Improved soft shackle

estarzinger said:
^^ perfect . . . excellent

the shackle will get bigger when you put some load on it - quite a bit of line will pull out of the stopper knot. You want to make sure that at least a bit (say an inch) of the bury has pulled out of the knot and is extending into the actual shackle area just below the knot where the noose will pull. This is what gives the extra strength.
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Ta, great knot though, is it one of yours or did you find it somewhere? I haven't come across it before.
Below is a vid of diamond knot, took ages to get the hang of that one and still need to look it up now and again. And still might come in handy if no fids are around, also I've been using some dyneema kite line off ebay to make tiny shackles for all the stuff which ends up getting hung around the cabin, no way to get a bury in that :)

 
estarzinger said:
Just as a note . . .the Colligo shackle design is a couple generations old and pretty much obsolete. It is harder to work than more recent designs - particularly in milking the noose closed.
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Hi Evans, Colligo Marine continues to sell alot of these soft shackles with no complaints, not bad for an "Obsolete" product. Also, we continue to get alot of compliments on our soft shackle video. Like most things there are different ways of doing things, some offer different compromises than others. Better, or obsolete, is really in the eye of the beholder.

I enjoy, and appreciate, all your work, and will continue to supply you with any data that you request, as we have done in the past.
One thing we have learned here is the value of a statistical sample. Lots of variables go into testing components and their affects with oftentimes intangible consequences that really need to be controlled or washed out by statistical sample size. We have seen variance in manufacturing techniques at the fiber supplier (DSM) and, at the braider that affects results, splicing techniques can vary alot from splice to splice. Our in house measuring/splicing process varies from person to person and really demands individual attention to get consistent results, which we are able to do with some consistent work. Then you have fixturing and strain rates, etc.
Recently, we had to resplice some shrouds that had been out in the field for 3 years because our test bed was shorter than they were. This introduced a new variable. Both specimens broke at the new splice (at the bend around the line terminator where most do with a proper splice) at the lower end of our predicted scale. What does this mean to the overall data? Would they have broken in the same manner if they had not been respliced. Now, does resplicing old line cause a decrease in line strength? We are opening the can of worms for sure!
Like most things, when you start diving into it in detail, you realize how much there is to learn, almost alway more than what you have learned.

Cheers

John Franta, Colligo Marine.
 
nigelmercier said:
I've been looking on eBay, and I'm still not sure what I should be searching for.

Is there a definitive start to finish guide anywhere on this thread? I'm now totally confused.
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some here...
http://www.ropelocker.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=19

Or amsteel blue from the states off Ebay.
Though I haven't actually used the d12 stuff, I use tech12 which is 12 strand made from a slightly different material but presumably the d12 will space the same.
Start to finish here..
http://l-36.com/soft_shackle_howto.php

Evans knot is possibly a bit easier as well as stronger, though that stuff is so strong you'll break something else first!
 
nigelmercier said:
But what size Dyneema for a genoa sheet (63m2)?
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Not sure actually, I use 8mm just because I was given a load, strength wise something else will probably go first, a more important aspect might be the bend radius of the sheet, 6mm could be a bit on the thin side, cutting into the sheet. Off the top of my head 8mm must be around 3.5/4 tonne breaking load so plenty strong.
 
Here is another design for a 'simpler soft shackle on the end of a line' - for say halyards and jib sheets. It is 99% of the strength of the line (it breaks at 1127kgs in 3mm dyneema)

instructions

In essence you simply reinforce a 'noose' with a short piece of line buried down the center of the braid, and then tie a simple stopper in the end (the estar is a good choice as it is one of the only simple one strand stoppers that does not slip). It is fast and easy with no complicated or difficult steps.
 
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With previous good experience with a soft shackle connecting my genoa sheets, I fully intended making my own for a few other connections, plus a spare for the genoa sheets. I was shocked to find that the cost of Dyneema in the short lengths I needed was quite eye-watering, so I investigated some ready-made ones. Ebay found this one and some smaller ones at Tradline Rope and Fenders http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/251167806329?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649 I bought one, and some smaller ones, that were delivered promptly. Nicely made, very reasonably priced but rather longer than I wanted. After exchanging a couple of e-mails with them I telephoned and spoke with Karen Flockhart, who promised to make one as short as possible, bearing in mind that the 8 mm Dyneema is stiff and tricky to work with. She promised to contact me with the results of her work, but I was amazed to receive one in the post this morning.
IMG_0032_zps943dd413.jpg

The internal diameter of the loop is 6.5 cm, just what I wanted. I am assuming that the cost will be as for the Ebay one, which is very reasonable by comparison with the Force Four one I bought a couple of years ago.
Tradline cater mostly for the canal boat market but have some experience of making custom items for yacht owners. They have proved to be extremely helpful and I can recommend them.
 
Looks exactly like the ones I have made by following the Colligo marine video. The only thing is it does not seem to have the "handy dandy" little string to help open the noose. I used a piece of red whipping passed through the inner core and left dangling through the neck when the neck is closed up. In that way, it is easy to pull on the red thread to open the shackle.

I bought my dyneema from Allspars. 2m x Excel D12 5mm = £8.76+vat. Enough for two shackles.

TudorSailor
 
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