Safety Alert - Ring Cotter Pins

[Bill]

"As for the cable ties, that is a great idea. They are so easy to put on, and secure. I like that idea. What's the downside?"

Probably that they are more easily cut than wire.  The screw-in clevis pin however, will take some time to work its way out.  You should become aware of the cut tie before the pin drops.

[Theis]

The soft monel wire that I have, purchased from West for the purpose, cuts pretty easily.  I am not certain that it is more abrasion resistant than the tie, or more  strain resistant than cable ties.  My gut tells me that it is six of one, half a dozen of the other.  Right?  Wrong? Also, is the issue abrasion, or is the principal concern the wire/tie getting caught and jerked loose?  That would be my biggest concern.  I can't envision a source for abrasion (except conceivably over many many anchor deployments over a multi year period).

[Mike Goodwin]

Just a question , who has ever lost an anchor on this list ?
I never have in over 30 years of crusing and racing lost an anchor due to failure at the shackle or pin or wire if there . Quite often I have just given extra umpft on the pin with pliers and no wire to secure it .
Only anchor lost ,was recovered later , was due to chafe on the rode at the bow chock . My partner in the boat didn't rig the chafing gear and it parted during a snowy Nor'easter in Febuary , which caused us to be the feature of the evening news " 2 local sailors go for a sail in the blizzard "
with the help of the local fire station we got the boat pushed off the rocks ( actually the keel hit bottom before hull hit rocks )and sailed away to the marina across the harbor and to windward of us , in a complete whiteout . Oh, did I forget to say the motor conked out 20 yards from shore at the beginning , so we had to sail or spend more than the value of the boat on a crane to retrieve it from the spot 10' above sealevel where it was floating  (and my partner thought I was crazy when I bent on the sails before shoving off .)
Actually I enjoyed the sail, was nice and quiet except for the tug traffic we could not see .
Sailing in the snow is really fun except for the cold , you can see the wind as it blows around the sails and thru the slot , made me a believer of the 'slot effect'.
Anyway , I never lost an anchor and never had a pin back out of the shackle but I must say , I rarely anchor in a hard bottom .

[Theis]

Interesting story.  A snow squall is a bit different up north because it can also be accompanied by an more dangerous component - icing.  You don't want to be out when the rigging and deck get iced up and the spray freezes on contact.  I had that happen once many years ago in the Ariel, and although never in peril, I never want to go through it again.  The ice didn't just melt when the snow stopped either.  The snow was neat though - as was the experience.

Back to the anchor:

I have never lost an anchor, although my anchor has broken loose on a couple occasions - with unpleasant results including grounding on the rocks.  One of the terrors a sailor at anchor faces is that 2:00 AM squall with 60 mph plus winds, seas kicking up, and concern about whether the anchor will hold.  It is enough to wake you up from a deep sleep to check on whether the anchor is holding.  There is a degree of comfort knowing the pin will not inadvertently pull out.  It is in the same category as knowing you have enough scope, having a chain rode, and having a heavy enough anchor.

Sailors can be perfectionissts - to a fault.

Now back to the anchor and cotter pins.

I had an interesting conversation with a racing large boat sailor last night, and he informed me that he had raised the same question with two marinas where he stored his boat over the winter.  They both stated that a cotter pin with a slight bend (like 30 degrees on a leg - don't know if that is one leg or two) is every bit as secure as a pin bent 180% back on itself.  Bending the pin back only creates work to get it undone.

Armed with that info, and not having any one that has had an adverse experience with a pin whose legs are only bent back a tad, that is the route that seems best  to go, unless I hear of a bad experience otherwise.  As for the screw type pins, those are unreliable, in my experience, even if tightened with a pliers/wrench, unless also secured with something like Monel wire to prevent the clevis from turning.

[Bill]

Saturday I learned that ring cotter pins are a nemisis wherever things move:(

We were beating to the first mark in the July Island Interclub regatta when there was a rifle shot.  Actually, it was the lower block on the mainsheet traveler assembly separating from the car.  After things settled down, we discovered that the shackle pin had left the shackle holding the block to the car.  And what did Garhauer supply for a cotter pin?  That's right, the infamous ring cotter pin! :eek: Ditto for the opposing block.

Needless to say, the ring pins will be removed and replaced with the old fashioned kind of cotter pins.

Luckily, we found the shackle and its pin on the cockpit sole so the expense of the lession will be minimal.  :cool:

[dasein668]

This year I started using welding rod on all my turnbuckles for just this reason... I forget where I read about this ideaÑBrian Toss, maybe? At any rate, the idea is to just use a single piece of steel welding rod which goes between the two holes and the ends get folded back on themselves . Nothing to snag, and even if it did the welding rod is extremely strong in comparison to cotters and split rings.

[Bill]

Here are the shackle and its pin . .

[Bill]

What the assembly looks like at the other end.  No action here, but will tape the cotter pin to be sure.

[Bill]

Another use for line controlled main sheet travelers:cool:

[marymandara]

While they are without question a pain to install, I like the stainless split rings from the fishing isle...the kind that look like key rings but smaller and SS.
Sometimes it is hard to find ones large enough in diametr of ring and small enough in diameter of wire, but if you look every time you pass the fishing gear in a store eventually you will take care of most of the boat. These cannot snag on anything and pull out of shape or easily wear thru...my own ill experience with the 'cotter rings' like Bill had give out.

For turnbuckles, a simple lashing with cord or seine twine between the bodies of the buckles (assuming open-bodied turnbuckles are involved) will prevent the bodies from rotating and eliminate forever the need for cotter pins in the turnbuckles thenselves.

Best,
Dave