Attaching anchor chain to bridle?

[tuskie]

Originally Posted by Cotemar

Soft Shackles work great for attaching anchor chain to the bridle.

Thanks Cotemar. I wish they stayed looking that pristine. Mine soon looked furry and muddy.

The problem with soft shackles is that they need two hands and good vision to attach/detach to the chain, and this can be an issue whilst leaning over a forebeam in a choppy sea and at night.

[Capella]

Not sure if I am answering your question, but I use one of these to attach my snubber:

12 and 13mm 316SS Snubber Claw Hook | Chains Ropes and Anchors

Main reason is that it feeds out through the hawse pipe that the chain runs through from deck over the roller, so I don't have to lean over, grab chain, and heave it onboard to attach a hook.

It remains attached as long as there is tension on the snubber.

I tie it on to the chain in case the snubber breaks (they are expensive!).

Regards
Michael

[Toys_with_time]

Originally Posted by Ozifrog

This is quick to get off and on so I don't loose weigh whilst pulling the anchor up. The bow can blown off without constant and moderate strain on the chain. So I don't want to stop for more than 2 or 3 seconds whilst pulling the anchor up. So timing is everything.

Used to use one of these but had it bend in a blow and become hard to get off. Now use a S hook in 8mm stainless with one half of the S welded back onto itself. Very fast to insert / release and no moving parts. I let out a vary large loop of chain and that keeps it in place and I assume adds to the catenary effect. I also tie the chain off at the windlass with a piece of rope as additional security. S hook is attached to a shackle and that is attached to the one length 20mm bridle with a sort of variation on a crown knot that my wife found in an old book of knots.


TwT

[Cotemar]

Originally Posted by tuskie

Thanks Cotemar. I wish they stayed looking that pristine. Mine soon looked furry and muddy.

The problem with soft shackles is that they need two hands and good vision to attach/detach to the chain, and this can be an issue whilst leaning over a forebeam in a choppy sea and at night.

All the attachments that will not fall off will require 2 hands.

Used a Wichard Key Shackle for 7 years and those work great also.
They never come loose.
.
.

[SVNeko]

The beauty of the soft shackle is that you can drag the whole kit over the roller and do it on the tramp.

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by Sid at SailAway

That's not the answer for a multihull. Most of the time we anchor in such shallow water that the chain hook will be on the bottom. This design is almost guaranteed to come off when shifting on the bottom. Would be great for a mono or trawler because the hook would never see the bottom....

I anchor in water just as shallow as you do yes your bridle legs are longer but if they are touching the bottom they personally I would think your bridle legs are to long or you are setting on the bottom . Or a bit of both. Used a bridle similar to this on my tri back in the 90`s

[Navicula]

Originally Posted by boatpoker

Somewhere around 4000 nights at anchor over 30 years, never had one fall off .... $10 stainless steel eye grab hook.
Hook it on the chain, hold on to the snubber line as the chain is paid out until the loop is big enough for the weight to hold the hook on. Big bubbles, no troubles

holy cow....I to use this as well and has not failed....why make things difficult.....all these other ones with switches and gagets....keep it simple and use these hooks.....

[Cotemar]

Originally Posted by Navicula

holy cow....I to use this as well and has not failed....why make things difficult.....all these other ones with switches and gagets....keep it simple and use these hooks.....

The OP has a Catamaran with a long bridal.

A hook will not work as the bridal may drag on the bottom and just slide off.

Catamarans need some sort of latching hook that prevents them from sliding off.

On a monohull, a basic hook works just fine.
.
.

[Capt Phil]

About a hundred years ago when I first went to sea, hauling black oil barges to the west coast of Vancouver Island, from time to time we had to anchor the barge when tie-ups were all taken.
We would let the barge drift while we cut loose and set the anchor with the towboat then pick up the barge and secure the towing bridles to a bell shackle then secure it to the anchor chain. The bells on the shackle prevented the bridles from sliding through to the chain and it swung beautifully on the set. Old but simple... the 'O' shackles are now called bell shackles, I believe. Be sure and mouse the pin as there is a fair bit of movement and I was always concerned the pin would unscrew. Phil

[doublewide]

Put a soft shackle through a chain link and both arms of the bridle. Strong cheap reliable and quick.

[onavegador]

As Cotemar I used on my catamaran a key shakle, but one with a bar as often used for halyards. I also used a kind of the Mantus hook but one made in Italy, w/o the plastic and I was happy with it.

But before the mentioned hardware I used a rolling hitch to attach the bridle to the anchor chain. A little more work to attach the bridle to the chain, but it worked always fine even under demanding circumstances.

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

Rolling hitch. Simple and secure. I went through various hooks and attachments. Always had the problem of either falling off too easily, or being hard to attach/detach. A rolling hitch almost never lets me down (only when I’m lazy and don’t do it right ).

A rolling hitch will slip on most chain at about 30% WLL of the chain. I've tested this with a load cell on several grades of chain. Additionally, I've interviewed a number of cruisers that have either stopped using the rolling hitch or that use 2 in a row because they have experienced slipping.

I guess it depends on the exact rope, chain, and how much load you have seen (30% WLL is actually a pretty good storm).

[thinwater]

The OP is right. No perfect answer. In fact, I use a number of methods.

Non-locking hooks come off if they lie on the bottom, period. If you have a cat, if you have a long enough bridle and anchor shallow, it is difficult to keep it from lying on the bottom occasionally.

• The Mantus hook will come off without the retainer, if it lies in the mud. I may have been the first to report that. Happened twice in about 20 drops. The latch works well on 1/4" chain, but seems to be more troublesome above that. Curiously, I have one of the computer-printed prototype latches, and it has not failed, but the factory one did. A different plastic would solve the problem.
• Chain hooks come off fast if they touch bottom in mud.
• The bridle plate will come off unless there is a locking plate. However, it is still not perfect because it cannot come over the roller. And you can buy this. This was the prototype--there have been several generations since then. This is potentially the most secure and strong method.

• Soft shackles are very good. The trick is to use a LONG shackle and to us an open design, so not the ones you can buy. (longer than this one) They do chafe, though it takes hundred of uses. Very strong.

• Rolling hitches slip.
• The luggage tag method (or prussik hitch for more security) is close to perfect. BTW, the screw lock on most carabiners does NOT add strength. It simple prevent the gate from opening, which is beyond improbably on a snubber. Ask any rock climber how often a carabiner opens between a sling and a rope, not in close contact with a bolt hanger or quick draw, and they will tell you that they have never even heard of it. You don't need a locking carabiner for this, you really don't. For boats with 3/8" BBB or equivalent chain, a standard wire gate climbing biner will have a higher WLL than the snubber.
• I've yet to see a shackle that could fit through the links of high grade chain that was even close to the strength of the chain.

An a final warning about recovering the snubber over the roller; if you grind the chain over it inadvertently (easy to do) the snubber will have hidden internal damage. I'm confident many snubber failure were caused by this and were unfairly blamed on the rope.

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by thinwater

The OP is right. No perfect answer. In fact, I use a number of methods.

Non-locking hooks come off if they lie on the bottom, period. If you have a cat, if you have a long enough bridle and anchor shallow, it is difficult to keep it from lying on the bottom occasionally.

• The Mantus hook will come off without the retainer, if it lies in the mud. I may have been the first to report that. Happened twice in about 20 drops. The latch works well on 1/4" chain, but seems to be more troublesome above that. Curiously, I have one of the computer-printed prototype latches, and it has not failed, but the factory one did. A different plastic would solve the problem.
• Chain hooks come off fast if they touch bottom in mud.
• The bridle plate will come off unless there is a locking plate. However, it is still not perfect because it cannot come over the roller. And you can buy this. This was the prototype--there have been several generations since then. This is potentially the most secure and strong method.

• Soft shackles are very good. The trick is to use a LONG shackle and to us an open design, so not the ones you can buy. (longer than this one) They do chafe, though it takes hundred of uses. Very strong.

• Rolling hitches slip.
• The luggage tag method (or prussik hitch for more security) is close to perfect. BTW, the screw lock on most carabiners does NOT add strength. It simple prevent the gate from opening, which is beyond improbably on a snubber. Ask any rock climber how often a carabiner opens between a sling and a rope, not in close contact with a bolt hanger or quick draw, and they will tell you that they have never even heard of it. You don't need a locking carabiner for this, you really don't. For boats with 3/8" BBB or equivalent chain, a standard wire gate climbing biner will have a higher WLL than the snubber.
• I've yet to see a shackle that could fit through the links of high grade chain that was even close to the strength of the chain.

An a final warning about recovering the snubber over the roller; if you grind the chain over it inadvertently (easy to do) the snubber will have hidden internal damage. I'm confident many snubber failure were caused by this and were unfairly blamed on the rope.

Looks a lot like my unit just with a locking bar. Mine comes off automatically upon retrival. Just needs a little bit of a loop of chain to keep it attached.

[DavePR]

I've used this Wichard hook...has a spring-loaded locking pin that prevents falling off. Not cheap, but feels good when in the bunk at night.
Wichard Chain Grip Hook