T&T: anchor shackles

[C. Marin Faure]

 >One listee who emailed me,  used a fancy dancy SS swivel on the  
shank of his aluminum Spade He bent the shank and he's soured on   
swivels and aluminum anchors.

I can't comment on the aluminum Spade because I've had no experience  
with it.  We use an aluminum Fortress as our stern anchor, but we've  
not used it as our main anchor so have not put any undo strains on  
it.  Our main anchor is a Rocna.

But while I no longer believe in using a swivel, I do not see how a  
swivel could result in bending the shank of an anchor.  With or  
without a swivel, the force that will bend an anchor shank is a  
sideways load on the shank, as when a strong wind moves the boat off  
to the side of the anchor.  If you have a swivel attached incorrectly  
to the anchor, the swivel pin can break under such a side load, but  
that has nothing to do with whether or not the shank will bend. If  
the load that breaks the pin of an incorrectly installed swivel is  
enough to bend the anchor shank, it will bend the anchor shank anyway  
no matter how the swivel is attached or even if there isn't a swivel  
at all.


____________________
C. Marin Faure
GB36-403 "La Perouse"
Bellingham, Washington