Soft shackles - uses

I use them everywhere. You name it. So long as Chafe isn’t a big issue. Metal is better then.
 
There is an undercurrent suggesting that soft shackles are 'new' and should be made with dyneema, or some other hi-tech variant. For many applications this must surely be overkill and any old cordage will do - except that you might want to differentiate between the strong ones that are to be used for load bearing and the others that can be used to hang up sheets and stow halyards.

Personally I have an aversion to cutting rope and if I need short rope I buy scrap from a chandlers bin (or retrieve it from a beach). But that's just that presbyterian background re-surfacing again.

We have a few, very few, soft shackles in a bag - but the reality is we don't use them and it would be contrived to find a use for them as shackles seem perfectly adequate (noting our use of dyneema hollow tape to attach sheets - which seems better than soft shackles, which will have 2 turks heads to catch on something). To tidy halyards and sheets we have halyard bags and if hanging using thin bungy. We also use bungy to tidy sheets at anchor, simply tie them to the lifelines - dyneema does seem like overkill.

I have seen soft shackles for sale with toggles, instead of the turks head (toggles as on a 1960s duffle coat (for those old enough to remember). Are they 'better', worse?

Jonathan
 
Zing said:
I use them everywhere. You name it. So long as Chafe isn’t a big issue.
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Same here. And lots dyneema in general. Why wouldn't you? It's just plain much better. Genoa clew with about 3m dyneema spliced into the sheets. Which is actually much more chafe resistant than polydster, marlow d12 max is anyway. Top of the bridle to lift the dingy out. Into the underside of the pole to attach the preventers. 2 on the pushpit like Noelex to keep the jib sheets tidy when not being used. Anchor snubber, quicker in and out than rolling hitch. Can't be many stainless shackles get touched any more and certainly haven't bought one for many yonks, need another - make one in the time it takes to drink a cup of coffee. . Keep them all dyneema and you don't need to think if they're strong enough, they are crazy strong! Dyneema is one of those wonderful materials that come along now and a again, just so useful for sailing. :cool:
 
[QUOTE

@Dutch, physics itself should prevent the knot from coming out. The foresail is always under load (pretty much) and therefore always tightening and it has to be physically loosened to disconnect it. Every time the foresail luffs out (which is where the risk is) the shackle would retighten anyway.

With that said! Theory and practice are two wildly different beasts so I'll defer to experience XD.[/QUOTE]

My concern is that when tacking the shackle is not under load during a tack it is being dragged past obstacles such as shrouds and might get pulled apart. As I said, I have no experience of this happening, just a worry that it could.
 
Robert Wilson said:
The thick diameter soft shackle was through the "eye" spliced into the sheet-end. This was not thick enough to prevent it slipping through the cringle.
If I'd gone for an even thicker soft shackle it might have been just as hard and dangerous as a flogging metal shackle or a bowline in each sheet (which use I now)
I'd post a pic of the arrangement, but I have endless problems uploading pics:(
Click to expand...

That does not sound like the soft shackle that the Op was discussing, but a different method (a good one if done correctly I might add) of attaching a sheet to a clew
 
Daydream believer said:
That does not sound like the soft shackle that the Op was discussing, but a different method (a good one if done correctly I might add) of attaching a sheet to a clew
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As I said, I wish I could post a pic, it would bring light and understanding:rolleyes:
A loop/eye was spliced into the sheet, with another independent "eye" (soft-shackle) linked through the sheet's eye.
The sheet's eye was passed through the clew cringle then the tail of the S/S was passed through the sheet's eye.
When the load came onto the sheet this tightened the tail of the S/S against the cringle and held the sheet's eye in place.
Except the mentioned blast of wind pulled both the tail of the S/S and hence the sheet's eye through the cringle, presumably because the S/S wasn't thick/bulky enough.
But then any thicker/bulkier would have become a heavy lump of gear to smash against my head and also more to get caught on shrouds etc when tacking.

All in all a most unsatisfactory idea compared to the type of S/S shown and discussed in this thread.
 
Dutch01527 said:
My concern is that when tacking the shackle is not under load during a tack it is being dragged past obstacles such as shrouds and might get pulled apart. As I said, I have no experience of this happening, just a worry that it could.
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AS posted above, our genoa sheet shackle is now 10 years old. In the majority of seasons we are living aboard and sailing for half the year, thus many tacks have been made. Our genoa is overlapping and we have a babystay, so not an ideal combination that leads to extra friction on the shackle. The reality is that the outer sheath of the Dyneema closes right up on the knot, holding the shackle together effectively. It has never come undone in our experience.
 
vyv_cox said:
AS posted above, our genoa sheet shackle is now 10 years old. In the majority of seasons we are living aboard and sailing for half the year, thus many tacks have been made. Our genoa is overlapping and we have a babystay, so not an ideal combination that leads to extra friction on the shackle. The reality is that the outer sheath of the Dyneema closes right up on the knot, holding the shackle together effectively. It has never come undone in our experience.
Click to expand...

Thanks, that is good to know. I will follow your lead and give it a go.
 
Couldn’t agree more, dyneema is an amazingly strong product, can be made in so many sizes and diameters to suit. Love them.
 
The shackle holding together the top of the gennaker and the top of the snuffer had come undone, now replaced with a soft shackle. (Yes I know, if the original had been moused properly, it would not have worked loose)
I must admit I’m still a bit in doubt where metal to metal links are concerned, I’m still worried that soft shackles will wear out faster than stainless ones
 
I also use them for hanging ropes and for sail covers, but these are spliced from old polyester using the cover-only. Tenex works too. Since small size does not matter, bigger line makes them easier to handle. Some are not even true soft shackles, just a spliced loop in one end that fits closely over an ashley stopper in the other; easier to use than a soft shackle, although a bit less secure... in theory (I've never had one open either).

Onlike knotted sail gaskets, they cannot jam or freeze.

I've used soft shackles on jibs and reachers for about 15 years and never had one open.

I don't use them where there are burred metal edges. I seldom use them for things that are very seldom removed.
 
westhinder said:
I must admit I’m still a bit in doubt where metal to metal links are concerned, I’m still worried that soft shackles will wear out faster than stainless ones
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Vulnerability to chafe is the largest drawback of soft shackles versus stainless steel shackles. My wife is the rope guru on board and makes all our soft shackles. Where chafe is an issue she has started to use a Dyneema cover. As well as an extra layer providing chafe protection, the cover material is very tightly woven which seems to produce a result that is highly chafe resistant compared to other ropes (but still not as good as stainless steel obviously). However, we have not been using this combination long so it is a little too early to tell.

Here is a photo of the cover on several Dyneema loops, skilfully secured by weaving in the ends. The cover is onthe right, bare Dyneema on the left. The same cover can be added to soft shackles, or the cover can completely encase a Dyneema loop if needed.

0unzUxW.jpg
 
noelex said:
Vulnerability to chafe is the largest drawback of soft shackles versus stainless steel shackles. My wife is the rope guru on board and makes all our soft shackles. Where chafe is an issue she has started to use a Dyneema cover. As well as an extra layer providing chafe protection, the cover material is very tightly woven which seems to produce a result that is highly chafe resistant compared to other ropes (but still not as good as stainless steel obviously). However, we have not been using this combination long so it is a little too early to tell.

Here is a photo of the cover on several Dyneema loops, skilfully secured by weaving in the ends. The cover is onthe right, bare Dyneema on the left. The same cover can be added to soft shackles, or the cover can completely encase a Dyneema loop if needed.

0unzUxW.jpg
Click to expand...

Testing has shown webbing sleaves to be ~ 10x more abrasion resistant than cover material when side-to-side wear is considered. It's more about the weave than the material. Nylon webbing will out wear a loose Dyneema cover such as that. Yup, really, I would not have through so.
 
thinwater said:
Testing has shown webbing sleaves to be ~ 10x more abrasion resistant than cover material when side-to-side wear is considered. It's more about the weave than the material. Nylon webbing will out wear a loose Dyneema cover such as that. Yup, really, I would not have through so.
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The Dyneema cover is actually quite tightly woven, smooth and low friction. Initial results are very promising, but it is early days.
 
noelex said:
The Dyneema cover is actually quite tightly woven, smooth and low friction. Initial results are very promising, but it is early days.
Click to expand...
Where do get the covers from?
Though never had a problem with chafe, marlow d12 max is really tough stuff.
Thinking yesterday maybe splicing some dyneema to the halyards so if any chafe does occur it's easy to replace rather than eventually have to ditch the whole halyard.
 
GHA said:
Where do get the covers from?
Though never had a problem with chafe, marlow d12 max is really tough stuff.
Thinking yesterday maybe splicing some dyneema to the halyards so if any chafe does occur it's easy to replace rather than eventually have to ditch the whole halyard.
Click to expand...

I am told it is Southern Ropes Stealth covers.
 
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