Shifty
Veteran Member
I've been towing our dinghy for short hops using a bridle made of 1/2" MFP float line attached to the same line going to the boat. Since this isn't our main mode (we put the dinghy on it's davit for long hops or rougher conditions), I've just been securing the lines using bowline knots. I want to upgrade to something more secure, so I'll be adding stainless thimbles to the lines. The question I have is how to connect the thimble to the dinghy tow points. My initial instinct was to use a standard stainless shackle (with the normal thumb screw). But I never use this without a lock wire, which would make attaching and detaching it from a dinghy a tool-job. There are a range of stainless carabiners available, but I'm not comfortable using one without a lock and I can find exactly one of those in stainless. Because of the eye insert, this would need to be attached permanently to the thimble.
So, right now, I am thinking of going with a quick link. The lock seems more secure but it's a single point of failure (i.e. if it comes unscrewed, it's just open, whereas with a locking carabiner, both the screw and the gate would need to come open.
Again, the idea here is I can quickly attach and detach the tow rig and trust it to not come undone, even in rough conditions.
How have others solved this?
So, right now, I am thinking of going with a quick link. The lock seems more secure but it's a single point of failure (i.e. if it comes unscrewed, it's just open, whereas with a locking carabiner, both the screw and the gate would need to come open.
Again, the idea here is I can quickly attach and detach the tow rig and trust it to not come undone, even in rough conditions.
How have others solved this?
