Jake,

Thanks for posting the pic - it's very illustrative. The houndshead on my Isotope broke on the last racing day in October and I need to replace it over the winter. I like the idea of shimming the shackle and think I'll add it to my rig.

I was fortunate - although the houndshead broke, it did not fail completely. It would have been a shame to miss the best wind of the season at Kerr Lake (pushing 15 knots). I had a "holy ****" moment on the beach after unstepping the mast though. One side of the houndshead had parted completely. I was very lucky not to have been dismasted.

Regards,
Eric - Isotope 42