Snazzy Snap Hooks

One of the challenges of recovering ocean observing equipment is to snag large, heavy equipment in moving water and guide it to the rear of the ship for pickup.  The Endurance 17 team has made the snagging of this equipment much easier with an innovative design that uses modified commercial off-the-shelf pelican hooks – typically used to prevent falls – and a newly designed pickup pole.  A former team member Chris Holm designed the new system.

These snap hooks are strong enough to handle 1000 pounds of weight. They are typically used to snatch lighter pieces of equipment from the sea and move equipment around on deck with the help of air tuggers and lighter winches.

The team modifies the pelican hooks for onboard use.  They first remove a safety latch so that the hooks can be engaged with a rope, rather than a hand. The next step is to weld a square stock steel rod to the bottom of the hook so it can be inserted into a pickup rod that will allow a team member to be safely away from equipment to be snagged. Once the hook is in place, it snaps and the rod disengages, leaving the rope and hook tethered to the snagged equipment.

The rod itself has been designed to facilitate ease of use.  Made of tapered carbon fiber, the rod is versatile, lightweight, and strong.  It typically comes in six-foot lengths that can be spring pin attached to create a length needed for a specific job.  Modified end pieces of one- and four- feet lengths are also available to customize lengths.

These snap hooks are made of titanium and are capable of holding 10,000 pounds. They are compatible with the newly designed carbon fiber pick up rod and used to snag large buoys and heavy and cumbersome multi-function nodes.

The carbon fiber pickup rods can be modified to flexible lengths and are decorated with brightly colored tape for safety reasons and for added protection at their ends.

A snap hook successfully attached to a float on one of OOI’s Endurance arrays. It holds the float in place as it is raised up to the deck by a winch.

Blog author Darlene Trew Crist (blue hard hat) tries out a snap hook and snagged an anchor float. She confirmed their ease of use.

This snap hook and rod design is yet another example of the Endurance Array Team’s innovative solutions to meeting the many challenges of keeping ocean observation equipment operational and moving it in and out of the water twice each year.