Firstly apologies to @campr that the intent of your great thread has "corroded" away. I love your anchor tine bender - I plan to make one for my boat. I will use ally tube like you have - as I agree that gal tube corrodes too much and ally tube would corrode far less. I could use stainless, but a thick wall ally tube will be cheaper and do the job - and there it is again, an example of oversizing the metal thickness to compensate for strength against the mild steel alternative - with the benefit of negating corrosion impact !!
Now regarding my quick anchor change set up - the back to back s/s snaps.
@kingfishbig and @noelm I guess the rest of this post is directed at you (everyone else is probably long bored) as you have raised the most concern about my suggestion to use oversized s/s snap clips for a tool-less solution to swapping anchors....but I note you have not really volunteered any alternatives or outlined what you use in your anchoring setup.
Nevertheless, in a final attempt to bring this discussion to some closure, I will state up front.... Stainless steel CAN corrode (can - implies a possibility) where as gal steel WILL corrode (will - implies a 100% probability). Both will fail if corrosion is left unaddressed, which implies nothing replaces regular inspection and maintenance.
@noelm you have focused on the weakness of s/s and stated that ...
I have supplied manufacturer data showing that the snaps I use EACH have a suggested work load (SWL) of 290kg and a breaking strain (BS) of 1160kg. Two snaps combined in the way I use them have an SWL approaching 580kg and BS approaching 2320kg (my whole rig with 2 crew weighs 1972kg).
If that is not enough SWL or BS, what do you recommend as an adequate strength required for my anchoring needs???
BTW, What is the weight of your rig and what have you allowed for BS in your anchoring set up?
I would agree if you had added "for a given diameter of material". It's obvious you need to oversize the "clip" if you want to have the same BS as a smaller diameter closed shackle. This is nothing new.
A crane hook is a great example - it's an open hook that is always oversized in material diameter compared to the shackles and chains behind it. The same principle applies to my example - I am using 2 x 10mm snap hooks backed to 8mm short link gal chain - so 20mm of s/s material to 8mm of gal metal. I have also faced two oversized snap hooks in opposite directions to create a closed shackle effect to avoid inadvertent disconnection of a single snap. So I would state that there are ways to match the strength and other characteristics of a closed shackle and that I have taken that into account.
Hmmmm. what exactly do you mean by "engineered loading situations" ... and the implications to avoid using s/s in "shear" applications??
Please consider my HyDrive hydraulic steering system.
It is actually rated for use with a single 300hp outboard or dual counter rotating outboards combined up to 600hp. So HyDrive would definitely say it was engineered to handle high load situations. The tiller arm is held in place by a 12mm stainless steel bolt at each end. The tiller arm only operates in a direction that imposes a high shear workload.
What would your comment be to HyDrive regarding the use of s/s fasteners for this high shear engineered load situation ???
What material would you recommend they should use?
BTW, What do you use on your boat/motor steering linkage?
Please advise I seriously want to learn here....as maintaining steering control is an absolutely critical safety consideration.
Now if I think of some more places on my boat where "shear" forces have to be handled I'd have to consider that my ally pod is factory mounted to the stern of my Haines by 8 x 12mm + 6 x 10mm s/s bolts. And both my outboards are mounted to the pod by 4 x 12mm and 4 x 10mm s/s bolts respectively.
What would you say to Haines Hunter or Mercury Marine about the use of s/s bolts in such a shear application?
But lets get back to my anchoring system ...both you and @kingfishbig would have to agree that eventually the anchor rode has to attach to something to have a safe anchoring system - it's no use just focusing on the terminal end fasteners - we cannot ignore what the other end ties to - the bollards !
Oh dear, mine are all made of stainless steel !!!! Bow bollard is 12mm dia, ... and the stern starboard and port bollards are each 10mm dia - and they are fastened to the hull by s/s bolts. These are high shear workloads and exposed to corrosion !!!! All of them were factory Installed by Haines Hunter.
What bollards do you guys use? And what fasteners? Please share?
Now finally, regarding the s/s swivel. Use it or don't... it's your choice. It's an enhancement not a necessity. Some people recommend them others don't. It's not an essential part of what I suggested was a quick anchor change set up. However, regarding them being weak ---- hmmm.
Mine is rated to 1350kg. It was recommended by StressFreeMarine (SFM) to be used with my drum winch set up - due to the high rate of retrieve of the anchor imparting twist etc etc etc.. It is also recommended by LoneStarMarine (LSM). I am comfortable with the product and continue to use it.
I will also again re-instate, my anchor and associated gear, spends such an insignificant amount of time in the water compared to my outboard mounting and steering bolts, bollard, pod etc etc that I am not as concerned about corrosion of my anchoring items as you are. eg in the last 3 trips, where I spent more than 36hours on the water, I anchored once for 1hr.
I would also argue, that the mounting bolts on my pod/motor/steering are CRITICAL to the safe operation of my craft. If these failed while under way at say 70km/h I'd be in a critical, life threatening situation .... and YET the manufacturers use s/steel as fasteners for all these components... corrosion and shear strength factored in.
So when I re-read all this, I see that @kingfishbig has highlighted all this concern came about because -
I couldn't agree more. But the anchor is just one critical item in the safety equipment on any craft. It will be useful in certain situations and useless in others eg engine failure at browns (500m depth) the anchor is useless but my sea-anchor, radio and flares would be of great use.
But the implication of your statement is that you need to make sure your safety equipment is in the best condition for the job as possible. Again, I couldn't agree more. But how do you do that?????
In my case I have followed the recommendations of ALL the vendors that have supplied my anchoring equipment components and ensured that everything is used within the tolerances they specify. I also check, inspect, and replace stuff as part of a regular maintenance routine.
All the best.
Cheers Zoran
