Soft shackles

YM leads from the front. Only about 5,370 items on soft shackles previously posted on Youtube.

I wonder if there will be any citations ?
 
sarabande said:
YM leads from the front. Only about 5,370 items on soft shackles previously posted on Youtube.
Click to expand...

How many of those already on youtube actually:

Test commercially available soft shackles?
Tested to find out which design of soft shackle is strongest?
Tested to find out which knot is strongest?
Tested the shackles they have made?
Tell you how to make the strongest soft shackle?

We have, and we do. :cool:
 
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and here's a method of attaching a headsail sheet directly to the sail without bowlines or shackles of any kind.

Loop goes through the cringle. knotted tail goe s through the loop

DSCF0727.jpg
 
Seajet said:
Not compared to stainless steel, I'm willing to bet ! :)
Click to expand...

No, but to make your own soft shackle (with at least a 2.5 tonne break load) costs 95p and I'd rather wear away a bit of dyneema than my toerail, mast foot or gooseneck casting etc.

I've replaced a load of metal shackles on my boat with soft shackles...Just repalcing the ones at the end of my mainsheet made a big difference - It's amazing how much quieter the boat is and I know the shackles aren't damaging my boat any more. I also don't need to sieze them and I can undo them without needing a shackle key. There are a lot of advantages to them.

It's also easier to make a shackle with a 3 tonne break load out of Dyneema than from 316 stainless steel, and you can make them any size you want :0)
 
snooks said:
How many of those already on youtube actually:

Test commercially available soft shackles? "Soft shackle test" -> About 1,190 results
Tested to find out which design of soft shackle is strongest? "Soft shackle strongest" -> About 361 results
Tested to find out which knot is strongest? "Strongest knot" -> About 22,800 results
Tested the shackles they have made? "Make test soft shackle" -> About 1,520 results
Tell you how to make the strongest soft shackle? "Make strongest soft shackle" -> About 460 results
Click to expand...

Still, if you have them all in one place it should be an article worth reading. Nice idea.
 
snooks said:
No, but to make your own soft shackle (with at least a 2.5 tonne break load) costs 95p and I'd rather wear away a bit of dyneema than my toerail, mast foot or gooseneck casting etc.

I've replaced a load of metal shackles on my boat with soft shackles...Just repalcing the ones at the end of my mainsheet made a big difference - It's amazing how much quieter the boat is and I know the shackles aren't damaging my boat any more. I also don't need to sieze them and I can undo them without needing a shackle key. There are a lot of advantages to them.

It's also easier to make a shackle with a 3 tonne break load out of Dyneema than from 316 stainless steel, and you can make them any size you want :0)
Click to expand...

My boat is on her 38th season - longest serving boat at our club now - and despite all my hamfistedness over the years, no abrasion to boat or crew due to stainless bits.
 
I saw the video independently of this post. Interesting. I had never really thought about soft shackles despite however many other videos there may be. I certainly was an informative and carefully executed video. I also like the tip regarding a bic pen! I am forever losing my fids just when I need them. I will really consider making one of these because my main sheet attachment to the boom is wearing the metal.

P.s. You should do more of these videos and the walk throughs of yachts. What about doing walk throughs of readers boats etc. I think it really drives traffic and the main advertiser does get a good plug.
 
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VicS said:
and here's a method of attaching a headsail sheet directly to the sail without bowlines or shackles of any kind.

Loop goes through the cringle. knotted tail goe s through the loop

DSCF0727.jpg
Click to expand...


Vic. That looks interesting. I have my headsail sheets attached with bowlines, but because they have to go around an inner forestay when I tack, it is not unknown for them to get stuck, and for me to have to go forward to manhandle them round. I can see how your method works when there is some strain on the cringle, but if it is loose even momentarily, would it then come undone? I'm also assuming it is one continuous sheet for both sides . Thanks

In fact, presumably it can only be used with a continuous sheet?
 
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richardh10 said:
Vic. That looks interesting. I have my headsail sheets attached with bowlines, but because they have to go around an inner forestay when I tack, it is not unknown for them to get stuck, and for me to have to go forward to manhandle them round. I can see how your method works when there is some strain on the cringle, but if it is loose even momentarily, would it then come undone? I'm also assuming it is one continuous sheet for both sides . Thanks

In fact, presumably it can only be used with a continuous sheet?
Click to expand...

Yes its a continuous sheet.

No bother with it shaking loose even though the loop is probably bigger than it need be. The original ( 39 years ago) was similar except that there was a whacking great aluminium crimp instead of stitching and whipping. That caught me behind the ear one day so had to go!.
 
VicS said:
Yes its a continuous sheet.
Click to expand...

I had one of those on my last boat, which was just a wee bit bigger than a Sea Wych, and although it was very handy I was never entirely confident about it: the whipping went a very odd shape when there was much pull on the sail. I wouldn't trust it at all on my current boat (26'), on which bowlines currently serve.
 
JumbleDuck said:
I had one of those on my last boat, which was just a wee bit bigger than a Sea Wych, and although it was very handy I was never entirely confident about it: the whipping went a very odd shape when there was much pull on the sail. I wouldn't trust it at all on my current boat (26'), on which bowlines currently serve.
Click to expand...

+1, steel metal rigging stuff came about for a reason as did proper knots; fancy light twine jobs do not last long in real life situations.
 
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VicS said:
DSCF0727.jpg
Click to expand...

I like it...but what stops the knotted tail coming out again, just as easily, as the cringle flaps?

My genoa sheets (one long line) were tied by an infernally tight and rope-hungry knot, when I bought the boat. I never undid it (three years) until I laundered the line last autumn...

...so now I'm hoping to find the least bulky way to attach it to the cringle. There's every opportunity for a bulky knot to jam somewhere...is a soft shackle the answer?
 
Seajet said:
My boat is on her 38th season - longest serving boat at our club now - and despite all my hamfistedness over the years, no abrasion to boat or crew due to stainless bits.
Click to expand...

My Sadler 25 is in its 39th season, and the toe rail where the shackles for the spinnaker blocks attach has a noticeable groove in it from wear over the years.

I now use soft shackles on pretty much everything I can, blocks, the kicking strap, mainsheet. (For which I've gone for a dyneema rather than stainless strop) And lots of other stuff.
They're much quieter and nicer to the boat.
Although I still use stainless in absolutely critical areas (jacklines etc), in general I'm very happy with them.

People are getting many years out of Dyneema rigging, even in the tropics so I'm pretty confident that the 2.5t + breaking load of the soft shackles I am using will last ten years + quite easily.
As for chafe, they use this stuff to drag logs across forest floors, after 2 years I've still yet so see any damage to the rope fibres.
 
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