Snap shackle

[Suijin]

Honestly I think snap shackles are fine, but they are designed for quick/easy changes. For a jib on a furler there is no point in using one on the halyard. My original furler jib halyard had a snap shackle in it and I just secured the spring pin with seizing wire and it did fine for many thousands of miles.

When I replaced the halyard I put a Wichard captive (the blue plastic insert) on it. Low profile, less chafe, and a hole through the pin key for seizing. I’m not a fan of shackles with the compression levers for long term use. Soft shackles are wonderful but again would not want one on a furled sail that does not come down often.

[atmartin]

Originally Posted by daletournier

You make an interesting point, you never go aloft using one, as I don't. I always use a bowline, there lies the answer to my question. I instinctively don't use one to go up the mast thus I don't trust them.

But I do/have gone aloft of soft shackles, so good reasoning.

Our 31 footer had 5/32" amsteel halyards (wire replacement) that I went up the mast on pretty frequently (varnished mast). People gave me big eyes all the time when they saw the size of the line. "You're going to go up on THAT?!?!"

[LoudMusic]

We used snap shackles on headsails and did indeed have one open underway. It was on a Spinnaker and was a frustration to say the least.

[JPA Cate]

Originally Posted by LoudMusic

We used snap shackles on headsails and did indeed have one open underway. It was on a Spinnaker and was a frustration to say the least.

^^^^
Jim sometimes says flying the shute is God's way of ruining an otherwise fine afternoon. Running over them sure slows the boat down fast! Not much good for the sail, though.

Had a snap shackle flog open on a spinny sheet one time, must have been time to take it down, anyway.

Ah, spinny stories: one time, a crew member dropped the turtle with the sail in it right down off the bow. DNF, but saved the chute.

Ann

[StuM]

Originally Posted by OldManMirage

Soft shackles are new to me. Shows you what happens when you let even just a couple of years go by without keeping up with the latest stuff. I really like the idea and I will be getting a supply of them.

BUT, here's a follow up question :
Do you use the same thing to attach the tack of the jib ? If not, what is the preferred method here ?

Thank you !

Jib tack just hooks over a horn.

Soft shackles on halyards, sheets, main outhaul and mainsheet block attachment to boom.

[LoudMusic]

Originally Posted by JPA Cate

^^^^
Jim sometimes says flying the shute is God's way of ruining an otherwise fine afternoon. Running over them sure slows the boat down fast! Not much good for the sail, though.

Had a snap shackle flog open on a spinny sheet one time, must have been time to take it down, anyway.

Ah, spinny stories: one time, a crew member dropped the turtle with the sail in it right down off the bow. DNF, but saved the chute.

Ann

It's not racing if you don't break something!

I asked the captain about snap shackles on the jib and spin clews and he said they weigh too much and we should always use bowlines. So I start practicing my "tight" bowlines so they're streamlined and non intrusive to the sail shape. 14 years later and he was still retying everything I did, even to take just a couple centimeters out of the tail of the knot.

[StuM]

Originally Posted by LoudMusic

We used snap shackles on headsails and did indeed have one open underway. It was on a Spinnaker and was a frustration to say the least.

Yep, spinnakers are a totally different matter. When racing, we use snap shackles on all three corners. We lose a sheet more frequently than the halyard, but anything is possible when spinnakers are working.

A jib under tension attached to the forestay or a main under tension attached to the mast is nowhere near the same situation.

[Jim Cate]

A jib under tension attached to the forestay or a main under tension attached to the mast is nowhere near the same situation.

Exactly so... never had a snap shackle on a halyard come adrift, spinny sheets not so good a record, but being able to blow one quickly is often important, and bowlines just don't offer that option.

I do use soft shackles on jib sheets but on our boat the main halyard is at the limit of my reach whilst standing on one foot on a mast step. Need one hand to hold on, so being able to open the halyard shackle with the remaining hand is needed. I find soft shackles hard to open one handed, so the snap shackle is still in use there...never has come open so far!

Jim

[daletournier]

Here's another question. Snap shackles also swivel, does this make a difference? I think so, as I use a winch to haul the sail up.

There's another thread running on halyard twist as op pulls his sail up.
On previous boats I've never had this issue. Yet on this boat I used a snap shackle for 7,500nm with no halyard problem, as mentioned one thing I changed was the removal of snap shackle. The Halyard outer casing has deteriorated badly between restrainer and furler swivel and the Halyard in that part was very twisted.

I asked in a previous thread about halyard wrap as I was (am) trying to determine the reason for the damaged halyard, I thought it was because the Luff of the new sail was abit shorter allowing the the angle of Halyard to decrease and I may of had a possible halyard wrap, but this wasn't conclusive.

I now believe it is caused by the removal of the of the snap shackle. The Halyard is original, looks OK except for the parts that have been exposed to the sun for 15 years, the outer case has changed colour slightly in the areas exposed to the sun , this includes the part that exists the mast and attaches the swivel.

I put a length of sun damaged halyard under tension and twisted it hard, the outer casing started to fray. The snap shackle on previously stopped the Halyard from twisting thus the problem didn't occur.

Has I said the Halyard looks OK until a tension and twisted.

Has anyone else experienced this?

I'm changing the Halyard and going back to a snap shackle wired closed.

[Jim Cate]

Dale, 15 years of UV exposure has surely decayed the outer cover of that halyard, and its chafe resistance has gone to poop. I bet that you can abrade the cover with your fingernail! I had some staysail sheets that were of similar age and they kept fraying where they went through the sheet fairleads. I almost spent a bunch of money on new blocks before the penny dropped and I spent the money on new cordage instead: problem solved.

I think this is the nature of your problem.

Jim

[daletournier]

Hi Jim, I'm sure it is. As mentioned the Halyard looks fine until I put it under tension and twist it hard.

There's a couple of others I'm going to change now as well, although they mainly look ok.

Thanks for the input.