I think this was discussed recently here but it wasn't on my radar
screen at the time. Apologies if it’s too soon to bring it up again.

Would someone please tell me why standard snap shackles shouldn't be
used for safety harness tethers, at least on a casual cruising boat
where midnight headsail changes and spinnaker dousing isn't part of
the normal drill?

I looked at the double acting Winchard shackles that are supposed to
be the latest and greatest and the designer in me goes "Ugh". Your
fingers are in the way of what you want to clip to and the sharp edges
are going to be hard on jacklines or any other fiber. The tightwad in
me says something even less printable.

Does anyone have another recommendation for a boat where there is very
little deck work or much unclipping and moving around?

--

Roger Long

On Thu, 23 Mar 2006 19:58:11 GMT, "Roger Long"
wrote:

Does anyone have another recommendation for a boat where there is very
little deck work or much unclipping and moving around?

I have used aluminum mountain climbing carbiners on my harness for
many years, one long tether, one short tether.

Hard to undo quickly, especially if you have to switch tethers when moving
around... I can't think of any other reason.

--
"j" ganz @@
www.sailnow.com

"Roger Long" wrote in message
...
I think this was discussed recently here but it wasn't on my radar screen
at the time. Apologies if it's too soon to bring it up again.

Would someone please tell me why standard snap shackles shouldn't be used
for safety harness tethers, at least on a casual cruising boat where
midnight headsail changes and spinnaker dousing isn't part of the normal
drill?

I looked at the double acting Winchard shackles that are supposed to be
the latest and greatest and the designer in me goes "Ugh". Your fingers
are in the way of what you want to clip to and the sharp edges are going
to be hard on jacklines or any other fiber. The tightwad in me says
something even less printable.

Does anyone have another recommendation for a boat where there is very
little deck work or much unclipping and moving around?

--

Roger Long

"Capt. JG" wrote:

Roger Long" wrote:
please tell me why standard snap shackles shouldn't be used
for safety harness tethers, at least on a casual cruising boat where
midnight headsail changes and spinnaker dousing isn't part of the normal
drill?

Hard to undo quickly, especially if you have to switch tethers when moving
around... I can't think of any other reason.

There have also been a few reports to the effect that a rescuer's
grabbing on the line of a crew-in-water attached to his or her harness
by a snap shackle with a short string attached to the movable pin, a
not uncommon ease-of-opening device attached to such shackles, might
accidentally open the shackle (too easily) - not a happy occurrence,
if the now floating away COB is not fully conscious.

According to Nigel Calder (Cruising Handbook - pg. 473):

"When a carabiner-type (snap) hook twists around a pad eye it can trip
itself loose. Come type of locking hook is much safer."

He provides an photo to illustrate.

That being said, I use carabiner-type hooks I got from Bosun Supplies.
I spliced them to 3-strand nylon figuring my aged and brittle bones
would be less likely to snap given some "sproing" in the line. I seem
to only turn clockwise and thus keep getting hockles. Once every two
days I merilly spin anti-clockwise until all is well once again.

Many thanks,

Howard

Wayne.B wrote:
On Thu, 23 Mar 2006 19:58:11 GMT, "Roger Long"
wrote:


Does anyone have another recommendation for a boat where there is very
little deck work or much unclipping and moving around?


I have used aluminum mountain climbing carbiners on my harness for
many years, one long tether, one short tether.

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.

--

Roger Long



"Howard" wrote in message
ervers.com...
According to Nigel Calder (Cruising Handbook - pg. 473):

"When a carabiner-type (snap) hook twists around a pad eye it can
trip itself loose. Come type of locking hook is much safer."

He provides an photo to illustrate.

That being said, I use carabiner-type hooks I got from Bosun
Supplies. I spliced them to 3-strand nylon figuring my aged and
brittle bones would be less likely to snap given some "sproing" in
the line. I seem to only turn clockwise and thus keep getting
hockles. Once every two days I merilly spin anti-clockwise until
all is well once again.

Many thanks,

Howard

Wayne.B wrote:
On Thu, 23 Mar 2006 19:58:11 GMT, "Roger Long"

wrote:


Does anyone have another recommendation for a boat where there is
very little deck work or much unclipping and moving around?


I have used aluminum mountain climbing carbiners on my harness for
many years, one long tether, one short tether.

Wayne.B wrote:
On Thu, 23 Mar 2006 19:58:11 GMT, "Roger Long"
wrote:


Does anyone have another recommendation for a boat where there is very
little deck work or much unclipping and moving around?


I have used aluminum mountain climbing carbiners on my harness for
many years, one long tether, one short tether.

Me too!

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.

Same store has a big kayak section.

--

Roger Long



"Gary" wrote in message
news:XKGUf.177142$B94.116103@pd7tw3no...
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.

You might want to look here
http://www.setsail.com/c_central/techtalk/harness.html when thinking
about "biners" for the boat side of the harness. Experience in the 98
Sydney-Hobart showed that drowning can occur if the harness can not be
released by the wearer. I use a snap shacle on the harness side and a
biner on the boat side of my tether, but suspect there are better
set-ups.

-- Tom.