Shackles – Everything You Should Know

Shackles are common pieces of rigging equipment that can connect items through a pin, spring, or bolt in most cases. Since rigging involves a lot of components, manufacturers have produced shackles of varying sizes, shapes, and other configurations. Some shackles can be utilised in securing an anchor, while others are meant to hold lines in place. Shackles can also be utilised in attaching topping lifts, blocks, tethers, and lifting harnesses to various pieces of equipment.

Common Types of Shackles

Various manufacturers such as Ronstan, Wichard and Harken have developed shackle and snap shackle designs to suit varying and unique situations. These manufacturers may produce them differently, but most of them offer almost similar types of shackles in the market. Some types of shackles are as follows:

• Bow Shackles– Bow shackles are slightly rounder shaped shackles that can handle loads from various directions / angles without generating significant sideload. They can also retain a consistently safe working load despite fitting wider, irregular shaped or multiple objects. Their general shape may diminish their overall strength, but it can still allow more clearance to handle larger fittings.
• D-Shackles –D-shackles get their name from there D like shape. These shackles come in various lengths and widths (Standard Dee, Wide Dee or Long Dee) and utilise a threaded pin or pin close. These shackles can withstand high loads, ideally in one singular direction, their strength is significantly reduced if load is pulled to one side of the shackle.
• Twisted Shackles – Twisted shackles are used commonly when orientation and space are restricted or have specific requirements, allowing boat owners to hook them up the same way the pins are installed. Working Loads are typically lower on twisted shackles in comparison to D-shackles with the same sized pin, because of the twisted feature.
• Snap Shackles– Snap shackles come in various shapes, sizes and designs according to different brands that manufacture them. They all commonly feature a spring-activated mechanisms and a trigger of some sort, that allows boat owners to use them very quickly with one hand in most cases. These shackles are known to be useful for items that need to be hooked or unhooked frequently, like on the end of a halyard for example.
• Screw Head Shackles –These shackles are ideal for permanent fixing and scenarios where space is restricted. These are great because they reduce the overall width of the shackle, as a result of not having a shackle flat that can be loosened or tightened with your fingers. These can also be great in areas that the sails brush past, as they don’t have any sharp edges that can rip or tear the sails.

To purchase or learn more about various types of shackles, you can contact us at Riggtech or head straight to our online shop to make a purchase. Shackles | Riggtech

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