I also tie my halyard back from the mast.  I first tie a line around the sail bundle near the halyard attachment point (in the middle) then tension the halyard.  Then I pull the the fall of the halyard that comes down to the deck away from the mast and tie it to the falls that go to the yard.  I tie it to the first part of the fall, then to the second, keeping all three parts away from the mast and from each other.  I also tie my mast lift away from the mast with a line to the bows, ditto with my spare/drifter halyard.

Before I rigged the sail bundle, I was also alarmed by how much the mast vibrated in gusts but the weight of the bundle stopped the topping lifts oscillating and the rig is now quiet in moderate weather.  It still happens at anchor when the wind gets over 30 knots, no matter how well everything is tied back, but it is just annoying, it does not endanger the rig. At sea, with the sail set, it isn't a problem, though sometimes when the yard slams around in light winds and sloppy seas, the mast flexes a bit and I usually reef the sail to reduce the strain at the masthead.  These are just normal characteristics of unstayed masts and nothing to be alarmed about. 

I've finally stepped the mast on my Rustler 31. Thankfully everything went smoothly and all the angles and tapers on the partners, step and wedges fitted as planned. It's certainly a real morale booster to see the stick in place at last.

I immediately noticed that the top of the mast jiggles around a bit when the breeze picks up, but it seems to be primarily caused by the lifts and halyard oscillating in the wind. I've tied all the lines away from the mast but however I rig the swifter the fluttering remains. The single part of the halyard leading from the masthead to the deck block seems to sway quite violently above say, a force 4-5 and the multiple halyard parts tap against each other transmitting a rhythmic noise inside the boat. The upper block doesn't appear to be moving so I'm hoping the oscillating lines are not causing damaging wear to themselves or the block and shackle. I should add that all the lines are currently tied down to u-bolts in the deck so possibly the tapping halyard noise will disappear once the halyard is connected to the yard.

Is this normal junk rig behaviour and nothing to get worried about? As my boat is stuck on dry land and yet to receive her sail, battens and yard the loadings on the lifts etc are not the same as when fully rigged. I guess things will quieten down when afloat and rigged but  I'll be leaving the boat ashore over winter and here at Ardrossan on the Clyde the winds sometimes hit 100 mph and I want to avoid undue wear. Would it be wise to wrap all the lines around the mast in a spiral over the winter rather than leaving everything to continually vibrate?

Any advice would be much appreciated.

PS, I've uploaded some photos of the boat to my profile gallery.