Anchor Shackle

vyv_cox said:
Nothing to stop you doing exactly the same with a stainless steel shackle. My testing showed stainless shackles generally to be stronger and more reliable. Will hacksaw easily.
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Yesterday I removed my galvanised shackle between the anchor and the chain. I replaced it with a S/S shackle having discovered that the working load on the stainless version is hugely superior to that of the galvanised version.
 
G12 said:
Yesterday I removed my galvanised shackle between the anchor and the chain. I replaced it with a S/S shackle having discovered that the working load on the stainless version is hugely superior to that of the galvanised version.
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As mentioned above, you may notice that the zinc galvanising on the final one or two links of the chain will corrode preferentially to protect the stainless steel. This rarely extends into the steel and I don't find it a big problem.
 
So, am I best to use a SS shackle to join a galvanised anchor and chain- because it's stronger than a galvanised shackle would be? I have just taken my ss shackle off to replace it with a galv one!
 
JimC said:
Apologies if this has been covered before. I use a D shackle to attach the chain to my anchor. The pin of the shackle catches in the bow roller when recovering the anchor so I would like to change it for one of those flush-pin shackles that you tighten up with an allen key. My query is; how does one lock such shackles? Using Locktite or deforming the threads with a centre-punch are two possibilities that spring to mind but neither seems to me as secure as wire-locking a conventional shackle.
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Why not just file off the shackle tang once it is tightened up & you have center punched the other end for security?Save yourself a few bob & all that hassle.Simples.......
 
parsifal said:
If you are prepared to consider that option you might as well follow the advice of Eric Hiscock in 'Cruising Under Sail' and fit an ordinary shackle, then saw off its head and finally rivet over the protruding thread with a ball pein hammer. That won't come undone and, being mild steel, it will be easy to saw it off if you ever need to.
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If there is enough protruding thread perfect.:)
 
JimC said:
It's only just occurred to me that, when recovering the anchor, it's the pin end of the shackle that's first to reach the bow roller; so surely the fact that the bow is as wide as the pin would be no help because the bow hasn't got there yet (I have the pin through the end link of the chain and the body of the shackle through the slot in the anchor stock).
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That's interesting. I have always put the pin of an anchor (bow) shackle through the anchor. I researched this subject some years ago and found this to be the correct way and, I must say, it makes sense to me. I wonder what others do?
 
Robwhelton said:
So, am I best to use a SS shackle to join a galvanised anchor and chain- because it's stronger than a galvanised shackle would be? I have just taken my ss shackle off to replace it with a galv one!
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If you read the section on connectors on my website you will see that not only are stainless shackles generally stronger than galvanised ones, perhaps more important, their strength, admittedly in a small number of tests, was far less variable. It's pretty unlikely that you will ever break a decent shackle attached to an anchor, but you just might break a poorly-made one.
 
vyv_cox said:
Unfortunately I have never found any that were corrosion resistant at all. Not galvanised, at least the centre pin, and not stainless.
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I have used dozens of these in commercial applications and have never seen one corrode so that I would be concerned and I have never seen one fail.

But if you really wanted SS, I know it is US but I am sure they could be sourced somewhere in the UK

http://www.imakerope.com/hardware-s...ngs/links/hammerlock-link-316-stainless-steel
 
Xskipper said:
I have used dozens of these in commercial applications and have never seen one corrode so that I would be concerned and I have never seen one fail.
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I had one on a snubber line some years ago. It rusted very badly and stained the boat. No way I would use one on an anchor. The stainless ones look nice but I've never seen one in UK.

On the one I had the pin screwed in. Presumably if these hammer in they don't come apart? Not very handy for an anchor.
 
Salty John said:
That's interesting. I have always put the pin of an anchor (bow) shackle through the anchor. I researched this subject some years ago and found this to be the correct way and, I must say, it makes sense to me. I wonder what others do?
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This was the only way I could do it. I'm using 8 mm chain and a size larger shackle i.e. 10 mm, as is often recommended. I don't think the shackle body could be threaded through the chain link - only the pin would go through - so that's the way I had to do it. I imagine this must always be the case when using a shackle which is larger than the chain?
 
I would have thought that putting the pin through the anchor is actually the wrong way to do it. If you get a sideways pull on the anchor chain you could potentially be getting the stock of the anchor acting as a lever between the jaws of the shackle. If the pin is through the chain, a sideways pull on the shackle will swivel the shackle in the stock. Just my understanding (not that I use a shackle anyway).
 
There are a couple of reasons why putting the pin through the anchor stock is the 'correct' way.
The main one is to do with bearing surfaces:
If you put the pin through the chain the radiussed surface of the chain bears on the parallel surface of the pin providing very little contact surface. Having the radiussed body of the shackle go through the parallel hole through the stock creates two very small contact points between chain and anchor stock.
It is more satisfactory from an engineering point of view to have the parallel pin fit in the parallel hole in the anchor stock and the radiussed surface of the chain contact the radiussed surface of the shackle body.

Also, when the pin is through the chain there is a tendency for the chain to bear on the 'corners' at each end of the pin. Particularly if the shackle pin is much longer than the chain diameter. There is then a danger of the chain jamming on the shackle pin head and/or coming into contact with the mousing wire or cable tie.

The 'slot' through the end link on an 8mm G30 DIN766 chain is 16mm x 12mm, so should take a 10mm shackle. Chain can be ordered with an elongated end link if this is a problem.

The above is from notes I made a few years ago. I talked to a rigger (not a boat rigger, a bloke that lifts heavy loads), and he confirmed the above.

Anyway, I'm sure it isn't critical one way or the other, and you'll see pictures of both methods if you search, but I was interested in establishing a rationale for using one method over the other.
 
Salty John and Bradney Chain agree on this! Bradney sell anchor chain with a ring on one end so that the forged end of the shackle can pass through it. Despite this I have always passed the shackle through the slot in the anchor shank, which I have always assumed was what it was for.
 
Salty John said:
The 'slot' through the end link on an 8mm G30 DIN766 chain is 16mm x 12mm, so should take a 10mm shackle.
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16mm x 9.6mm I believe. The 12mm link width you've quoted is for 10mm chain, obviously a 10mm shackle could be threaded through that. My problem was with threading a 10mm shackle through 8mm chain, as one is always advised to use a shackle which is one size larger than the chain.
 
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