Chain Hooks

Bob S

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Sep 27, 2007
1,771
Beneteau 393 New Bedford, MA
Did a search and wasn't able to find any comments but I'm sure I'm not alone. I just bought 100' of 3/8 BBB chain during the Defender sale. My two chain hooks, one being a Mantis, won't fit the chain. The links are too close. Any suggestions on a chain hook for BBB chain?
 
Jan 11, 2014
11,321
Sabre 362 113 Fair Haven, NY
Last February Practical Sailor had an article on chain hooks and snubbers. If you are a subscriber that would be a good source of information. Also, Mantus makes a hook for ⅜" chain.
 

Bob S

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Sep 27, 2007
1,771
Beneteau 393 New Bedford, MA
Thanks Dave, I bought the 3/8 Mantus Chain Hook but it won't fit 3/8 BBB chain. The links are too short.
 

Gunni

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Mar 16, 2010
5,937
Beneteau 411 Oceanis Annapolis
I use the Captain Hook chain hook with 3 braid snubber line 3/8" BBB. Defender sells it. Not cheap, but it does not put point loads on your chain like the other hooks do. You need to drape a foot of chain catenary on the windlass side to lock it tight.

My fall back anchor bridle (Lewmar) looks like this device from Sun Dog. Super stout for those big blows. Ties off to bow cleats.
 

Bob S

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Sep 27, 2007
1,771
Beneteau 393 New Bedford, MA
James,
That's what I thought. I have both the chain and the Mantus and Suncor 3/8 chain hooks and it's a struggle to get it engaged and neither will engage fully. It doesn't fit in between the links because the link spacing is too tight.
upload_2018-3-28_8-15-23.jpeg

From Defender
I wouldn't want to be fighting it trying to retrieve my anchor in a blow.
 

Attachments

Feb 14, 2014
7,399
Hunter 430 Waveland, MS
The Mantus Hook shows 0.47 inch gap and a 0.56 hook width. Double check the video on that link.
It sounds like a BBB chain gap problem.

I use mine on very rare occasions.

Coming off anchor in a "blow" is always a problem.
Jim...
 
Mar 26, 2011
3,399
Corsair F-24 MK I Deale, MD
Soft shackle. The best answer for a monohull that recovered the snubber over the roller. Your gut will tell you it looks frail, but in fact they have proven very, very reliable in this service.
 

Gunni

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Mar 16, 2010
5,937
Beneteau 411 Oceanis Annapolis
Why, in the name Zeus do they put that knife edge in the hook?
 

ToddS

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Sep 11, 2017
248
Beneteau 373 Cape Cod
Wouldn't that knife-edge be sort of irrelevant in terms of damaging the chain (or wearing out the edge) since the force being applied to the chain under load is really pulling at in a different direction from the the "cutting direction" of that edge, not against the edge itself? The edge would be bad if you had some kind of hook that went through the chain link like the way a little bungee cord hook would... but with this device, the taper (or edge) is really just to help you more easily wedge the device between the links on either side of it... the load is happening to the two halves of the hook on either side of the slot against the link just aft of the hook (assuming a bow anchor)... not to the link that's actually 'inside" the slot of the hook where the edge is. Right?
 
Jan 11, 2014
11,321
Sabre 362 113 Fair Haven, NY
Wouldn't that knife-edge be sort of irrelevant in terms of damaging the chain (or wearing out the edge) since the force being applied to the chain under load is really pulling at in a different direction from the the "cutting direction" of that edge, not against the edge itself?
Practical Sailor tested chain hooks and snubbers over the past few years. If I recall correctly the issue with the sharp edge is point loading, all of the tension on the chain is focused on a very small contact area. The point loading reduces the strength of the chain. Longer stretchier snubbers help to mitigate the point loading issue.
 

Gunni

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Mar 16, 2010
5,937
Beneteau 411 Oceanis Annapolis
Wouldn't that knife-edge be sort of irrelevant in terms of damaging the chain
No, the knife edge chain hook significantly reduces chain strength.

(from Practical-Sailor):
During our research, nearly every maker of industrial chain offered the same caution: Using a generic chain hook can reduce the link strength by 20 to 25 percent. The generic style of chain hook, familiar to most sailors, resembles an elongated fish hook. As we found in this test, some other hook types are potentially more harmful.

Crosby, one of the world’s biggest suppliers of attachments for the lifting industry, offers a typical warning for its A-338 Clevis Grab Hook, nearly identical in design to those sold at chandlers. “The use of A-338 Clevis Grab Hook will result in a 20-percent reduction in chain capacity.”
...
For our test, we used a slightly undersized 8-millimeter (5/16-inch) chain that was compatible with the hook sizes. We chose used chain because it is representative of what is in use on many boats.

There was no doubt that the chain hooks reduced the chain’s strength. The original chain—without the hook—was tested and failed between the anchoring points; it broke at 6,274 pounds. With the Peerless hook, the chain failed at 4,849 pounds of load, representing a 22-percent reduction in strength, close to the lifting industry prediction of 20 to 25 percent. With the Mantus hook, the chain failed at 3,606 pounds of load, representing a 42-percent reduction in rode strength. Both chains failed at the hook.

The entire testing report is available at Practical-Sailor (with a subscription).
 
May 7, 2012
1,338
Hunter e33 Maple Bay, BC
The entire testing report is available at Practical-Sailor (with a subscription).
A retest was conducted by Practical Sailor and published in Feb 2017, correcting the results of this first test in Mar 2016. The Feb article stated their (PS) initial testing of the Mantus hook was faulty in that the chain size they used did not match the specs for the Mantus hook. In essence, PS used the wrong size Mantus hook on the test chain for their tests. A quote from the Feb 2017 article states:

"Mantus reps assert that if the hook is match correctly to chain size and used as recommended with a properly sized elastic snubbing line—then the hook will not harm the chain. We fully agree."

https://www.practical-sailor.com/issues/37_74/features/Snubber-Chain-Hooks-Revisited_12156-1.html