Comments on: DIY Soft Shackles

By: Mike Werneburg

Mike Werneburg — Sun, 15 Oct 2023 04:19:47 +0000

These make changing my headsails much faster and easier. I have numerous ones of different sizes around for when the need arises.

By: John Buhrmann

John Buhrmann — Sun, 18 Jun 2023 19:02:58 +0000

I love this soft shackle technique! Great option for smaller lines and smaller working loads. Easy to tie quickly and deploy. Thanks for a great tip!

By: Steve Althaus

Steve Althaus — Thu, 11 May 2023 15:29:22 +0000

Simple, easy to remember, cheap, and effective. I like it. Beats the soft-shackle methods I have been using.

By: Ken Elowe

Ken Elowe — Thu, 04 May 2023 17:51:34 +0000

These are very handy and I use them often, though I like the knot you use better than mine! One handy use for a short loop over the stopper knot on the gunnel is to keep the tiller to my Caledonia Yawl from going over the side when I let it go – quick and easy to lash it down or let it go. Thanks for a good article!

By: DALLEN BOUNDS

DALLEN BOUNDS — Tue, 02 May 2023 18:13:12 +0000

Thanks for that. Now you have given me something to do. More about knots: I recently watched a Youtube video where they were testing the breaking strength of a Bowline knot and a Double Figure-8 knot with a bite. The double figure-8 knot was almost twice as strong as the Bowline.

By: Curtis Fitzgerald

Curtis Fitzgerald — Tue, 02 May 2023 14:32:18 +0000

I use soft shackles because they are quiet – no clanking hardware in light wind.

By: Robert David

Robert David — Tue, 02 May 2023 10:31:35 +0000

I also use mainly the Dyneema soft shackles, knitted myself. More precisely the Edwards soft shackles. And it is rock solid, the stopper is tight enough and does not have an issues with Dyneema slippery nature. There is also an animated sequence for this Ashley stopper knot (one strand version). It is really an interesting knot for a very fast shackle like loops. On the other side, I like more the the stopper loop using the modified Crown Button. But it is much harder to create and it took me some time to master properly (and to be honest, I have already forgot that :) ). The Ashley Book of Knots, is something which is definitely a must have in one's library.

By: Stephen Borgstrom

Stephen Borgstrom — Tue, 02 May 2023 03:15:22 +0000

I have dyneema soft shackles all over my boat, they’re great. I am even using them as hanks between my jib and dyneema forestay. After tying all those shackles the fancy stopper knot can still give me fits, even with step-by-step pictures. I’m not much good a knitting either. I’m going to give this method a try, that all important stopper looks easy enough to remember and that lark’s head to secure it appears less fussy too.

By: Kenneth Lambert

Kenneth Lambert — Tue, 02 May 2023 03:05:08 +0000

Similar to a soft shackle, I’ve used a knotted strop, per The Glénans Sailing Manual, to attach jib sheets to the headsails.
Like the soft shackle, low tech and reliable.

By: Ben Fuller

Ben Fuller — Tue, 02 May 2023 00:54:42 +0000

I often use them in lieu of hardware to fasten blocks to spars, wrapping the shackle around the spar as a Prussic loop.