My stronger shackles secure our boat against Harvey

[Pilgrimtex]

I secured our Beneteau Oceanis 37 in preparation for Harvey in Seabrook Marina, Seabrook TX.
So far tropical storm winds and a 6 ft rise in water level. Our burns are breached and the channel found a shortcut flowing to the flood gates through the marina. So far all is ok.
Shackles are performing flawlessly. Note room on the cleats should I need to use additional lines.

 

[justsomeguy]

Note room on the cleats should I need to use additional lines.

Good thinking. Might have to incorporate that idea.

 

[Solarfry]

Are those cleats aluminum?. They might break. Put a new steel cleat or a welded eye bolt screw to put one of those shackles on just in case.

 

[Pilgrimtex]

They are the marina's cleats. Galv. Steel I believe.

 

[Pilgrimtex]

Just for info sake. My homemade shackles are 1/4" N.E. Ropes Dyneema. The Dyneema has a breaking strength of 9700 lbs. My shackles tested at 25,000 lbs. The 3/4" 3 strand is 17,150 lbs. Breaking strength.

 

[Captain Larry-DH]

Other than the fact that Dyneema is more chafe resistant than nylon, I don't see the advantage. You just moved the nylon chafe point from the metal cleat to the even smaller radius of the Dyneema shackle, but it's still a weak point where the nylon makes the bend. Although the Dyneema is probably less likely to break than the nylon, you added another possible failure point by introducing the soft shackle.
What's it look like at the other end (where it attaches to the boat?)

 

[Pilgrimtex]

I don't believe so. Shackles have a chafe guard as well. The nylon chafes my moving and stretching and rubbing on the cleat and dock. There is none of these at the shackles. The boat side has none because I adjust my lines there. The radius around the shackles is fine. Better than a metal shackle or the mooring ring on our dock piling.
I have full confidence in this arrangement.

 

[Pilgrimtex]

By the way you can visit our FB page, Sail'n Somewhere to see more photos of Harvey and a video by Kelly Ellis on K dock.

 

[Pilgrimtex]

More info on my personal shackle design can be seen on the forum of L-36.com

 

[RajinCajun]

I hope the worst of the storm is past you by now and everything turns out well. It's your boat and your responsibility to keep it secure, if you feel confident it's done right, that's GREAT! Lines break, cleats pull out and boats sink, that's the risk we take. Looks like you've got a nice setup, love your shackle idea. My only suggestion would be that if you add more lines, don't use the same cleat, find something else to tie onto, the more lines the better as long as they lead to different anchor points.

Stay safe, all the best.

 

[Charlie Jones s/v Tehani]

Just spoke with a friend who lost his boat in Port Aransas. Adjuster told him the lines were still attached to the cleats, but cleats and chocks had been completely ripped out of the deck Very well built Vanguard 32. As I said in a previous post, shock loads can be killers. Port A had a 9 foot surge, and 5 feet waves directly into the marina. I don't know if any boats survived

 

[Hagar]

At the risk of sounding like one of those second-guessers...
It would be better to run the shackles around the vertical posts instead of off the top of the cleat. The moment (engineering speak for "can opener effect") is greater the higher the load is from the cleat base. Lowering the attachment puts the bolts cleat bolts more in shear instead of tension. Also reduced the crush force on the wood below.

Looks like you are right smack-dab in the middle of trouble down there. I really hope you can come out without too much damage. We are at the end of an unusually hot dry summer in Portland Oregon. Fires all around and the sun has been only an orange spot for several days. Still better than ol' Harvey. Stay safe.

 

[justsomeguy]

Now is the moment he tells us.