Mast tang shackles

Any fastener that's related to holding the boat together or keeping the mast vertical warrants red locktite or saftey wire. Time and money well spent if it ever saves you from even one big failure.

Dave

great advice... yet i have never done it or met anyone who does.
I do walk around my boat every month or so with a tool and make sure all 3 main connection points (and all others) are very tight.

I did find a side stay had worked it's way loose last weekend. Glad i caught it before it caught me.

davefarmer wrote: Any fastener that's related to holding the boat together or keeping the mast vertical warrants red locktite or saftey wire. Time and money well spent if it ever saves you from even one big failure.

Dave

Here is what I did. I thought about replacing all the shackles with ones that have holes in the flat part of the shackle pin so they could be safety wired. Then I thought I could save $$ by using the shackles from the boat and drill a hole in the flat part of the shackle pin. I ended taking all the shackles off my cat that I do not regularly open, used a metal punch to dimple the center of the flat part of the shackle pin, and drilled them with a small drill bit. Then I removed any burrs around the hole, put them back on the boat and used some stainless steel rigging wire to safety wire them. This did not take much time and now I do not have to worry about any shackles coming loose.
Good luck,
Dan
Bradenton, Fl

I use zip ties instead of safety wire. They are cheap, non-reactive, and you cancheck them for signs of aging easily. Plus they are easy to replace.

Or you can just use captive pin shackles.

davefarmer wrote: holding the boat together or keeping the mast vertical warrants red locktite or saftey wire.

Dave

I wouldn't suggest red locktite, I am more concerned with anti-seize on all bolts. That with keeping a reasonable inspection schedule should be adequate.

I wouldn't suggest red locktite,

+1 Red is the strong stuff, you need heat to get it loose, use Blue if you want to Loctite. If the shackles have holes, I use zip ties. They easily last a season, & are easy to snip with side cutters when you disassemble the boat for winter,(if your climate requires that).
If no holes, I would wrap some rigging tape, or colored electrical tape around it. Much easier to remove than Loctite. Save the Loctite for areas that you can't see or get at.

I had rigging tape covered in red electrical tape around my side stay shackles and about 1 month ago I found a side stay had worked its self about 1 turn away from completely unscrewed

I even have a boating multi-tool that i use to snug them way down. Even with that there is just to much tension and loading and unloading going on at that point (at least on my boat) and require either zip ties/security wires or frequent tests to make sure none of the main rigging points are loose (for standard shackles)

If no holes, I would wrap some rigging tape, or colored electrical tape around it. Much easier to remove than Loctite. Save the Loctite for areas that you can't see or get at.

Edited by MN3 on Apr 11, 2013 - 05:59 PM.