Ticking sound in H31

[Flip Rutledge]

I have a 'new' 1986 H31. When I heal moving over 5 knots, I hear a regular ticking sound seeming to come from the port rear berth area. It is not engine or prop related as I have tried running the engine and it does not change the rate or volume of the ticking.
So far I have only sailed single handed so I have not had a chance to crawl back there under sail.
Any ideas what that could be?

 

[BlowMeAway]

It’s most likely the paddle wheel transducer for your knot meter, but that’s a fairly unlikely placement for it. Normally they should be mounted as central to the hull as possible, in front of the keel. This would be a thru-hull device that is locatable beneath the rear berth.

 

[markwbird]

Good God, man! Get out of there!

 

[jssailem]

@Flip Rutledge I want to welcome you to the forum... The most knowledgeable sailors and a Frog within the sound of our internet voices.... Just ask us...

The easy answer is that the previous owner planted something to confuse and concern you.

But since none of us could be that clever. Lets go with some possibilities.

1. @BlowMeAway ahs a good suggestion "a transducer"
2. But It may not be the paddle wheel but a sonor transducer that is providing you depth.

Since you are hearing it while sailing (noise reduced no engine). It may also be in the water while heeling and you hear it. These can be placed in a space under a berth attached to the hull to shoot through the hull.
Try to turn off the depth sounder at the circuit breaker. See if the sound changes, goes away?

Oh... never mind @markwbird He suffers from PHS... Post Humor Syndrome.

 

[BlowMeAway]

@Flip Rutledge I want to welcome you to the forum...

Indeed...my bad...welcome to the SBO forum! Full of sarcasm, humor, degradation if deserved...but full of details far from the web of misinformation. Hang in there and be sure to feedback your findings and progress. Tick tock!

 

[Flip Rutledge]

The speed sensor is forward, but it could be the sound is carried that way through the bilge. There are no through the hull fittings back there. The boat is out of the water now. I was hoping to put off replacing the speed sensor another year, but since I doubt a new wheel is available for one that old I may have to.
It is definitely a mechanical sound so not depth transducer. The speed sensor sounds a good bet. If it has play it would slide to one side on heal.

 

[Flip Rutledge]

Indeed...my bad...welcome to the SBO forum! Full of sarcasm, humor, degradation if deserved...but full of details far from the web of misinformation. Hang in there and be sure to feedback your findings and progress. Tick tock!

Not to worry. I speak fluent sarcasm

 

[jssailem]

Not to worry. I speak fluent sarcasm

Oh then you’ll fit right in here.

 

[justsomeguy]

Good God, man! Get out of there!

Yah, I was gonna mention the movie "Speed".

 

[HMT2]

It is not engine or prop related as I have tried running the engine and it does not change the rate or volume of the ticking.

I have an ‘83 sister ship. When you were listening with the engine on did you have it in gear? Sometimes the prop spinning when sailing in neutral can make a noise. On mine there is zero that is mechanical back there. Interesting that it only appears at five knots,

 

[sailermaned]

I have an ‘83 sister ship. When you were listening with the engine on did you have it in gear? Sometimes the prop spinning when sailing in neutral can make a noise. On mine there is zero that is mechanical back there. Interesting that it only appears at five knots,

welcome to the forum. I have a 87 model and if I turn off motor while sailing even though I have gear selector in neutral, the prop will spin unless I shift to reverse to stop it and that does sound like constant ticking. Good luck

 

[Flip Rutledge]

I have an ‘83 sister ship. When you were listening with the engine on did you have it in gear? Sometimes the prop spinning when sailing in neutral can make a noise. On mine there is zero that is mechanical back there. Interesting that it only appears at five knots,

Tried neutral, forward, reverse. As to speed, you don't heal so much going slower. Actually, when I moved the boat to storage, the wind pushed me to the side enough so that I heard it briefly while motoring alone.

 

[HMT2]

Weird.....keep us posted.

 

[danm1]

I find that there are certain speeds, sailing or motoring, when a particular stay or fitting will rattle or touch periodically. Don't assume it is below just because it sounds like it comes from there. Also, in my experience, you can take it to a garage and ask a mechanic to check out the noise and it will go away.

 

[Benny17441]

Don't worry about it; if it gets worse it will eventually reveal its source and if not it was not significant.

 

[BrianRobin]

Any chance it's something vibrating against the hull in the post storage area?

 

[Ken Cross]

We have a sound like that caused by the head sink drain. It only happens when we heal to port.
Ken

 

[MikeHoncho]

I had a thumping on my portside in the quarter birth area and found it was the rear panel of the birth and the access panel in the quarter birth for the engine compartment. I jammed padding in the joint and problem solved. It was loud and scary and got your attention

 

[Ken13559]

Something hanging somewhere like in cabinet or... ticking away when swinging?
Or perhaps a Hollywood like device to go off after countdown?

 

[Flip Rutledge]

I think I found it.
The batteries are remounted on a panel over the transmission. The negative lead between the batteries can slap between the hull and battery box making the sound. I am thinking this happens when the batteries shift a bit when heeling. It seems strange that the sound is a regular frequency rather than random, but when removing one battery, I noticed the sound seems the same.
I'll move the cable above the batteries when re-installing in the spring.