Wire ties prevent a midnight cacophony
Issue 44: Sept/Oct 2005
A WHILE BACK, WE HAD THE OCCASION TO SPEND THE NIGHT aboard our boat at an unfamiliar marina. The wind was freshening and the water was stirring in the bay, causing our boat to do some rocking. About 2 a.m. (why is it always the middle of the night when things happen?), I was awakened by the sound of something banging on the mast. Knowing that my halyards, topping lift, and lazy jacks are all external to the mast, I guessed that I had forgotten to properly secure them away from the mast, thus avoiding such a cacophony.
I shook my head clear of sleep, zipped my windbreaker up over my pajamas, grabbed a flashlight, and headed up the companionway. I discovered that the lines had been properly secured, but the noise continued. Pressing my ear to the mast, I determined that the sound was coming from inside. The wiring from my anchor light, steaming light, and antenna were dangling about inside and causing the rattling sound. This had to be corrected but not in the middle of the night.
Later, with the mast down, I saw the loose wires that had been responsible for the noise. Since I’ve been wanting to install a foredeck light for some time, I used this opportunity to also eliminate the mast rattle. I fastened a messenger line to the wires at the top of the mast and pulled them out through the base. I added a pair of wires for the foredeck light and bound all the wires together using cable ties.
I placed the cable ties at 12- to 14-inch intervals, their tails left long and each offset approximately 120 degrees from the other. After using the messenger line to pull the wires back into the mast, I made the appropriate connections. Looking inside, I saw that the wire ties, with the tails attached, held all the wiring essentially in the center of the mast. It’s been quite some time since I performed this fix, and I’m happy to report that my mast is rattle-free.
Thank you to Sailrite Enterprises, Inc., for providing free access to back issues of Good Old Boat through intellectual property rights. Sailrite.com
