PSA: Box Anchors and Carabiners

Marantzer

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Hi Guys - based largely on the recommendations on here I purchased a Small Slide Anchor Box Anchor from Amazon. I also bought a nylon anchor line and a stainless steel carabiner rated at 600 lbs. I went this route out of concern for a pin backing out of a shackle.

On its second use, immediately after retrieving the line and anchor, the anchor fell. It bounced off the front deck straight into the water, leaving me on the front of the boat holding the line and trying to figure out what just happened. The carabiner and line were both in perfect shape, so I assumed something had to have happened to the loop on the anchor.

I reached out to Slide Anchor to see if they had any kind of warranty. Ryan called me back and quickly identified the issue As the carabiner. Apparently as most anchors (except for mushroom style) twist and turn in a way that will quickly release a carabiner if it catches the right way. This is exacerbated by the absence of a chain. Here is a video of how quickly and easily this can happen.

Lesson learned, perhaps this is common knowledge, bur it was news to me. Hopefully this will save some of you a couple hundred bucks!
 
Damn. Expensive lesson.
 
have small box anchor. use stainless anchor shackle. check it periodically. no problems.

sorry for your misfortune.
 
Was the carabiner you used a twist-lock carabiner? A twist-lock requires a spring-loaded slide collar to be both pushed and twisted at the same time for the gate to open. They're commonly used in paragliding activities around the world and there have been no reports of accidental opening. When properly closed, they stay closed.
 
Thanks guys, not a huge deal. If that’s the worst lesson I learn with a boat I’ll count myself lucky. It was just a spring snap carabiner, I simply didn’t foresee the gate being opened by the anchor itself. For what it’s worth, Slide Anchor is including a shackle with the new one I have on the way. He’s never heard of an issue with a shackle with the pin cranked down.
 
Yup, lost two “cheap” anchors using snap clips/carabiners. Now use a threaded chain link.
 
I use the shackle with cable tie
 
After a season, nylon zip ties tend to become brittle. The black zip tie are better UV protected. In the construction field we use bailing wire on all shackle pins. So, staying with that line of thinking, I use a short piece of parachute to secure the pin from backing out.
 
My main anchor is 12 yrs old. Never even gave it a thought that the shackle pin would back out or fail. I'll check it today......
 
Time to dive down and get the old one!
 
What are the gps coordinates?
 
Was the carabiner you used a twist-lock carabiner? A twist-lock requires a spring-loaded slide collar to be both pushed and twisted at the same time for the gate to open. They're commonly used in paragliding activities around the world and there have been no reports of accidental opening. When properly closed, they stay closed.

Clearly, it was not...
 
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