How to attach a cable to a bridle

Julian · Post by **Julian** » Wed Sep 10, 2008 4:36 pm

Looking for ideas here.

I have an anchor / mooring bridle pre-built so that I can attach to visitor buoys (oh no! I should only marina hop, I'm sorry) or attach to my anchor chain. The bridle means I can moor and spread the weight between the two hulls of my catamaran. It is suggested on my boat not to anchor long term or in anything more than ideal conditions via the foredeck fairlead.

My question now... My anchor cable is made up of 75ft chain to a further 120ft of 3 strand nylon rope. So far I have not needed to deploy the bridle at the same time as having rope payed out. When chain I just shackle to the bridle, which in essence gives me a 3 point connection to the boat.

Does anyone have any ideas on a quick way to connect rope without tying a knot on a bight (I don't fancy that). Is there such a thing as an in-line cleat type thing that I might utilise or am I trying to achieve something that is not really feasible?

ta in advance...

J

sahona · Post by **sahona** » Wed Sep 10, 2008 9:20 pm

I'm sorry, I think you're going to have to bite the bullet. A bowline-on-the-bight has to be the answer. At least it is easy to tie, and comes apart easily. Do you have a hook as well as a shackle on the bridle? - A standard chain hook would have to be augmented by something 'friendlier' to rope, probably with a locking gate.

TonyMS · Post by **TonyMS** » Thu Sep 11, 2008 6:14 pm

A Carrick bend does the business. It brings all the merits of a Bowline to a 3-line knot - ie it is strong, won't slip, and it is easy to undo once the load is removed.

Tony

Julian · Post by **Julian** » Fri Sep 12, 2008 11:44 pm

I had a feeling it might not be as easy as I hoped, I did hold out hope that someone might point me to an in-line cam-cleat type affair..

I will look up carrick bend in my book of knots as I am not familiar with it, I will be looking to tie to a large bow shackle which forms the bridle part of my set up and then bring the bitter-end end back on board.

There is another possible solution, and that might involve cleating the rode to one hull and bringing a short line over from the other to create the triangle. I don't know how I might tie this without it slipping. A ring would just slip until the rode went straight out from the hull and boat would be broadside to the weather.

Maybe I should use a double anchor rope, that way the bridle would go all the way to the chain... nah!

J

ash · Post by **ash** » Sat Sep 13, 2008 1:37 am

[quote="Julian"] I did hold out hope that someone might point me to an in-line cam-cleat type affair..
/quote]

I had thought that the climbers might have come up with a suggestion of a device from that world.

Could an Ascender be used?

Ash

Julian · Post by **Julian** » Sat Sep 13, 2008 7:19 pm

Could an Ascender be used?

Ash

ding!

If I steal from the climbing world I could use the bow shackle as an abseiler does... By taking some turns including a locking turn around the shackle and then replace the pin.

I think this would work, I was fiddling with the strings of the venetian blind next to me earlier and they have little plastic stopper hoops (for whatever reason??) and utilise a nifty little turn that I could easily add in-line as I can remove the pin....

see pic below.