-related... OK, not very related, but it's about lines...

We just hauled out for the winter yesterday. We're leaving the mast up for the first time, so I ran a bunch of messenger lines to get all the halyards and topping lift down for storage. The topping lift (1/4" Staset) and spare/spinnaker halyard (5/16" Staset) were both much stiffer than they were when we installed them new a year ago, and much stiffer than the 3/8" Staset we use for our main halyards and sheets; they didn't coil as easily and softly. Neither of them get the same "excercise" our main and jib halyards and sheets get. Is this typical? Does a stiffening of Staset indicate wear and a need for replacement?

Best to all,

Barry

 

[travlin-easy]

Several years ago, I shredded a couple good halyards by wrapping them around the stays - it was a dumb thing to do and I should have known better.

This solves the problem. The only way the halyards will rattle against the mast is during a hurricane.

Gary

 

[TakeFive]

Back to the original question, if I remember the AYC and it's location, it's a racing club, no? There are only one design race boats in the slips so there is no one actually sleeping nearby on a regular basis.

I may be incorrect but my impression of the club is more of a hard-core racing club.

The noise was huge - a whole orchestra of slaps. I heard the trailered boats from across the bridge.

You are right, they're hard core racers. Tell me how slapping halyards makes their boats faster.

 

[outbound]

Wash your lines and the stiffness will go away. I get lots of noise from sheets in the winches if they have have gotten wet with salt spray then dried. Some use fresh to wash spray off their stainless which is wise. I've been taught to also spray down all running rigging and winches.
I have two D400s. I tie them off if in a marina and plugged in. However they make a trivial amount of noise. Not all wind generators are the same. Interestingly was told to not put them on "brake". Apparently it's bad for them to be left on brake for prolonged periods of time.
Halyard issue goes away if you have mast pulpits. Good place to tie things off. I've had prior experience on earlier boat of using bungee just like in the picture and having it migrate up becoming ineffectual.

 

[Donna_F]

...

You are right, they're hard core racers. Tell me how slapping halyards makes their boats faster.

I guess I meant that it's not like a regular marina. There won't be people sleeping on boats nearby. The only boats there are other race boats.

I'm not trying to excuse it, just offering up a (perhaps half-assed) explanation.

 

[Sublime]

Hearing them at the marina is music to me.

I leave mine attached but it's slack enough that it doesn't slap.

 

[SHNOOL]

I tie off my halyards most of the time... My halyards are partially internal, and when the winds pick up the slap internally which is hard to eliminate...

Genoa halyard connects to the pulpit (no slap)
Main halyard connects to the aft end of the boom (no slap)
spinnaker halyard connects to the spin pole ring (that can slap, if it does, I throw a bungee on it to the spreader, and leave it there).

Slapping halyards do no damage (that I know of)... so it's more a noise courtesy than anything else.

I've heard softening with woolite works.