Thanks Steve,



Hey Gary,

I think I may have a low cost (under $3), simple solution to the hang-up problem with the quick release shackle...how about a harness ring? I have a few which I bought at the local farm supply store for an unrelated purpose. Officially, they are used for cattle/horse harnesses. They come in various sizes/diameters, but essentially they are a perfectly round, polished stainless steel ring (solid and seamless). I would suggest a 1.5 to 2 inch diameter may work best (working load > 300lbs , breaking load > 2000lbs). The ring could be attached to the rope (with a bowline in your case) and then used to clip onto the shackle. I am sure it would slide off the shackle arm much easier than rope. For those of us with a continuous traveller/mainsheet setup, the sheet could simply be passed through the ring during intial setup. One would just want to make sure that the ring ends up on the working portion of the sheet (between the traveller cleat and the mainsheet blocks). In other words, we want the ring on the portion of mainsheet that sits on the tramp or in our hands when we sail. The ring has the added advantage of allowing the mainsheet to freely pass through it at all times - shackled or not.

What are your thoughts on this solution?



Dave