Has anyone used a Dyneema soft shackle, the kind that you can open and close with a knot that slips through a loop like in the picture, to replace the shackles attaching the preventer lines to the booms?

The shackles on my preventers at the boom end have become stiff to open, and it feels like a soft shackle would be a good replacement in this application. Has anyone done this, and what size of soft shackle did you use? Or can anyone see a reason why this would not be a good idea here?

Thanks
Neil

SM390 Revelation 
Valencia, Spain

Sorry, this is the photo I was referring to 

Hi Neill,
We use exact this kind of softshackles on Mago del Sur. 8mm attaching the preventer to the main boom and 6 mm to the mizzen boom. It is important to add some anti-shaving cover, otherwise the softshackles will be destroyed quickly.
We never experienced any problem.
Regards

Martin
Mago del Sur - 54#40
currently Almerimar,  Spain

Thanks Matt, Martin, that’s great. They are on order now, will be much easier to use than the steel shackles

Bill suggested sometime last year I think to change any metal to metal joint to a soft shackle. I have followed his advice and everything attached to the booms and mast or booms and tracks I have now connected with soft shackles. My preventers use a continuous dynema loop as it’s easy to thread the loop through the boom attachment and back again into the shackle.

There is only a little noticeable wear after 29 years on these previously metal shackle links, but I can now ensure little further wear during the next 29 years of the boat’s life!

My genoa halliards are spliced loops attached with a soft shackle too. It’s cheaper making your own - plenty of u tube demos to watch.

Go for it.

Ian
Ocean Hobo SN96

I personally do not know how to make soft shackles. So a group of Owners put a two day clinic together to learn that and also splicing with modern fibers, etc...

If any owner in the group is interested it will take place in Le Canet en Roussillon, the last week end of April, 28-29 avril. It is on the Med, 30 minutes North of Spanish/French border. https://goo.gl/maps/YEYpRWVipptgTzVp8

The rigger is    www.atelier-greement.fr . They will provide the tools and lines.
The cost is euros 2,400 for 6. We need 1 or 2 other Amel members to reach the ideal size.
--
John Bernard "JB" Duler
San Francisco
Meltem # 19, Western Med

I use self-made soft shackles on the preventers and for many other uses on the boat. If there's a steel shackle there and the edge is not too sharp, it gets replaced by a soft shackle. I use 6mm for the mizzen and went way overkill with 10mm for the main. 

You're welcome to take the course, obviously, but they're very easy to tie. After I bought some Marlow soft shackles and saw how atrociously they were tied, I decided to learn how to do it myself using online tutorials. My favorite one is called "A better soft shackle" detailed here: Better Soft Shackle (l-36.com)

The hardest part is the diamond knot and this is the tutorial that taught me how to tie the diamond knot: Make a Two Strand Diamond Knot w/ Paracord - BoredParacord.com - YouTube

Soft shackles often break at the diamond knot and the tighter the diamond knot, the stronger it is. Here's how to get the knot super tight:

1) I take the two leftover legs of the diamond knot and tie them using an overhand knot to each other.

2) Find two non-stretchy (I used 12mm double braided dyneema) lines. Take Line1 and tie a bowline through the loop you created in the previous step. The other end of Line1 should go to your big genoa winch.

3) Take Line2 using a bowline through the soft shackle eye. Take the bitter end of this line and attach to your stern cleat.

4) Manually crank your winch and the diamond knot will tighten until the two overhand knots slip and the soft shackle and Line2 will spring away from you. Keep clear of both lines just in case! I have tied probably 50 soft shackles and none have hit me, but there's always the chance.

Keep repeating steps 1-4 until the diamond knot is so hard that when you hit it against fiberglass, it sounds like a ball of wood tapping on the fiberglass.

Hope this helps.

PS - while you're playing with single braid dyneema, might as well learn a brummel and long bury splice. I'd say it's only slightly harder than tying a bowline. :)


--
Scott 
2007 A54 #69
SV Tengah
http://www.svtengah.com

Thanks Scott, very helpful

Does anybody, please, have a photo or diagram of the best method of attaching the soft shackle or the preventer to the end of the boom, with particular reference to a 55?

Is it just a matter of wrapping it around, in and amongst the outhaul and main sheet, or is there a more elegant way to do it?

Regards Geoff

Thanks Bill. It looks like I was overreacting to the previous discussion about issues with preventers attached approx mid-boom and John Clanton quietly sorted me out with data specific to the 55. Apologies for balking at a preventer shadow. Regards Geoff