Chain hook

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Have any of you guys using the chain hook and several meters of slack chain considered what would happen if the snubber or connection failed in a big blow? Your boat might get a pretty good running start before it ran out of chain and slammed to a stop or possibly broke something. I really don’t know how big (or small) of a problem this might create, but it seems worth thinking about when you decide how much slack is appropriate.

I use a soft shackle and 2-legged bridle and only run out enough chain to take the pressure off the chain and let the bridle/snubber do its thing. Like TT, I do the connection at the pulpit (inside the rail) and run the snubber out and back in over the roller. Works for us.
 
Remember talk of exactly that occurring in the Mexican gulf of California. Many boats were lost. Our habit has been two snubbers and chain secured on deck before the windlass or to the waterline eye if there’s big wind brewing. Also add additional snubbers. Last boat had the waterline eye as part of a SS assembly. The front of the boat would need to fall off in order for it to be ripped off. There was a reason for Sampson posts but they’re rare now.
 
Hippocampus said:
We’ve had very good luck with the Mantus product. Routinely use two snubbers so not having to untie two knots has been a plus. Also it has never fallen off. Don’t like their anchors but their chain hook is +1 in my book.
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You mean the Mantus Pendant? Do you attach it inboard of the roller?
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The Pendant part appears to end at the shackle, so the split is after the eye in the photo. I am hoping to avoid the process of leaning out over the bow roller to connect the hook as I am no longer an 18 year old with super flexible knees and sound balance. Or I could be making too much of it, of course. I have yet to attach a snubber and am limited only to theory and YouTube.
 
HeadedToTexas said:
The Pendant part appears to end at the shackle, so the split is after the eye in the photo. I am hoping to avoid the process of leaning out over the bow roller to connect the hook as I am no longer an 18 year old with super flexible knees and sound balance. Or I could be making too much of it, of course. I have yet to attach a snubber and am limited only to theory and YouTube.
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That is why I was asking. That would allow connection on board, let it roll over roller and retrieve, whereas my hook setup requires past the roller hook/unhook. I am liking it. So is there a split out of view of the bridle?
 
A 5/8 in. Line attached to the chain with a rolling hitch and secured to the Sampson post. Have had it stretched out almost horizontal with white foamies around me, and works like a champ.
 
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Fletcher500 said:
A 5/8 in. Line attached to the chain with a rolling hitch and secured to the Sampson post. Have had it stretched out almost horizontal with white foamies around me, and works like a champ.
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Run across the roller, or through the chocks?
 
I bought this Winchard chain hook in 2016. Always add about a 3' loop to keep tension on No failures from flat calm to wind in the high 30's.

You all may be overthinking this.

Rob
 

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The Mantus Pendant is interesting. However, I don’t trust how they made it since I can’t see how they joined the two materials.

I also think their choice of using a SS shackle defeats a lot of the advantages it might offer. The video they had show a buy on the foredeck of a sailboat tightening the shackle with a crescent wrench, which he then sets on the deck.

I still think my system is the safest, most effective, most reliable, and easiest to use for my boat than anything else I’ve seen. Much like the Mantus Pendant, only instead of a SS shackle, it uses a soft shackle. Also a whole lot cheaper.

However, for those that are going to use a simple snubber over the bow roller, a simple rolling hitch can’t be beat.
 
BruceK said:
Same idea as my oblong shape Sea Dog plate.

Welcome Aboard! Mackay where? Qld Australia?
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Simple build for a few $$ and they work
But for us, twin snubber did nought, wrapped around bow and took paint.
Better result with a single, cheaper and no paint loss.
 
Don’t want to need tools for this job. Think TT’s way of doing it has greater merit. My concern is getting the bridle off quickly when it’s blowing dogs off their chains in the middle of the night. When you’re dropping the chain no issue but the other evolution should be quick, toolless and easy.
 
The Dynema solutions require either a larks head around or thru the chain? And then a screw shackle to connect both my bridle ends? Some folks use two soft shackles semi-permanently installed on the chain.
Do i have this correct?
Whereas, the various hooks do not require tools for release, but may or may not feed over the roller successfully.
 
gsholz said:
I much prefer a chain hook that falls off when not under tension. If you ever had to re-anchor in the middle of the night because of a squall, you'll know why. The weight of the chain keeps the hook engaged until you take up the slack with the windlass.
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We're the same way. We've anchored in all kinds of conditions on our two long year long cruises and never had a problem with a simple, standard chain hook, coming undone from the chain. I can't imagine how that happens if you use it the way we do, as you describe.


It's hard to know how other's pulpits, anchor chains, and rollers are set up that could cause that, but I know from lots of experience that that just doesn't happen with our boat.

And, like you, I like being able to unhook from the chain quickly, in case we need to let out more scope, if a storm unexpectedly comes up.
 
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diver dave said:
The Dynema solutions require either a larks head around or thru the chain? And then a screw shackle to connect both my bridle ends? Some folks use two soft shackles semi-permanently installed on the chain.
Do i have this correct?
Whereas, the various hooks do not require tools for release, but may or may not feed over the roller successfully.
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There are a lot of ways to do it with dynema.

I use a two leg bridle with a nylon eye spliced into the end of each. I use a dynema piece that have a loop on one end that attaches I both eyes with a larks head and has a shackle loop on the other end. I have a dynema loop that has a stopper knot on it that is wrapped around the chain much like that pendant is. Then the stopper knot is put in the shackle loop

IMG_20190824_172858.jpgIMG_20190824_172618.jpgIMG_20190825_095636.jpg
 
"On the end of a dog leash,"


Perhaps , as te line can be 3/4 (#4) or 1 (#5)inch diameter it would take a big dog
 

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twistedtree said:
Doesn't you still need to go pull in the snubber?


One other thing I like about the soft shackle is that I can leave it attached and still run it through the bow roller. That allows for connect/disconnect on deck rather than hanging over the pulpit.
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If people bothered to look it up, they'll see that most chain hooks, shackles, etc. have a WLL well below that of the chain, while a dyneema soft shackle is stronger. Whether you want the weak link in your system to be the snubber during a real blow is up to you.
 
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