Roger Long wrote:
I'll report back after a trip to the climbing store tomorrow. My
brother is a climber. We use these things hoping we'll never put a
weight on them and trying hard not to. Climbers put their full trust
in them over and over and over. They expect to fall on them and much
farther than the freeboard of any boat I've been on (except maybe that
Russian square rigger).

Salt water is an issue, of course.

You can also buy stainless carabiners for sal****er environments. Sea
Kayakers use them as do Navy special forces.