BROKEN BOW SHACKLE

A BROKEN or lost bow shackle isn’t exactly a common situation. They’re incredibly strong, so you’ll generally be fine. That said, they play an integral part of a winch or snatch recovery, and without them you’re dead in the water. So, what do you do if you don’t have one? The solution is relatively easy; although, you’ll lose 1.5m of winch line for the fun of it.

Run your winch line out and (remembering the splicing technique from before) lop 1.5m off the end before splicing in a new loop. With the length you’ve cut out you can make a soft shackle. Essentially the technique involves halving the rope and then feeding one length through the other, then popping it out halfway to make a lanyard knot. The outer sheath can slide, opening and closing the hole. It’s simple stuff, but best practiced beforehand. The tighter the knot, the stronger the shackle will be. They won’t work as well as the store-bought options, but done right are more than strong enough for a recovery.