Chain Hooks - for snubbers/bridles.

[J Neeves]

I wonder if there are devices other than 'standard' chain hooks, chain claws, Mantus hook and Witchard's interpretation of the chain hook with a sprung locking pin that are or can be used with a snubber or bridles. I am ignoring soft shackles - but does anyone know of other devices (that might not appear 'down under') and have any experience in using them.

Jonathan

 

[michael_w]

Rolling hitch, why have anything more? Unless you can't tie knots and require fender clips and other gadgets of that ilk.

 

[J Neeves]

If you anchor you do not need fender clips.

Rolling hitches and soft shackles are a different option and, as suggested, not part of the question. But thanks for the comment - it will be interesting to read how many others make a similar comment.

Jonathan

 

[NormanS]

I made my chain hook with some 5mm stainless plate, and a hacksaw. Basically it's just a slot and a hole for the shackle. Cost zilch.

 

[PetiteFleur]

I bought a 'galvanised' chain hook about 6 years ago - now a rusty chain hook as it was only zinc plated and not proper hot dip galvanised.....

 

[Huggers]

Even a Wichard can bend. 12m cat on bridle + 20m of 10mm chain + 20kg Rocna in 3m at Cala San Vicente, Mallorca last summer. Blowing 8 knots into the Cala all day then a big swell appeared. Before we could clear out we took a breaking wave over the bimini. Surprised the dog I can tell you.

 

[J Neeves]

I bought a 'galvanised' chain hook about 6 years ago - now a rusty chain hook as it was only zinc plated and not proper hot dip galvanised.....

You are not alone! I did the same with a G70 lifting hook - I used it once in very shallow water, 0.5m under the keel and took all the electroplated zinc off overnight and it rusted very quickly. I am having it Sheradised (a vapour galvanising process) now. As a hook it worked quite well and did not fall off but I was dismayed at the speed with which it lost its coating.

Jonathan

 

[J Neeves]

Even a Wichard can bend. 12m cat on bridle + 20m of 10mm chain + 20kg Rocna in 3m at Cala San Vicente, Mallorca last summer. Blowing 8 knots into the Cala all day then a big swell appeared. Before we could clear out we took a breaking wave over the bimini. Surprised the dog I can tell you.

Great story and pictures, not sure that Witchard would have been so impressed! We found the pin a bit of a fiddle - but never bent it (the pin) not the hook!

I'm like you dog - I'd have been surprised as well.

What sort of bridle, length, diam, composition do you use?

Thanks, Jonathan

 

[Giblets]

We use one of these as kept finding that the standard hook had a habit of "un-hooking" itself.

 

[J Neeves]

We use one of these as kept finding that the standard hook had a habit of "un-hooking" itself.

View attachment 50152

I've never seen one in my life! But it looks like a development of what I might call a claw. Where do they come from or who sells them?

I know the problem of 'normal' hooks falling off, which is why Witchard have that spring loaded pin, and I assume you use this device with success?

Thanks

Jonathan

 

[Roberto]

This is made by Kong, the same maker of one type of anchor swivels

This IIRC made by Swisstech

 

[J Neeves]

Thanks Roberto,

I have never seen Kong here in Oz, I know of them as they have an excellent reputation for their swivels. I don't think Swisstech get here either but are represented by Bluewater in the Channel islands (who I know) as they also sell Spade.

Have you tried either of these units?

Jonathan

 

[charles_reed]

I've got a Kong (from Jimmy Green) and a Wichard - I use the latter more often, but the spring loaded safety catch has bent and it sometimes needs some rotation to make it work.
The Kong has been used about 130 times and the Wichard about 900 times, attaching a 14mm octoplait to 8mm chain.

Not as a bridle, however, but as a textile snubber, to stop the boat ranging around and trying to oversail her anchor in >F4.

 

[laika]

Sorry to ask an ignorant question about these, but do people using these chain hooks have a dedicated bit of warp spliced onto them? Could be the pictures I've googled but the eyes on these things seem a little narrow for threading a chunky bit of 3 strand nylon through on a regular basis.

 

[Giblets]

I've never seen one in my life! But it looks like a development of what I might call a claw. Where do they come from or who sells them?

I know the problem of 'normal' hooks falling off, which is why Witchard have that spring loaded pin, and I assume you use this device with success?

Thanks

Jonathan

We got ours from Marine Superstore in Portsmouth.http://www.marinesuperstore.com/item/99197889/chain-clower-mooring-device.

 

[Huggers]

My bridle is two 6 metre lengths of 18mm nylon - cat has beam of 6.7m. After bending the Wichard I used a length of 8mm polyester sheathed dyneema. Bowline + cable tie to the bridle and round turn and half hitches + cable tie to the chain. Worked ok for rest of summer. Spend March to October in Spain on the hook every single day.

 

[vyv_cox]

I have one of the claw things posted by Giblets, bought in Greece. There was something slightly amiss with the geometry such that it would not fit over a taut chain, which is what I wanted it for. Not for the snubber but to take the load off the windlass when berthed stern-to. Have now bent it a bit and it fits OK.

Also have had one of the wire hooks shown (lower photo) by Roberto. We were berthed stern-to in the Sporades in a harbour subject to surge, with the hook and snubber deployed to try to calm things down a little. The wire bent open releasing the chain, we slammed backwards hitting the wall and punching the stern platform into the transom. I replaced it with a forged hook in stainless of some sort, which is excellent.

 

[TQA]

Another vote for the simple stainless hook.

13 years of living on the hook and never had it come off.

Just a heads up to those who use a rolling hitch in an elastic line like nylon. Be sure you have a means of cutting the knot to hand. If they are used for a few days somewhere they get repeated load cycles they can tighten and be impossible to undo. It is nearly guaranteed that you will find this out in the middle of a night during a squall when you are dragging anchor onto rocks.

 

[Robin]

I had a plain S/S hook straighten completely one night when the vent solaire did it's usual nighttime trick of turning 180 to blow straight onshore for several hours that night at F6-7 off Houat in S Brittany. Dumped it in favour of a traditional cast S/S chain hook which will not bend. We currently still use the same cast chain hook but now in a bridle as that better suits our foredeck arrangement. Our bridle lines are spliced to a large S/S bow shackle which connects them to the singlechain hook as the eye in that hook is too small for two 5/8 or 16mm dia nylon lines each of which also has a rubber dog-bone snubber wound into it. Never had problems with these hooks dropping off

 

[RupertW]

Another vote for the simple stainless hook.

13 years of living on the hook and never had it come off.

Just a heads up to those who use a rolling hitch in an elastic line like nylon. Be sure you have a means of cutting the knot to hand. If they are used for a few days somewhere they get repeated load cycles they can tighten and be impossible to undo. It is nearly guaranteed that you will find this out in the middle of a night during a squall when you are dragging anchor onto rocks.

That's a really useful piece of information - I prefer knots to gadgets like fender clips and chain hooks and so on, but apart from the extra time taken tieing a knot I hadn't thought of any other disadvantages (although thinking about it I have spent a few minutes sometimes undoing the knot but was never in any hurry). Something quick release does make sense, though, provided it cannot fall off, or bend or whatever.