TIM WEBB wrote:Been meaning to post these shots of the jib soft shackle I'm currently using. It's 1000 lb Spectra, threaded through the center of the sheet, and double fingertrapped through itself to keep it in place.
That's another way to do it. Thanks for posting the pictures.
BTW, what you call a "double fingertrap" is commonly known as a Brummel splice (or sometimes locked Brummel), for those wanting to look up
instructions. The name appears to be traceable to the name of an illustrator for a book by Brion Toss (Working Rope Book 5 - Basic Braided Splices by Brion Toss).
Given the moderate loads on a DS (compared to larger boats), the sheet you show is overdimensioned (sized for handling rather than minimally required strength, I expect, and nothing wrong with that). As a result there should be plenty of reserve strength and no concerns for the perhaps somewhat unorthodox method of running the shackle through the sheet. Given the strength of Dyneema, the shackle itself should be plenty strong despite the narrow diameter. However, depending on UV exposure or chafing you may need to check and replace it after so many seasons. Keep us up-to-date on that.
(I haven't seen Dyneema age to the point of where it failed, but some of mine is no longer colored but looks bleached. So getting an idea whether that represents incipient failure, or just fading of the colorant, would be useful. Your UV exposure should be more.)