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December 28, 2016 2 min read
Shackles have been the most popular option and have been used by sailors for many years to attach blocks to their boats boats. The obvious benefit of a stainless steel metal shackle is that they are reliable and strong. It's easy to see when a shackle is wearing with dents usually forming in the metal.
Over the past few years more blocks and other applications have appeared where rope is used as an option for attaching your block to the boat.
Quite simply rope has evolved a very long way in the past 5 years, we now have dyneema ropes which are much thinner, stronger and harder wearing. Rope is also lighter than a shackle so this will help you to reduce overall weight making you faster.
Dyneema is now rated at 15 times stronger than steel wire. Quite impressive! This is why we're seeing it being used for rigging and trapeze lines on a variety of boats.
Rope is also much softer than a shackle so will reduce wear on the boat if it's left banging around during racing. A heavy shackle can create real wear on the deck of your boat.
We believe it's for two main reasons. 1) there is a lack of understanding of the advantages of using rope and 2) people are scared to move away from their trusty metal shackle.
Correct installation of your rope attached block is essential. If you don't follow the manufacturers instructions then you're going to have a few challenges and could cause real damage to your block or pulley. All Harken soft-attach blocks sold by Sailing Chandlery come with unique instructions on how best to attach your the item to your boat.
Soft-attachments require a smooth radius attachment point. Avoid anything which could cause wear of damage to the rope being used.
Here are the soft attached pulley and block products Sailing Chandlery have in stock at the time of writing this article:
I bought four of these blocks to deal with Control line take away Perfect.
Great product. Very good quality and price!
Quick delivery, great item
New jib sheets are good to hold, do not twist up and hold well in the cam cleats.
Really good kicker at a reasonable price, delivered well packaged up and quickly
I made a mistake on my order and it was put right at zero cost to me ! Amazing !
I’ll certainly be back
Product exactly what I wanted
Good cover, made of a thick tough material and fits the boat well. The drawstring really helps tighten it around the boat and keep the rain and dirt out! There is enough extra space under it to fit your mast and boom on a deck tidy under it. Looks great in the club berths!
Very happy with the complete set of wheels with pins & washers - all in excellent condition & arrived as scheduled. Thank you.
Works well, towing noise considerably reduced and no further damage to underside of gunwales.
These are a revelation compared to the silly key ring type pin. So easy to use making rigging that bit quicker and easier! Great service as always from Sailing Chandlery A*
Excellent service and prompt delivery.
Best on the market!
Our son broke the sheave in his ILCA traveller block. I ordered the full set, which arrived the next day - absolutely brilliant service, sensible price and a quality product
Bought these to fit to the under boom sliders on a Super Spars boom to use for the main sheet. Block is compact and fits close to the underside of the boom keeping main sheet as close to boom as possible.
Quickly delivered from Sailing Chandlery.
I’d not realised that my previous boom was a problem until it became rather banana shaped. The Holt replacement is just the ticket and was delivered promptly. Good value for the money.
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