Wires slapping inside the mast

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1

Posted by Mike Kovacic (sailslakemichigan@…>)
Greetings Fellow Freedom Owners!

I have a 36 with a platform extension (Refuge, White Lake on Lake Michigan). I love the boat and have sailed from Cedar Point in Lake Erie to Muskegon in Lake Michigan with visits to many points in between including the North Channel. The boat has preformed well in all types of conditions. We do have one annoyance however, and that is the slapping of the wires that run to the anchor light, wind instrument and anntenna through the inside of the mast. I tried using a series of foam wedges fastened on a 2X2 that I pushed up maybe 12 feet or so into the mast when it was down for winter storage. My thinking was that if the wires were tight inside the mast that is in the cabin this would reduce the noise in the forward bunk. But alas, this did not work. I was just wondering if anyone else has this problem. When we are in a quiet anchorage, it is great, but the minute we get the slightest wave action, they start slapping. I
suppose we could try sleeping in the aft bunk, but we have always used the v-bunk on all the boats we have owned since the mid-eighties…

Your thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks

Mike
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2

Posted by mike_c_f35ck (mike_c_f35ck@…>)

The simplest but least elegant cure is to hoist a series of lumps of
foam tied to a thin line into your mast. Use one of the halyards to
get this line through the mast. If you’re at it: pull up another
line as a leader in case you want to pull up extra wiring.

good luck.

— In freedomyachts2003@yahoogroups.com, Mike Kovacic
<sailslakemichigan@y…> wrote:

Greetings Fellow Freedom Owners!

I have a 36 with a platform extension (Refuge, White Lake on Lake
Michigan). I love the boat and have sailed from Cedar Point in Lake
Erie to Muskegon in Lake Michigan with visits to many points in
between including the North Channel. The boat has preformed well in
all types of conditions. We do have one annoyance however, and that
is the slapping of the wires that run to the anchor light, wind
instrument and anntenna through the inside of the mast. I tried
using a series of foam wedges fastened on a 2X2 that I pushed up
maybe 12 feet or so into the mast when it was down for winter
storage. My thinking was that if the wires were tight inside the
mast that is in the cabin this would reduce the noise in the forward
bunk. But alas, this did not work. I was just wondering if anyone
else has this problem. When we are in a quiet anchorage, it is
great, but the minute we get the slightest wave action, they start
slapping. I suppose we could try sleeping in the aft bunk, but we
have
always used the v-bunk on all the boats we have owned since the
mid-eighties…

Your thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks

Mike

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3

Posted by lemonsbgi (sklklemon@…>)

Depends on how much work you choose to invest. On our 40/40, when the
mast was out for cross country transport, I had a conduit installed
inside the mast. This takes some time and effort, but the wires are
totally quiet. We used gray PVC electrical conduit. This has slip
joints between the 10’ pieces. Don’t glue the joints so it can flex
with the mast. Once the pieces are assembled, they can be pop riveted
inside the mast. This requires two SMALL drill holes about every 5 to
7 feet, one for the rivet and one for the holder. The holder hole is
then filled with epoxy. After pulling the wires, don’t forget to
leave a pull string for any future additions. So far (4 years since
installation) everything has been silent. Steve Lemon

— In freedomyachts2003@yahoogroups.com, Mike Kovacic
<sailslakemichigan@y…> wrote:

Greetings Fellow Freedom Owners!

I have a 36 with a platform extension (Refuge, White Lake on Lake
Michigan). I love the boat and have sailed from Cedar Point in Lake
Erie to Muskegon in Lake Michigan with visits to many points in
between including the North Channel. The boat has preformed well in
all types of conditions. We do have one annoyance however, and that
is the slapping of the wires that run to the anchor light, wind
instrument and anntenna through the inside of the mast. I tried
using a series of foam wedges fastened on a 2X2 that I pushed up
maybe 12 feet or so into the mast when it was down for winter
storage. My thinking was that if the wires were tight inside the
mast that is in the cabin this would reduce the noise in the forward
bunk. But alas, this did not work. I was just wondering if anyone
else has this problem. When we are in a quiet anchorage, it is
great, but the minute we get the slightest wave action, they start
slapping. I suppose we could try sleeping in the aft bunk, but we
have
always used the v-bunk on all the boats we have owned since the
mid-eighties…

Your thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks

Mike

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4

Posted by Brian Guptil (sailordude@…>)

Wire Slap!
I have done 3 freedoms using cable ties on the wire bundle every 6 feet. I lace the cable ties one into the next to make a three element star. Use long ones like 12 in. or more and that have some stiffness and do not trim them. As they go in, they will bend and that is desired. Make sure that the star is tight on the cable bundle or they will slip.

This arrangement does not interfere with the halyards or running new halyards if one backs out.

One other thing I do is remove the heavy gray multi-conductor cable Freedom used for the masthead lights and replace it with surplus aircraft multi-conductor cable of the same wire size. Aircraft wire is less then half the weight of the gray stuff and is tinned as marine wiring should be.

If you are going to re-install the gray cable, maybe putting the cable ties at 3 of 4 foot would help deal with the added weight of that cable.

Brian Guptil http://www.brigup.com206-818-3203 sailordude@…1735 112th Ave. N.E.Bellevue, WA. 98004-3706

----- Original Message -----
From: Mike Kovacic
To: freedomyachts2003@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Monday, September 20, 2004 1:54 PM
Subject: [freedomyachts2003] Wires slapping inside the mast

Greetings Fellow Freedom Owners!

I have a 36 with a platform extension (Refuge, White Lake on Lake Michigan). I love the boat and have sailed from Cedar Point in Lake Erie to Muskegon in Lake Michigan with visits to many points in between including the North Channel. The boat has preformed well in all types of conditions. We do have one annoyance however, and that is the slapping of the wires that run to the anchor light, wind instrument and anntenna through the inside of the mast. I tried using a series of foam wedges fastened on a 2X2 that I pushed up maybe 12 feet or so into the mast when it was down for winter storage. My thinking was that if the wires were tight inside the mast that is in the cabin this would reduce the noise in the forward bunk. But alas, this did not work. I was just wondering if anyone else has this problem. When we are in a quiet anchorage, it is great, but the minute we get the slightest wave action, they start slapping. I suppose we could try sleeping in the aft bunk, but we have always used the v-bunk on all the boats we have owned since the mid-eighties…

Your thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks

Mike


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5

Posted by gjschouten (schouten@…>)

Hi Brian,
Confirm, large cable wrapes do work very well.
I love the simplicity of this perfect solution.
Good alternative to the aircraft surplus cable is the perhaps more
accessable “Oxygen free” loudspeaker cable that audio fanatics use.
This cable does not corrode like standard untinned cable and also has
a large conductor diameter which means that you actually end up with
close to 12 volt at the top of your mast. (Audio freeks look for low
ohmic behaviour)
It is available is every high end audio store, at a price of course.
Gio


— In freedomyachts2003@yahoogroups.com, “Brian Guptil”
<sailordude@b…> wrote:

Wire Slap!
I have done 3 freedoms using cable ties on the wire bundle every 6
feet. I lace the cable ties one into the next to make a three element
star. Use long ones like 12 in. or more and that have some stiffness
and do not trim them. As they go in, they will bend and that is
desired. Make sure that the star is tight on the cable bundle or they
will slip.

This arrangement does not interfere with the halyards or running new
halyards if one backs out.

One other thing I do is remove the heavy gray multi-conductor cable
Freedom used for the masthead lights and replace it with surplus
aircraft multi-conductor cable of the same wire size. Aircraft wire
is less then half the weight of the gray stuff and is tinned as marine
wiring should be.

If you are going to re-install the gray cable, maybe putting the
cable ties at 3 of 4 foot would help deal with the added weight of
that cable.

Brian Guptil http://www.brigup.com
206-818-3203 sailordude@b…
1735 112th Ave. N.E.
Bellevue, WA. 98004-3706

----- Original Message -----
From: Mike Kovacic
To: freedomyachts2003@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Monday, September 20, 2004 1:54 PM
Subject: [freedomyachts2003] Wires slapping inside the mast

Greetings Fellow Freedom Owners!

I have a 36 with a platform extension (Refuge, White Lake on Lake
Michigan). I love the boat and have sailed from Cedar Point in Lake
Erie to Muskegon in Lake Michigan with visits to many points in
between including the North Channel. The boat has preformed well in
all types of conditions. We do have one annoyance however, and that
is the slapping of the wires that run to the anchor light, wind
instrument and anntenna through the inside of the mast. I tried using
a series of foam wedges fastened on a 2X2 that I pushed up maybe 12
feet or so into the mast when it was down for winter storage. My
thinking was that if the wires were tight inside the mast that is in
the cabin this would reduce the noise in the forward bunk. But alas,
this did not work. I was just wondering if anyone else has this
problem. When we are in a quiet anchorage, it is great, but the
minute we get the slightest wave action, they start slapping. I
suppose we could try sleeping in the aft bunk, but we have always used
the v-bunk on all the boats we have owned since the mid-eighties…

Your thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks

Mike

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6

Posted by Mike Kovacic (sailslakemichigan@…>)
Thanks Brian for the Brian Guptil <sailordude@…> wrote:

Wire Slap!
I have done 3 freedoms using cable ties on the wire bundle every 6 feet. I lace the cable ties one into the next to make a three element star. Use long ones like 12 in. or more and that have some stiffness and do not trim them. As they go in, they will bend and that is desired. Make sure that the star is tight on the cable bundle or they will slip.

This arrangement does not interfere with the halyards or running new halyards if one backs out.

One other thing I do is remove the heavy gray multi-conductor cable Freedom used for the masthead lights and replace it with surplus aircraft multi-conductor cable of the same wire size. Aircraft wire is less then half the weight of the gray stuff and is tinned as marine wiring should be.

If you are going to re-install the gray cable, maybe putting the cable ties at 3 of 4 foot would help deal with the added weight of that cable.

Brian Guptil http://www.brigup.com206-818-3203 sailordude@…1735 112th Ave. N.E.Bellevue, WA. 98004-3706

----- Original Message -----
From: Mike Kovacic
To: freedomyachts2003@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Monday, September 20, 2004 1:54 PM
Subject: [freedomyachts2003] Wires slapping inside the mast

Greetings Fellow Freedom Owners!

I have a 36 with a platform extension (Refuge, White Lake on Lake Michigan). I love the boat and have sailed from Cedar Point in Lake Erie to Muskegon in Lake Michigan with visits to many points in between including the North Channel. The boat has preformed well in all types of conditions. We do have one annoyance however, and that is the slapping of the wires that run to the anchor light, wind instrument and anntenna through the inside of the mast. I tried using a series of foam wedges fastened on a 2X2 that I pushed up maybe 12 feet or so into the mast when it was down for winter storage. My thinking was that if the wires were tight inside the mast that is in the cabin this would reduce the noise in the forward bunk. But alas, this did not work. I was just wondering if anyone else has this problem. When we are in a quiet anchorage, it is great, but the minute we get the slightest wave action, they start slapping. I
suppose we could try sleeping in the aft bunk, but we have always used the v-bunk on all the boats we have owned since the mid-eighties…

Your thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks

Mike


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7

Posted by Mike Kovacic (sailslakemichigan@…>)
Hi Mike,

What size were the foam pieces that you used? Are you suggesting random sizes and shapes? How did you fasten them to the string? How did you fasten the string in the top of the mast? Does the halyard action tend to flake pieces of foam that collect in the bottom of the mast over time?

Thanks

Mikemike_c_f35ck <mike_c_f35ck@…> wrote:
The simplest but least elegant cure is to hoist a series of lumps of foam tied to a thin line into your mast. Use one of the halyards to get this line through the mast. If you’re at it: pull up another line as a leader in case you want to pull up extra wiring.good luck.— In freedomyachts2003@yahoogroups.com, Mike Kovacic <sailslakemichigan@y…> wrote:> Greetings Fellow Freedom Owners!> > I have a 36 with a platform extension (Refuge, White Lake on Lake Michigan). I love the boat and have sailed from Cedar Point in Lake Erie to Muskegon in Lake Michigan with visits to many points in between including the North Channel. The boat has preformed well in all types of conditions. We do have one annoyance however, and that is the slapping of the wires that run to the
anchor light, wind instrument and anntenna through the inside of the mast. I tried using a series of foam wedges fastened on a 2X2 that I pushed up maybe 12 feet or so into the mast when it was down for winter storage. My thinking was that if the wires were tight inside the mast that is in the cabin this would reduce the noise in the forward bunk. But alas, this did not work. I was just wondering if anyone else has this problem. When we are in a quiet anchorage, it is great, but the minute we get the slightest wave action, they start slapping. I suppose we could try sleeping in the aft bunk, but we have> always used the v-bunk on all the boats we have owned since the mid-eighties…> > Your thoughts would be appreciated.> > Thanks > > Mike> > >
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8

Posted by jaf177b6 (jfarrell@…>)

I had the same problem on my 1987 F36/F38 (hull 59) until I had the
mast rewired last winter (new anchor and steaming light and new VHF
cable). The entire mess was cable tied with foam insulation. I no
longer hear anything at all and I anchor frequently in Maine and the
boat rolls around a lot at its slip in Georgetown, ME. NOTE: I made
one mistake that I regret - that is I did not have the green bonding
(mast head ground wire replaced). It is pre-tinned wire vintage and
is not ABYC compliant for grounding, etc. If you are going to have
someone bundle your wires, you might consider replacing what needs to
be replaced and upgrading your ground while you’re at it. You would
be surprised at the corrosion over time (maybe less for you in a
fresh water environment). - Jim F.

9

Posted by mike_c_f35ck (mike_c_f35ck@…>)

My foam pieces were cheap sponges to wash your car with. At the top
of the mast, I used a few halp-sponges. I tied the sponges with
knots to the string with some 6-8 feet in between the foam blocks. I
have no internal halyards, so that’s no issue with me. I suppose the
foam wil flake over time, but only the bottom foam block wil drop
flakes inside the mast at the bottom.

— In freedomyachts2003@yahoogroups.com, Mike Kovacic
<sailslakemichigan@y…> wrote:

Hi Mike,

What size were the foam pieces that you used? Are you suggesting
random sizes and shapes? How did you fasten them to the string? How
did you fasten the string in the top of the mast? Does the halyard
action tend to flake pieces of foam that collect in the bottom of the
mast over time?

Thanks

Mike

mike_c_f35ck <mike_c_f35ck@y…> wrote:
The simplest but least elegant cure is to hoist a series of lumps
of
foam tied to a thin line into your mast. Use one of the halyards
to
get this line through the mast. If you’re at it: pull up another
line as a leader in case you want to pull up extra wiring.

good luck.

— In freedomyachts2003@yahoogroups.com, Mike Kovacic
<sailslakemichigan@y…> wrote:

Greetings Fellow Freedom Owners!

I have a 36 with a platform extension (Refuge, White Lake on Lake
Michigan). I love the boat and have sailed from Cedar Point in
Lake
Erie to Muskegon in Lake Michigan with visits to many points in
between including the North Channel. The boat has preformed well
in
all types of conditions. We do have one annoyance however, and
that
is the slapping of the wires that run to the anchor light, wind
instrument and anntenna through the inside of the mast. I tried
using a series of foam wedges fastened on a 2X2 that I pushed up
maybe 12 feet or so into the mast when it was down for winter
storage. My thinking was that if the wires were tight inside the
mast that is in the cabin this would reduce the noise in the
forward
bunk. But alas, this did not work. I was just wondering if anyone
else has this problem. When we are in a quiet anchorage, it is
great, but the minute we get the slightest wave action, they start
slapping. I suppose we could try sleeping in the aft bunk, but we
have
always used the v-bunk on all the boats we have owned since the
mid-eighties…

Your thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks

Mike

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10

Posted by Mike Kovacic (sailslakemichigan@…>)
Thanks for the reply…

Mike
jaf177b6 <jfarrell@…> wrote:
I had the same problem on my 1987 F36/F38 (hull 59) until I had the mast rewired last winter (new anchor and steaming light and new VHF cable). The entire mess was cable tied with foam insulation. I no longer hear anything at all and I anchor frequently in Maine and the boat rolls around a lot at its slip in Georgetown, ME. NOTE: I made one mistake that I regret - that is I did not have the green bonding (mast head ground wire replaced). It is pre-tinned wire vintage and is not ABYC compliant for grounding, etc. If you are going to have someone bundle your wires, you might consider replacing what needs to be replaced and upgrading your ground while you’re at it. You would be surprised at the corrosion over time (maybe less for you in a fresh water environment). - Jim F.
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