Guard rail pelican hooks

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Graham_Wright

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www.mastaclimba.com
I confess they make me nervous. Under load, they properly resist opening but they can be released with enough effort. If the pull has a lanyard, it is seductive to the hand when steadying yourself.

My interest centres on the need to drop the guard wires for normal granny access and MOB recovery. Speed of release is not really an issue. Certainty of release is.

I am thinking of using a simple fork with a clevis pin and locking ring both on short lines.

What do others think?
 
This is really a "no-right-answer" job: do what your're cofortable with.
We have pelican hooks (the flat type, secured by a sliding ring. They were inherited, although I'm happy to have them). My last boat had lashings which could quickly be cut with the cockpit knife. Think I'd prefer that to faffing about with clevis pins if there was a MOB. If worried about your pelican hooks accidentally opening, a zip-tie would do the job (the mechanical advantage is such that the loads on it would be small), then use a knife or side-cutters.
 
Graham_Wright said:
I confess they make me nervous. Under load, they properly resist opening but they can be released with enough effort. If the pull has a lanyard, it is seductive to the hand when steadying yourself.

My interest centres on the need to drop the guard wires for normal granny access and MOB recovery. Speed of release is not really an issue. Certainty of release is.

I am thinking of using a simple fork with a clevis pin and locking ring both on short lines.

What do others think?
Click to expand...

I havent had a problem with pelican hooks but I do take your point.

How about using a quick release clevis pin like one of these

https://www.google.co.za/search?q=n...oQsAQIQQ#tbm=isch&q=quick+re;ease+clevius+pin
 
Do you really want to be faffing about with fancy clevis pins in a man overboard situation? Even worse, you are in the water and somebody unfamiliar with the gear is trying to figure out how it works. I have the spring pin type of pelican hook on mine, and I keep the pins well lubricated, but if you are worried about them, then a lashing works, and can be cut quickly if necessary.
Slight thread drift, my swimming ladder was secured by a nylon hook, and I always assumed that if I was in the water I could access the ladder by simply pulling it and breaking the hook. Following a thread on here I tried it and it wasn't possible, so I now have the ladder secured by a pelican hook, and the pin has a lanyard which drops to the water. Since I mainly sail single handed, if I find myself in the water and if I can get to the ladder, big if, I know, I can pull the lanyard and the ladder drops into the sea.
 
I have snap shackles on both guard rails and across the transom. Fine if the run is short - mine go from pushpit to a double stanchion just forward of the cockpit - about 2m for the top one and a bit less for the botto. However if they are terminals for the full length guard wires from pulpit to pushpit then you need pelican hooks to tension them. If you have a proper boarding gate then snap shackles are the best thing to use as the gate wires (like mine) don't require so much tension.
 
Tranona said:
I have snap shackles on both guard rails and across the transom. Fine if the run is short - mine go from pushpit to a double stanchion just forward of the cockpit - about 2m for the top one and a bit less for the botto. However if they are terminals for the full length guard wires from pulpit to pushpit then you need pelican hooks to tension them. If you have a proper boarding gate then snap shackles are the best thing to use as the gate wires (like mine) don't require so much tension.
Click to expand...

Is there really very much mechanical advantage in a pelican hook?
Do you really need high tension in guard rails?
 
If you have on board the sort of bolt cutter that you should have for a dismasting event, that should go through the guard wires pretty easily in extremis e.g to recover a MOB. Provided someone on board knows where this is then it doesn't matter if there are Pelicans etc they can't undo and risk wasting time fiddling with. Downside of course is that you can't easily remake the rails, but that's pretty unimportant in comparison and relatively easy to mitigate- easier than losing a MOB!
 
Graham_Wright said:
Is there really very much mechanical advantage in a pelican hook?
Do you really need high tension in guard rails?
Click to expand...

Yes, and yes. The wires are only supported at each end and run through the stanchions. The whole arrangements depends on the wires being tight, otherwise the stanchions move and the wire feels insecure. Have a look at boats with boarding gates and you will see that it is only the boarding part between very firm stanchions - on Bavarias they are double leg - that have snap shackles. Al other wires are tensioned, and if you want them easily removable the only fitting is a pelican hook. That is what it was designed for.
 
Tranona said:
Yes, and yes. The wires are only supported at each end and run through the stanchions. The whole arrangements depends on the wires being tight, otherwise the stanchions move and the wire feels insecure. Have a look at boats with boarding gates and you will see that it is only the boarding part between very firm stanchions - on Bavarias they are double leg - that have snap shackles. Al other wires are tensioned, and if you want them easily removable the only fitting is a pelican hook. That is what it was designed for.
Click to expand...

Same on our Benny but as Grannies we find it easier not to undo them anyway for regular boarding as the guardrails provide something to hold and give a 'location' as well as a steadying point whilst getting our legs over! Ours release easily under load if we needed to for a MOB.
 
Yes. The type that uses a ring to secure is the one that is the most useful as it gives a greater range for tensioning. Us oldtimers have them in solid bronze, but usually stainless now. The other type is more like a snap shackle.
 
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Robin said:
Same on our Benny but as Grannies we find it easier not to undo them anyway for regular boarding as the guardrails provide something to hold and give a 'location' as well as a steadying point whilst getting our legs over! Ours release easily under load if we needed to for a MOB.
Click to expand...

One of the good things about the setup on my boat is that the wires alongside the cockpit come down with a very secure double stanchion forward. Stool on the pontoon and step aboard. Good for hanging a fender step for boarding from a dinghy as well.
 
Tranona said:
Yes. The type that uses a ring to secure is the one that is the most useful as it gives a greater range for tensioning. Us oldtimers have them in solid bronze, but usually stainless now. The other type is more like a snap shackle.
Click to expand...

Thanks, I found the Baseline page which seems to have all the options you mention.

I hadn't realised they were so big, I was hoping to replace some tiny snap-shackles on my side gates.
 
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Some interesting feedback.

I have a pelican hook for attaching the storm jib halyard and it has huge mechanical advantage. I also have pelican hooks I bought for the guard rails that produce around half an inch of movement on closing. This is not going to do much for tensioning.

My pulpit and pushpit are solid (over-engineered like everything else!). My stanchions sit in sockets through secured by M20 bolts and SS backing plates. I have seen stanchions (at SBS) secured to the deck with self tapping screws!

Despite the inherent strength in my arrangement, it still feels wrong to haul myself aboard with my weight on the guard rails or stanchions. Shrouds are my instinctive choice as it is on other's boats.

The jury (on my case!) is still out and I look forward to further comments.
 
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