Dyneema Loop Soft Shackle

With the evolution of modern ropes sailors are inventing thousands of use cases for Dyneema loops. The team at bottom up boat recently saw a great use case that turns a dyneema loop into a soft shackle in seconds.
With soft shackles replacing tradition shackles at a speed we have never scene before most spare parts kits now carry several soft shackle and at the very least a few meters of Dyneema so you can make your own as required.
If you need to make a soft shackle in a hurry we suggest stocking your spare parts kit with several dyneema loops of a variety of lengths. Using this technique demonstrated in this video you can turn your Dyneema loops into soft shackles in seconds.
Depending on the width of you rope and the use case you can choose between the :-
"Over Hand loop knot"
• How to tie a Over Hand...
or the
"Double over hand loop knot"
• Master the Double Over...
to finish your soft shackle.
Need learn to tie a dyneema loop ? You can learn in less than 5 minutes by watching another Bottom Up Boats demo video.
How to create Dyneema Loop
• How to make a Dyneema ...
If you need to get the gear to help you create your continuous dyneema loops you can pick pick up a D-Splicer from the link below.
D-Splicer
amzn.to/35TIcQj
The team at bottom up boats recommends using these soft shackles when you are in a hurry and on use cases were there is not a lot of movement of the shackle for example fixing blocks to a fixed point. If you are attaching sheets to sails and there will be a lot of movement we suggest traditional splice soft shackles which have a more secure locking point.
Our favourite soft shackle use a combination of an eye splice and the overhand knot to create a soft shackle with 230% breaking strain of a single length of the rope.
Our favourite soft shackle.
• Stronger Soft Shackle ...
We hope you enjoyed todays video where the team at bottom up boats showed you how to make a continuous dyneema loop. As an amazon associate the team at bottom up boats gets commission from qualify purchase.

[@bunyipdan]

G'day there guys, I commented on an earlier video, great to see you showing another way to make these soft shackles. As I mentioned previously there are several ways I make this type of quick soft shackle more secure;
- When tying the overhand stopper knot leave just a short loop at end (as you did) but pass the long loop through the small loop and cinch the overhand knot up tight pulling up the small loop up to the knot....by doing this you essentially lock the overhand stopper knot and it will not pull though (I think this method is better than the traditional button knot or diamond knot, quicker and easier....only down side is it takes up more rope to tie).
- There are many ways to connect or use this stoper knot soft shackle loop.....if you have to make the shackle more secure tie an over hand knot/marlin spike hitch in one of the loop lines (not both) slightly offset at the resulting constricting loop at the end, this knot can be cinched up or moved to create the desired size terminal/end loop and ensure the shackle is balanced under load. The loop can be easily opened to fit over the stopper knot and slid closed to choke the base of the stopper knot (essentially the same as the standard spliced version of a soft shackle), this makes a very secure attachment to the shackle and is the one I use for inconsistent loads.
- Or you can tie a larks head knot/cow hitch in the end of the loop, this is slipped over the stopper knot perpendicular to the soft shackle rather than inline, and tightened directly behind the stopper knot and is very secure (however can be difficult to undo after tension is applied (not sure about how much this effects the ultimate strength but there are now four wraps to distribute the load at a virtually un-collapsible stopper knot).
I would love to see a load test between the soft shackle designs.....just to see how much the different techniques compromise/increase the shackle strength, and may be a comparison between how much rope is needed to build a standard size soft shackle with each style/method.
Apologies for another long explanation difficult to put into words.

[@BottomUPBoats]

It is your comment which inspired me to do so research, learn the new techniques and share.
I really appreciate you watch and providing feedback, it inspires me to learn and share. In this case you are too quick for me, replying with more feedback before I have had time to edit and release additional videos which will put you excellent explanation into word. Over the next couple of weeks I will be releasing some additional vides which will put your words into motion. Stay tuned and as always I will be watching for your feedback which is a gift :)

[@bunyipdan]

@@BottomUPBoats No worries mate, just seen overhand knots walk up/off the rope when heavy loads applied, so locking is an easy fix......and guess after seeing you get closer to how I use them, I might have got a little too much wind in my sails. Looking forward to seeing more in the series, keep up the great work

[@BottomUPBoats]

No issues with having too much wind in your sails. It makes you go faster 👍👍

[@whereswaldo1191]

How do these knots compare in breaking strain to the breaking strain of the dyneema. i.e. should I go up in size in the dyneema if using these simpler knots.

[@bunyipdan]

@@whereswaldo1191 i'd like to see some tests on this as well, in general I here the figure upto 230% of the material line strength quoted for a standard soft shackle. But.......there are many different ways to tie a soft shackle and even ways you use them, it is also dependent on if you set the stopper knot, the bend radius of your anchor points and DIY competence can add a significant variable in consistency of strength....... A well constructed soft shackle (with a locked stopper knot) tends to break at the loop choke point, so consider how much dynema is interfacing at that point.
They are strong, light weight, easy to construct, and use ........ if you are relying on their load ratings and they are critical to your application then maybe look at a commercial product with defined breaking strain until you develop your competence level.
I would love to see some practical breaking strain testing.......(bit expensive, maybe a generous product sponser would be interested?)

[@jeffmyers7062]

AKA soft link like with my evo loop

[@BottomUPBoats]

Thanks for stopping by and sharing

[@andraxification]

Thats going to slip.

[@BottomUPBoats]

If you are worried about the loop slipping you can always create a locked one with the following video, with that said if you place the knot near the join the loop is not going anywhere.
ruclips.net/video/zu6pEZy96I4/видео.html
If you are worried about the lock of the shackle slipping there are many other ways to finishes explained in the following video.
ruclips.net/video/hXG17Q__6aY/видео.html

[@andraxification]

@@BottomUPBoats its the stopper knot thats going to slip. Even the diamond knot is going to slip in single braid dyneema. This is a really dangerous soft shackle that is going to fale. A button knot with buried ends is the only knot that I would use in a soft shackle.