Mooring shackles

[Hudsonian]

I'm getting ready to renew the mooring for my 5,600 pound sloop. I'm moored in 11' to 14' of water -- depending upon tide. I have a 350 pound mushroom in firm mud, 20' of 3/4" bottom chain, 15' of 3/8" top chain. Based upon typical wear, the most likely elements to be replaced are the shackles and swivels. Can any of you comment on the advantages or disadvantages of Kenter shackles or Baldt shackes versus standard screw shackles?

[sailingdog]

The main disadvantage I see with those is they have less range of motion, and are more likely to get jammed and then fail than a standard shackle. There is also no way to seize the bolts on those, unlike a standard pin shackle, where you can wire the pin in place. They're also harder to inspect visually.

[Omatako]

A D-bolt shackle would be my only choice.

The mooring setup you describe (chain size etc.) is pretty much exactly what we have down. I have the mooring lifted and inspected annually and the D-bolt shackles generally last for 3 years or more.

As SD said, they can be seized with wire and there is little chance of them failing.