Shackle weak link?
In anchoring discussions it's easy to fixate on things like the type of anchor, chain, rode, scope, etc. but seldom is there talk about the little things, like the shackles. Yet these are really, really important! The old adage that the system is as strong as it's weakest link is never more true. Let me tell you a story. Several years ago I went to buy a pair of Vice Grips. You know, the kind made in Milwaulkee, WI (or some other American manufacturing city). On the peg board beside the one made in the USA was a set of three "vice grips", a baby one, mama one, and daddy one, made in Taiwan. It was a really tough decision as the cost of the three was less than the Made in USA model and the imported vice grips were EXACTLY the same as the American made ones, down to the last dimple in the casting and nice shiny finish. Well, because of the large cost difference I went out the door with the set of imported vice grips. One can only do so much to support high manufacturing costs, right? The first time I went to use them I selected the mama vice grip I adjusted the jaws to take a light grip on the part and squeezed,and before there was much pressure the lower jaw broke off! So what did I learn from this? When I went to buy shackles for my ground tackle in the marine stores in Seattle they ALL had shackles made in CHINA, which I would guess probably doesn't do as good a job of quality control as Taiwan. How do you think I would sleep at night while at anchor with the wind howling and knowing that I used these imported shackles? Shackles are cheap, we're talking at the most $3 or $4, so it isn't a big expense. How much is the anchor? Rode? Boat? Your family's life? This is not the place to save a buck. There are different grades of shackles and some come load rated and/or tested, such as used in load lifting by riggers, logging, etc. I mentioned this to West Marine Headquarters several years ago and they switched to Japanese made shackles which are probably better quality. Personally, I have more faith in the Japanese products even though I don't know anything about their foundries. My preference, though, would be something made by Cambell Chain. I appologize if this got a bit long-winded but it needed to be said.
In anchoring discussions it's easy to fixate on things like the type of anchor, chain, rode, scope, etc. but seldom is there talk about the little things, like the shackles. Yet these are really, really important! The old adage that the system is as strong as it's weakest link is never more true. Let me tell you a story. Several years ago I went to buy a pair of Vice Grips. You know, the kind made in Milwaulkee, WI (or some other American manufacturing city). On the peg board beside the one made in the USA was a set of three "vice grips", a baby one, mama one, and daddy one, made in Taiwan. It was a really tough decision as the cost of the three was less than the Made in USA model and the imported vice grips were EXACTLY the same as the American made ones, down to the last dimple in the casting and nice shiny finish. Well, because of the large cost difference I went out the door with the set of imported vice grips. One can only do so much to support high manufacturing costs, right? The first time I went to use them I selected the mama vice grip I adjusted the jaws to take a light grip on the part and squeezed,and before there was much pressure the lower jaw broke off! So what did I learn from this? When I went to buy shackles for my ground tackle in the marine stores in Seattle they ALL had shackles made in CHINA, which I would guess probably doesn't do as good a job of quality control as Taiwan. How do you think I would sleep at night while at anchor with the wind howling and knowing that I used these imported shackles? Shackles are cheap, we're talking at the most $3 or $4, so it isn't a big expense. How much is the anchor? Rode? Boat? Your family's life? This is not the place to save a buck. There are different grades of shackles and some come load rated and/or tested, such as used in load lifting by riggers, logging, etc. I mentioned this to West Marine Headquarters several years ago and they switched to Japanese made shackles which are probably better quality. Personally, I have more faith in the Japanese products even though I don't know anything about their foundries. My preference, though, would be something made by Cambell Chain. I appologize if this got a bit long-winded but it needed to be said.
