What is this? Wrench? Snubber? Any clue?

[Iron E]

to me, The shape in the mouth of the clip looks like it locks onto something "D" shaped, like a ladder rung, for example.
my 3¢

[MicHughV]

if it is a mooring hook.....how is it removed from the mooring when you leave ?? The shackle does not look like it could accept a large diameter line.

Most mooring balls that I've seen, have the mooring line run thru' the mooring ball, which can be snagged and pulled thru' the mooring ball to the boat with a standard boat hook.

More often than not, that same mooring line is fastened to a bow cleat.

I'm intrigued, but stick to my 2c.

[MicHughV]

that little arm appears to fit into that slot adjacent to it, when the arm is pushed in, so the entire "open space" is available for whatever......
Still has a home made appearance to my eye...

[Don C L]

Originally Posted by MicHughV

that little arm appears to fit into that slot adjacent to it, when the arm is pushed in, so the entire "open space" is available for whatever......
Still has a home made appearance to my eye...

Yeah, I could see it as a mooring hook if you had another piece, on the pole perhaps, that fit over the shank and slid down to open it and release the mooring, but it's kinda wimpy for a mooring hook, no? Still, if it were mine, that's what I'd use it for.

[Geoff54]

Originally Posted by MicHughV

if it is a mooring hook.....how is it removed from the mooring when you leave ?? The shackle does not look like it could accept a large diameter line.

Most mooring balls that I've seen, have the mooring line run thru' the mooring ball, which can be snagged and pulled thru' the mooring ball to the boat with a standard boat hook.

More often than not, that same mooring line is fastened to a bow cleat.

I'm intrigued, but stick to my 2c.

I think it intended to be temporary, to get you connected to something quickly and easily, something that is difficult to reach like a dock cleat or mooring. Once connected you can rig your permanent connection. It operates like a spring carabiner on a stick.
Here another version
https://www.amazon.com/Lindemann-Sta.../dp/B00M0OFRWK
And here is a more modern variation.
https://www.amazon.com/Mooring-Threa.../dp/B0BJ194CQC

[MicHughV]

I'm guessing that you'd be hard pressed to fit a 1/4", maybe 5/16" line thru' that shackle and loop it back...hardly something I'd want to use as a mooring line.

You could off course use the shackle to attach a pulley to the " thing" for a larger line, but that seems illogical to do...

[MicHughV]

That question mark logo " thingy" next to the shackle is maybe representative of a "hook", lending weight to the theory it is a mooring hook of some kind....

At this point, I give up...

[MicHughV]

There is no scale to this thing, it could be much larger than it looks on the pic. If it was 12" long or thereabouts, the shackle would be also be larger.....

Ok, seriously....I give up...

[skipperpete]

Me too , it beat the forum a few years ago and it might well do it a second time.

[wholybee]

It looks like part of a tether used for climbing radio towers. Same idea as a tether on a boat, it clips to the steps of a ladder, or whatever part of the tower structure you can. The rest of the hook simply forms a handle. There would normally be 2. One for each hand, such that one was always clipped on the tower as you are climbing.

It doesn't quite look like the ones I have seen, but similar enough that is what I would guess it is.

[skipperpete]

I find it odd that an identical item has been found on 2 quite different boats, that alone suggests this is a specialised nautical thingy.

[hpeer]

I think I saw something along these lines sold as an anchor retrieval system.

Somehow you are supposed to send this contraption down and have it snap around a shackel or ring on the anchor to trip the anchor and raise it fluke down.

I recall looking at something like that and being dubious of success.

You can Google up an anchor trip link, not sure how that is supposed to work but this may be an "improved" version.

Another alternative is, having hooked a cable or some gear you can sometime get it near the surface. But you need to trip the anchor to clear the foul. With this gizmo you use a boat hook or pole with a pin in it to reach down and snap this thing on and tie it off. Then drop the chain and clear the foul.

I have had to do this more than once, but I have managed to improvise something else at the time.

[MicHughV]

I can see this being used as a "safety" tether to climb radio towers, etc, as the inside space seems to have been designed to fit over a steel rung..and the smallish s/s shackle would seem appropriate to clip onto a harness.

Yes, hmmmm, I think we might be on to something here....it's possible it found it's way onto a boat for one reason or another.

Likely a climber on a radio tower would have two of these....one stays clipped on while the other is moved to another rung two or three up...or down as the case may be...

I'm going to look this up and see if I can find anything..

[MicHughV]

There is an incredible selection of these things online. I have found similar devices using a webbing strap between the shackle and the upper clip, lending credence to the possibility it is a safety tether.

[Cheechako]

Well, it's a snatch hook. Obviously a crudely made one.