kite halyards connection

[Kerenza]

Just washing my kite halyards and removed the heavy duty gibb shackles which are luggage label fixed to the tapered core.

Seems some boats are using soft shackles instead, ( I use them elsewhere whenever possible) but how important is the shackle swivel in the scheme of things?

K

 

[Foolish Muse]

My experience is that swivel shackles are very important. I have watched when my hourglass spinnaker unwraps from the top. I may be wrong on this, but I believe that sometimes, when you are putting a lot of tension on your halyard, it seems to spin on its own. The swivel shackle allows it to unwind.

 

[Boo2]

...the heavy duty gibb shackles which are luggage label fixed to the tapered core...

Eh? Do what?

Boo2

 

[Kerenza]

Eh? Do what?

cow hitch using eye spliced in the core of the halyard.

 

[Kerenza]

My experience is that swivel shackles are very important. I have watched when my hourglass spinnaker unwraps from the top. I may be wrong on this, but I believe that sometimes, when you are putting a lot of tension on your halyard, it seems to spin on its own. The swivel shackle allows it to unwind.

of course we never get a twist when racing......
yes thats what I was wondering about.

 

[Boo2]

Eh? Do what?

cow hitch using eye spliced in the core of the halyard.

What's the reason for doing that, may I ask ?

Boo2

 

[Kerenza]

very common way of making non permanent connection to premade eyesplice lines, easily removed even after subject to heavy tension.

 

[Boo2]

very common way of making non permanent connection to premade eyesplice lines, easily removed even after subject to heavy tension.

But a cow hitch in the spliced-loop end of a line can only be removed by unthreading the entire line, surely ? Isn't it easier just to cut a knot off and remake ?

Boo2

 

[flaming]

But a cow hitch in the spliced-loop end of a line can only be removed by unthreading the entire line, surely ? Isn't it easier just to cut a knot off and remake ?

Boo2

Not if you can slide the thing you’re cow hitching to out. Like a shackle for example.

 

[knuterikt]

But a cow hitch in the spliced-loop end of a line can only be removed by unthreading the entire line, surely ? Isn't it easier just to cut a knot off and remake ?

Boo2

Knots and dyneema is a bad combination and you don’t loose length every time you take it apart.

 

[Daydream believer]

My experience is that swivel shackles are very important. I have watched when my hourglass spinnaker unwraps from the top..

Surely it unwraps from the bottom upwards ( still needs the swivel though)