Securing Halyards

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by MichaelNW

A split pool noodle is great for keeping the halyards from slapping.

I’ve wondered about the insulation that is put on airconditioner lines myself, pool noodles degrade quickly in the sun.

[sailcrazy]

following. The pool noodle sounds like a good plan, and can do double duty when you're swimming off the boat!

[zeehag]

i befoul my lines around shrouds and spreaders and affix away from mast whenever possible.
i dislike spending money needlessly on halyards and painting my woodenmast when lines rupture from slap slap slap..it isnot merely hardware failure slapping halyards create. i learned at a very early age how to properly stow/leave
my boat.
and i love the noises the returning alleged sailors make when they find their slapping halyards have finally --has only been pone season--failed..hahahahaha
aint my misfortune. i have enough of my own that i need not concern meself with the fails of others. learning happens.
but the sound of slapping halyards is not the sound of good seamanship

[JPA Cate]

Someone above wrote this:

The mods should be dealing with that, not you.

Actually, the rules say, "be nice", and also say that we are to be respectful with our posts. In other words, the moderators will hold the members responsible for staying within the community rules.....Or, put another way, to be self moderating. There are two buttons on each page that one can use to check the rules, one at the top that says "Community," and one at the bottom, which says "Community Rules".

Ann

[Wanton]

Originally Posted by Hartings

So what’s the best way to stop a halyard from slapping against the mast (other than removing it) ?

The best way to stop a halyard banging and hitting the mast or other fitting is simple. Cleat the offending halyard tight, take a piece of rope or a bungee cord and tie the line from the halyard to a side stay or forestay tight. That will stop the halyard banging on the mast.

If the offending halyard is on another boat and the owner is away, don't stand there taking a video, get a piece of rope and do as above.

If the offending noise is coming from a flopping jib or sail on another boat and the owner is away, don't stand there taking video of it, go on board and secure the sail. The owner will thank you for helping out perhaps saving his sail from flogging and tearing itself to bits. I once arrived to where my boat was moored and saw a group of yachties tut tutting about a furled jib that was flogging itself to pieces on an unattended boat. I immediately went onto the boat and pulled the sail down and tied it up. What is wrong with people to just stand there and watch damage being done to a unattended boat?

Remember many people have hearing problems, so just because you can hear the noise they probably can't. All you need to do is simply and nicely point out the issue and perhaps even share your vast knowledge about how to remedy the situation. We are yachties, supposedly helpful to one another.

[emenskl]

A bungee cord between any offending lines and a stay works for me.

[Lihuedooley77]

Good points.....

Securing the main halyard is automatic and keeps the halyard from constantly slapping against the mast.

We use line or a sail tie to tie the halyard off to a shroud and keep it away from the mast...works for extra halyards as well.

* Or the main halyard itself lead aft and snap shackle or secure it back to the topping lift fitting . Take a purchase on the halyard and cleat in down.

* Or secured to a line vertically up a ways to the halyard and lead back to the topping lift fastening, Tightly secure.

* Or the line or halyard lead back to one of the strong straps that hold the stack pack for the main. Lead it back several feet and the halyard is totally away from the mast and tight .

No slapping or banging, and the halyard is totally secured . Peace and quiet.
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Preparing for hoisting the main .

Since we are going to be sailing, when rigging the vessel for sea, release and remove any of those those types of preventers, and run a temporary ' down haul '. That takes the slack out of the loose halyard and having it wrap around a spreader.

Easy and quick. We take the halyard it itself, lead from the head of the sail, down and tightly secured with a half wrap to a lower mast mast cleat . Then take a purchase on the the main halyard , nice and tight.

When ready to haul up the main, ease off the halyard, release the down haul at the cleat and haul up the main. One of us is jumping the halyard at the mast the other is hauling the main up with the winch back in the cockpit.
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On, one more idea to keep our lives easy.

If the winds are strong, before leaving the dock, or mooring or anchor, we tuck in a single or double reef before departing with the main sail down. It does take some effort to make sure that the tack and the leach reefing points are tightly secured and the new foot of the reefed main pulled aft and very tight.

Easier to haul up the , less time involved and no bounding about on the fore deck to reef the main when outside at sea.
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Down in the BVI, or anyplace, 90 % of the anchored or moored vessels do not tie off their halyards and slap and bang away day and night.

Both catamarans and monohulls.

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We also see when on a mooring or in a slip , that many of the sailing vessels do not bring the main luff down all the way, and some have 25 to 35 % of the main still up while in a slip or moored.

We all understand that it is some times very difficult to reach up and get the luff of the main all the way down .

That is easily remedied by walking up to the mast with a boat hook, and pull the luff sail slides down. and then secure the main halyard properly.
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Jib Roller snarling lines, should also be secured properly and the tails coiled and secured as well....and of course the roller furling jib rolled in all the way, with three wraps around the rolled in sail. Or in a strong wind, that jib can blow out and be destroyed....or worse .
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Seamanship, and thinking of others is a good quality in the posters here.

But, those seamanship ideas are not practiced by the majority of sailors. Just take a walk around a marina when any wind is up and listen to the pinging and clanking halyards. Or, when in a mooring field.

Ear plugs come in handy , when sleeping aboard.

Or PLAN ' X ' ....Harrgghh, Hoist the jolly roger, , away all boarding parties, board the offenders, vessel, cut and free their halyard, bind the perpetrators round and round with their errant halyard, toss em down below onto the cabin sole,and pilfer their rum locker to continue the party back on board your vessel.

Aye, a bit harsh, but that might be the only way for them to get a clue .

[Helliope]

My headsail halyard runs internal to the mast, my main halyard I have long enough to leave attached to the sail, pull it along the stack pack and fasten the rope to a clip on the end of the boom.

[GordMay]

Greetings and belated welcome aboard the CF, Helliope.

[djhsailor]

I've had trouble with slapping wiring and internal halyards on my Irwin 34' sloop forever, especially at anchor with the slightest roll. I'm ready to try drilling 4 to 6 1/8" or 3/16" holes through mast, half way up, and crisscrossing long zip ties horizontally through the holes.