Noisy Boom internals Bav39 2006

[Ziffius]

Boom with stack pack and 3 reef lines on my Bav 39 makes horrible clattering noise when at anchor and the boat and rolls. Noise can be alleviated by not securing the boom allowing it to swing  as the boat rolls but would rather have it secured tight. The noise sounds like the internal bits of the the reefing mechanism clattering - anyone experienced this and figured a way to quiet the noise?

[Odysseus]

It's common to get a humming noise that penetrates the boat,  I found it's a trade off between topping lift and main sheet, I have made up a burgee  line that pulls the boom to one side. It works 95% of the time,
Odysseus

[MarkTheBike]

Hi Ziffius

B34 - I get the same humming as Odysseus, caused by the topping lift when it's tight. I stick a shockcord from the topping lift to the backstay to change the resonance length. I also got horrible creaking from the boom (same setup as yours), whenever she was rolling (running or at anchor) and eventually discovered it came from wear in the boom gooseneck as the sail or rolling caused the boom to twist from side to side. Don't know if that's the same as you're getting but it is loud and un-nerving. I swapped the boom gooseneck with the kicker one and used nylon shims to reduce the twisting movement. It's much quieter but not completely gone. Is that possibly the cause for you?

[Clivert]

Put a line from the boom to the coachroof handhold and then pull the boom across to stop any movement.
This also stops wear on the gooseneck.

[Ziffius]

Don’t get any humming, it’s the internal bits inside the boom clattering as the boat rocks. If I secure the boom to the coach roof grab rail it makes it worse but by allowing the boom a small amount of swing by just sheeting the main sheet in, the noise is mostly eliminated from inside the boom but is replaced by creaking in the mainsheet traveller as the boom swings with the roll. So it is the clattering of the internal components of the single line reefing system inside the boom that I am trying to cure.

We have had some very strong winds in the Ionian recently so I have 2 reefs in the main, when I leave the Anchorage in a day or so I’ll shake the reefs out and see if the movement within the boom reduces the “clattering”

[Salty]

Put a line from the boom to the coachroof handhold and then pull the boom across to stop any movement.
This also stops wear on the gooseneck.

I wouldn’t recommend securing the boom to the coachroof hand rails, these rails are only held on with relatively small screws and are there for your safety. The loading from a boom can be sufficient to pull those screws out (happened to me one winter while the boat was afloat, fortunately the handrail remained attached to the rope from the boom), or loosen them to the point that your safety may be compromised. 

Better to secure the boom to a deck mooring cleat.

[IslandAlchemy]

The clattering is the internal reefing cars slopping from side to side.  Not much you can do about that apart from pulling all the slack out of the reefing lines perhaps.

Tying the boom out to stop it swinging is also worth doing.

WRT the humming, I found that by connecting the main halyard to the topping lift so both lines share the load, and easing off the tension on the mainsheet stopped this.