Creeeek

[thoward]

We got into some short rollers(2-3') while waiting out a t-storm and the boat(1979 60' EB conv) creeked quite a bit when we were really getting rocked. Is this normal?

 

[SKYCHENEY]

Could be some lose tabbing causing a bulkhead to move around a bit. Look around in the access hatches and behind cabinets, etc.

 

[SeaEric]

A sign I remember seeing on a customer's boat; "Though She Creeks, She Holds" The subject vessel was a 60' Matthews, wood, 1968 vintage.

It doesn't take much movement to create such a noise. Most larger boats, even those well built of fiberglass, will flex somewhat. I notice that when my boat is blocked on the hard, some of the doors don't fit as they do when the boat is afloat. I suspect this is normal, albeit annoying.

 

[luckydave215]

I have the same boat as thoward, and mine creaks a bit when it's rough, maybe a half dozen places total. It's just panelling fretting at the corners in a few places, and I'm chasing them down one at a time. The biggest offender was the dinette table attach to the starboard bulkhead. The bolts are accessible, and a couple of turns later the creaking was gone. If you can't stand the sound of wood panels, get an all plastic boat, or buy stock in Gudgeon Brothers.

 

[Genesis]

My 45C would do it under the right conditions..... it never bothered me. I could have run it down - there was only one or two places where it was happening, but it was never worth the trouble for me to find and stop it.

I used to love the sound of shrimp snapping at night. The first time you hear it you'll swear the fiberglass in the boat is coming apart strand-by-strand. Its not - its marine life making the noise outside the boat, and the hull is acting like a big drum, amplifying the sound! Not usually audible in the cabin but if you go down in the engine room you can hear it quite clearly!

 

[thoward]

I was sleeping in the master while this was going on and the wall over the berth is mirrored so it was just a little unnerving to think about the breaking glass slicing my head off.lol

 

[UNIQUE_NAME]

is it the wall or ceiling over the berth with mirrors?

 

[Ross Macdonald]

We've put about 4000 NM on our 1979 60 and in sloppy conditions, when off watch people are down below, she "talks to us" on every trip.... I quit worrying about it after trying to find every creak and groan. She has been in some ugly weather and (knock on wood) always gets us home.