Clank . . . clank . . . clank. The halyards were quiet earlier, but as the wind changed they’re driving you nuts, particularly if you are trying to sleep.
But if you’re new, it can be equally frustrating to figure out how to stop the clanking.
First off, what seems like the obvious choice — tightening the halyards so there is no slack to clank — does not work. It just changes the pitch of the clank.
On our personal boats and several charter boats that we’ve been on, we’ve learned numerous ways that work. All involve getting the halyard far enough away from the mast that it can’t bang against it. And note that if you have external halyards, both ends may need to be led away from the mast.
Bungee to Sidestays
Using bungee cords to pull halyards away from the mast is the fastest and easiest solution . . . if you have a bunch of bungee cords.
Simply slack the halyard a bit, hook the bungee on it and then hook the bungee on the sidestay. If it’s too long to really pull the halyard off the mast, we tie a knot in the bungee or wrap the bungee around the sidestay and hook it back on the halyard or on another halyard if there are two that we need to quiet.
Out in the sun, bungees will last anywhere from six months to a year. We use them for many things and tend to just buy a “jar” of varied sizes, either from a home improvement store or Amazon:
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- Jar of 24 Assorted Bungee Cords with Hooks on Amazon or see related products for more options
Note: the mini bungee cords are great for many things on a boat, but aren’t strong enough to keep halyards from clanking.
Alternative: In a pinch, you can do the same thing with a piece of line, but it takes longer to set up and longer to un-rig when you want to sail. Smaller line works better than heavier line.
Shroud Cleat
If you looked closely at the picture above, you may have noticed another way to keep halyards off the mast: a shroud cleat. These are usually used for cleating off flag halyards, but often have an eye at the top that you can clip a halyard to. Tighten the halyard so that there is no slack to slap against the mast.
You can get lightweight nylon and plastic shroud cleats with eyes on Amazon (see here) but we greatly prefer the stainless ones available from C. Sherman Johnson via West Marine (and interestingly, they’re about the same price as many of the lesser quality ones on Amazon):
They are slightly cheaper from Defender, but if you’re near a West Marine Store their free ship-to-store more than makes up for it.
Hook Halyards to Handrails
If your halyards are long enough and you have handrails in the right spot, you can wrap the halyard around the handrail and clip it back to itself, then tighten the halyard to keep it off the mast.
Belaying Pin Rack
Sometimes, “classic” looking boats, such as our former Tayana 37, will have a rack of belaying pins on the shrouds. These are perfect for attaching the halyards to!
Depending on the halyard length, you can wrap them around the pins, just wrap around the bar and clip back on the halyard or make a loop from another line around the bar and clip the halyard to that. Again, tighten the halyard so there is no slack.
Be Kind to Your Neighbors
Even if you don’t spend nights on your boat, be kind to your neighbors and silence your halyards. If you’re not on your boat fulltime — or are leaving for a few days — you probably have one or two people that you’ve asked to “keep an eye” on your boat. Be sure that they know that it’s okay to come aboard to quiet a clanking halyard should the need arise!
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Carolyn Shearlock has lived aboard full-time for 17 years, splitting her time between a Tayana 37 monohull and a Gemini 105 catamaran. She’s cruised over 14,000 miles, from Pacific Mexico and Central America to Florida and the Bahamas, gaining firsthand experience with the joys and challenges of life on the water.
Through The Boat Galley, Carolyn has helped thousands of people explore, prepare for, and enjoy life afloat. She shares her expertise as an instructor at Cruisers University, in leading boating publications, and through her bestselling book, The Boat Galley Cookbook. She is passionate about helping others embark on their liveaboard journey—making life on the water simpler, safer, and more enjoyable.
Cory N Mendy says
Oh lord this brings back memories of being naked on deck at two am just pulling as hard as I could on those halyards wondering why it wasn’t helping. Sigh.
Ken Karibe says
I’ve found very long lasting bungees at Home Depot. They are orange and come in a plastic jar. I believe they are store branded HPX.
Scott Beachbum says
But I like the sound…
Sailboat windchimes!
Pamela Dakin Harwood says
I don’t mind when they are slatting against a wood mast, but otherwise it keeps me awake.
Tom Haupt says
Why? I love that sound.
Dan N Jaye says
Besides annoying the neighbours it puts lots of unnecessary wear on your halyards and you will have to replace them sooner.
David says
Exactly! Ever heard the term gill guys used to describe the devices to prevent banging? I can not find it written but old sailors told me about that term
Tami says
Slatting halyards: not only chafing the halyard itself, but is eating the anodizing, paint, or whatever finish on the mast. Not good.
Fiona Winter says
One of my favorite memories of sailing is those old halyards clanking! ⛵️
Ted Broom says
We used bunch cords for years. Get longer life out of them by wiping high spf sunscreen into them once in a while. Works great to get longer life out of them.
Patti Smith says
I love the sound of them clanking, it’s soothing
Ray-Dianna Kowerchuk says
Yes it’s my wind chime
Ron Madewell says
Gee Carolyn, it appears your rapidly being outvoted. Sorry, have to join crew for a mutiny…lol
Carolyn Shearlock says
I’m really surprised at how many say they like it. Somehow, I don’t think they live full time on their boats . . .
Keith & Nicki, s/v Sionna says
In fairness to both, from a distance I find the sound pleasant, but on our boat or a closer neighboring boat, it’s maddening! I too have done the “naked madness at 3am” routine trying to silence the noise! And we have a ketch, so twice as many lines to deal with!
On Sionna we have short lengths of small line (3/16″) permanently served to the forward lower shrouds of both masts for the purpose. Free, simple to adjust, and last a couple of years, even with daily liveaboard use. Stow with a rolling hitch to the shroud when we’re sailing, always there when we need them.
Ted Broom says
Got to agree with you Carolyn. It’s may be ok for a short period of cocktails in the evening, but all night trying to sleep with hatches open will drive us nuts. We have found that mostly it comes from unattended boats.
Florian Wolf says
That’s why you need to have a wooden boat with wooden rig and proper ropes – not the modern stuff :-)…
Karen Stresau says
Barking dogs are another major annoyance.
el says
Can you bind them to the shrouds as well? Or maybe the owners?
Carolyn Shearlock says
That would make it a little tough when you want to go sailing — much longer to undo.
Tim Seppala says
Halyards… after 39 years aboard. I agree -All your comments are true. Now I wish my neighbors would only agree…
Bill Witherup says
Interesting solutions, but why not use what you’re likely to already have? For traditional rigs, simply lead the aft lead of the halyard forward of the spreaders with a flip of the slack, ditto the forward lead aft of the spreader. Belay at the normal points of cleat and spinnaker pole ring or whatever on the mast. Don’t tension too tight. With the halyards “fouled”in diamond loops on the spreader and upper shrouds,you’ll have a quiet night. In the morning simply flip them free and tension off again. If you have a noisy “halyard” that you cannot trace at 3:00 am, it might be time to investigate internal wiring to the masthead. Unfortunately, that’s not quite so easy to fix.
Cap'n Dave says
This is the easiest method I’ve found, but it does lead to chafe. The new (or should I say “new” – it’s been a couple of years now) jib halyard I put up is already showing some fuzz where it hits the upper shrouds.
As for the wiring inside the mast? Yep, I hear it, but only if I go into the head at 3am (keel-stepped mast). I rarely hear it when I’m in the V-berth.
Now if I can just arrest the harmonic vibration of the shrouds themselves! Sometimes that really creates a staccato that you can’t really hear outside, but oh can you hear it down below!
Liah Hunter says
I live on our race boat, again full of interesting challenges, especially with 4 headsail halyards, a foil, main halyard and topper. Makes quite a racket when the wind gets up. We’ve discovered clipping them to the lifelines works best as it’s furthest from the mast and means you can easily see if they’re tangled before you go sailing. Then we use one to wrap a couple of turns around the foil and that stops that rattling.
As far as damage goes, our neighbour’s Ladyjacks were run forward and have carved massive gouges into his carbon mast!
Anonymous says
Your marina neighbors will thank you
Don says
Any advice to silence the noise of wires inside the mast?
Carolyn Shearlock says
I have heard of people cutting up pool noodles and sliding section in the mast, and others who have used styrofoam peanuts. With either, you have to be very careful not to bind up the halyards — and it’s a bear of a job if you ever want to get them out. I’ve never personally done either.
Mara - S/V Dust in the Wind says
When mast is down and you are possibly re-wiring, tie wires together with a cable tie and leave the tail on on. Stagger their direction. In-mast halyards, etc. will still work through and slide on by, but the wiring will stay silent and you will be able to sleep! Did that on our Tartan 27-2…..what a difference!!! Just moved up to a Pearson 34-2 and can’t wait to take the mast down to do the same. May have to wait another year though. Everything works, and it’s not in the budget for just a noise issue! 🙁
Mara says
PS – Pool noodles/pipe covers, styrofoam peanuts, etc. will all eventually degrade…..making a huge mess!
Carolyn Shearlock says
The one problem with using wire ties (zip ties/cable ties) is that if you ever need to replace just ONE of the wires — and want to remove the bad wire — it’s impossible to do so.
Mark says
Wonder, since many boaters also might have a bicycle on board, they might have some old innertubes as well. Would cutting them into sleeve lengths of fully extended bungee cord, and then slipping them over the said bungee cord for sun protection?
Angela Sargent says
Gentle musical wind chiming halyards are not the problem! Hammer and tongs that play a variable volume percussion, fading away just long enough to lull the nearby sailor to sleep, then reaching a sudden crescendo in the wee small hours with a gusty blow going through are maddening!