3/4 Shackle failed < 2 years

[s/v Jedi]

Crosby, Chicago. Don’t buy anything without SWL markings.

[Ken Z]

use titan or crosby, never china made, too much nickel in them

[guyrj33]

Originally Posted by Ken Z

use titan or crosby, never china made, too much nickel in them

too much nickel in a galvanized steel rigging shackle, that sounds unusual to me. Can you explain further?

[Simi 60]

Originally Posted by Ken Z

use titan or crosby, never china made, too much nickel in them

Pretty sure all titan product are made in China

We use Van Beest shackles made in the Netherlands

[Secondshift]

Good thing that you're checking it!
I try to keep back ups for everything and all
necessary tools.

I've had dissimilarity cause corrosion pitting on mooring equipment but the only time threads failed was due to cheaper shackle and my overtightening it.
Overtightening can tear up the threads and corrosion does the rest.

I don't buy the best shackles but i don't hesitate to huck em in the trash and i check em frequently.

Best Regards

[Shaneesprit]

Originally Posted by tkeithlu

Let me suggest a lifestyle change for you, Shaneesprit. You own a boat that gets into trouble but have no tools for as simple a job as untying safety wire. A boat tool box is an obvious addition, but carrying enough with you to get out of most jams can really improve your quality of life - far fewer frustrations.

I carry a Victorinox Super Tinker and a tiny ViceGrip 4WR. They add very little to my pocket load (the ViseGrip lives in a little pouch on my belt). Having lots of toys that get into trouble (steel trawler, two other boats, antique Honda trail bikes), I find that I reach for them very frequently, and they solve a lot of problems without having to resort to various tool boxes.

I was separated at birth from Angus MacGyver, and most people won't go to my extremes when it comes to tools. But then, I've helped out a cruiser who didn't even have the tools on his trawler to adjust belt tension to his alternator. I hope that you will find your happy point in this continuum.

Suggestion not well received at all Frankly ( Deleted )

I have loads of tools and I mean the kind of loads that would require 10 trips or more from the garage.
I probably have $20000 of tooling and the training and qualifications not only to use them but to judge others use and implementation of them - just didn’t have any in my pocket as I didn’t have my boat with me ( Corona Virus restrictions) and to be honest wasn’t expecting to find anything unusual, so I found an issue, well I also new I had the time and knew that any issue could be dealt with on the following day. Hence the level of planning I run with - I only went to look

So don’t judge when you haven’t a clue.

[Ramona]

Originally Posted by Shaneesprit

I have heard of shackles failing on moorings, Just assumes they were badly fitted.
I fitted this shackle, really oversized, only has a 25ft Cat.
Luckily no damage as I found this on mooring maintenance today.
Now I fitted this myself 3/4 Galvanised shackle lock really tightened the pin, and wired the pin with stainless locking wire. So I was a little shocked to find that the the threads have failed. The pin only held in place by the locking wire!
The shackle was connecting the dual mooring ropes to the buoy swivel.

What are your experiences?

The answer is in your statement. Stainless steel mousing wire will always destroy the thread on the pin. Cheap Chinese will last 6 months, expensive shackles 7 months. I use electrical ties or 3mm Dynema. The thread is always immaculate when dissembled even though the exposed part of the pin has suffered electrolysis from the slight differences in the differences of steel in the chain and shackles. All the local contractors here use SS or monel mousing and it keeps their businesses humming along!

[Djarraluda]

Originally Posted by Ramona

The answer is in your statement. Stainless steel mousing wire will always destroy the thread on the pin. Cheap Chinese will last 6 months, expensive shackles 7 months. I use electrical ties or 3mm Dynema. The thread is always immaculate when dissembled even though the exposed part of the pin has suffered electrolysis from the slight differences in the differences of steel in the chain and shackles. All the local contractors here use SS or monel mousing and it keeps their businesses humming along!

Not for an underwater mousing I hope!! Never use something so soft when subject to abrasion and not visible, use Monel wire.
One other trick not taught nowadays is to note the direction of "unscrew" of the shackle and mouse to minimise any of that unscrew. In my early years I saw many a mousing the wrong way and the pin was unscrewed half a turn. Corrosion on the threads was accentuated by wear.
Roger

[Shaneesprit]

There is no way the stainless wire deteriorated the the shackle, and no way it came undone half a turn.
I would guess Chinese made, the big problem with Chinese product is inconsistency. If it had of corroded it might of fused the threads and held together instead of movement causing the wear.
I heard ( know this having been to the Chinese shipyard) that oil rigs were built and towed out to sea and then m80 bolts started loosing their heads!
Investigations found that a previously sound bolt company had a process failure but they started barbecuing bolts to harden them to keep production going!

[keyway]

Good thing you caught that before your boat floated away. I have shackles that seem to last forever and some that are obviously inferior quality. The water air interface is particularly harsh. I don’t trust any of it but all you can really do is use good hardware and keep a eye on it

[BeforeIDie]

I do moorings for a living in Australia.
Our Chain & shackles are NEVER Chinese!! total rubbish. Our shackles are never seized, we heat them red hot with an oxy - acet and peen them over after using a rattle gun to tighten them up.
We have never lost a mooring!

[Shaneesprit]

So ok I am only ever going to use Crosby Shackles in future, but does anyone have a preference for the screwed in Pin or the Bolt and Split Pin type Bow shackles?

[keith001]

Shackle or swivel? Swivel one year is good life. Shackle not so much.

[Shaneesprit]

Shackle - boat is never more than 6 months after the mooring is inspected, swivel is 2 years old and no signs of deteriorating.
Shackle failed less than 2 years old, and less than 1 year after inspections. ( actually had 2 inspections ) first by myself and second after the mooring was removed and had its block replaced.
The mooring gear is very much oversized 25ft Cat on 5/8 chain and 3/4 shackles.

But the question is to use a Bolted or a pin type Crosby bow shackle?

[Benz]

Originally Posted by Shaneesprit

Shackle - boat is never more than 6 months after the mooring is inspected, swivel is 2 years old and no signs of deteriorating.
Shackle failed less than 2 years old, and less than 1 year after inspections. ( actually had 2 inspections ) first by myself and second after the mooring was removed and had its block replaced.
The mooring gear is very much oversized 25ft Cat on 5/8 chain and 3/4 shackles.

But the question is to use a Bolted or a pin type Crosby bow shackle?

I like the threaded pin--not too tight--then moused firmly. Zip ties work fine for mousing. The unthreaded pin with cotter can fail if the cotter does, and usually the cotter pin is a different metal. These are fine above water, but not under, IMO.