This is a piece of gear on my new-to-me Nonsuch 30. This appears to possibly be a snubber(?).
There is a chafe cover, a terminal eye with a very robust shackle and then a ribbon-like loop that I suspect is a dyneema soft shackle of sorts. Looking for confirmation on those assumptions and any info on the loop’s instructions “Unsafe without expert instructions” – what instructions am I in need of?
It would appear the the loop would thread through a chain link and then back onto the shackle (so double looped) and then the bitter end of this line attached to the bitts, as it were.
Do I have any of this correct?
Eric Larsen
Nonsuch 30C 1981
Felix
Olympia, WA USA
Me again. The Red Dyneema loop is, in fact, a climbing sling, made by Bluewater. It is rated at (and marked as) 27 Kilonewtons or 6070 foot lbs. The whole rig does look like some sort of mooring line arrangement but, to me, has virtually no snubbing or shock absorption properties. It’s just something a previous owner made up in order to … ??? Your guess is as good as mine. The “expert instruction” advice is to protect Bluewater from litigation stemming from a climbing mishap, guaranteed.
Thank you! Yeah, I cannot come up with another use beside a snubber. It should produce some shock stretch being 20 or 30 feet in length. I’m just not sure about using that loop as the connection to the chain…but then again, why not?
Eric Larsen
Nonsuch 30C 1981
Felix
Olympia, WA USA
Possibly, the weakest part of that setup is the “shackle” (which is called a quick-link). If it’s made from aluminum, it’s not that strong. The only stretch/shock absorption that you’ll get will come from the line, not the climbing sling. A snubber is what’s needed, if you want some shock absorption. Like so:
Otherwise, what you have there is a length of line and a mountain climbing sling, attached together with a quick-link.
My understanding is that mountain climbing rope is intended to stretch ONCE to prevent shock if you should fall. I had a brother-in-law who used a mountain climbing rope when he was doing some some window washing - He fell five stories and the rope was still stretching when he hit the pavement. Please use ropes for their intended purposes only, Dynema would not make a good snubber and nether would mountain climbing rope .
Tim in STL
White O’morn NS e26U #216
Harbor Point Yacht Club
West Alton, MO
Another possibility for the set-up is that it’s intended as an adaptable docking line. As set up, it would let you drop an extra dockline over a cleat that’s already filled up with tied-off lines, drop the dyneema loop over a small piling, or luggage tie the dyneema loop around a crossbar.
Thanks, Ernie. Yeah, that quick-link shackle is very heavy and solid stainless. It’s quite stout and fully threaded. It’s a seriously robust piece of hardware! From what I’ve been reading on cruising and sailing forums is that line type snubbers are widely used. Apparently, there even are charts out there on how to calculate the line length and such. Seems that three strand is usually used as it has the most stretch per unit length but some use double braid as well. Larger (>40 ft) get into 20 -30 ft-long lengths for snubbers. Anyway, all a learning journey for me!
Eric Larsen
Nonsuch 30C 1981
Felix
Olympia, WA USA
Thanks, Tim. My impression is that the dyneema loop is no more than the means by which the take-up portion of the chain is attached to the snubber line – not that it is in anyway providing stretch. It’s only a short loop – more like a soft shackle…
I’ll report back if I find anyone on other forums who know about this sort of setup.
Eric Larsen
Nonsuch 30C 1981
Felix
Olympia, WA USA
Otherwise, what you have there is a length of line and a mountain climbing sling, attached together with a quick-link.