Working with bungee (shock) cord WARNING

[tolhurstorganic]

Interesting thread on hog rings makes bungee very useful. But be warned using bungee with steel hooks attached has a potential dangers. A good friend of mine was attaching some gear to a roof rack with hooked bungees when the thing slipped flew into his eye, resulting in many weeks in and out of hospital with operations and loosing the eye. It could just as easily been a sail tie use or something else on the boat. Probably higher risk on boats due to unsteady movements. I got rid of all my hooked bungees, plastic hooks may well be just as damaging to an eye.
Plenty of other uses around the boat but without nasty hooks on the end.

 

[Marine Reflections]

I've though the same thing - really dangerous.

Perhaps a ball of sponge around the hooks so if it disconnected and headed face bound, the hook would be completely covered, less damage?

Never seen anything like it on bungees, might make a good after product.

I use ratchet straps now where I've used bungees in the past.

 

[JClarkes]

That sounds very nasty indeed and very easily done.

 

[johnalison]

It's something I've often thought about, though I hadn't heard of a problem until now. My bungees are mainly used for tying out halyards, above my head, and I am careful usually. I gave up metal hooks, partly for safety and partly to avoid damaging the shrouds.

 

[NealB]

I remember, from years ago, in a book, or a YM article, by JDS ......a horrible picture of someone's eye after an accidental meeting with a bungee sail tie. JDS subsequently banished bungee chord from his own boats.

 

[Ruffles]

Somebody on this forum pointed out that attaching a short piece of cord between the hook and the bungee seems to take the energy out of the system. Can't see why but it does seem to work on tie back for our cockpit locker. The string has to be at the hook end.

 

[sailorman]

Bungee +,hooks & those plastic balls / sail ties have never ever been good on a boat

 

[johnalison]

Bungee +,hooks & those plastic balls / sail ties have never ever been good on a boat

That may be true to a point but bungee has a useful damping effect on tied-out stuff. A halyard tied with bungee will vibrate less than with line. I also found bungee ties with hooks very useful when I used a tarpaulin cockpit cover tied down to the rails, as it didn't flap much.

 

[sailorman]

That may be true to a point but bungee has a useful damping effect on tied-out stuff. A halyard tied with bungee will vibrate less than with line. I also found bungee ties with hooks very useful when I used a tarpaulin cockpit cover tied down to the rails, as it didn't flap much.

You need to keep yer eye out when using those sail ties with the balls