Trailer Boats Review - October 2004

If you've ever wished for an upscale, industrial-strength shock cord that's made specifically for marine use, you're in luck. Amazingly veratile, the Shockle (888/557-6464, Shockles.com) is basically super bungee fashioned from aircraft-grade elastomers covered in 2000-pound-test nylon webbing. Instead of hooks that can mar finishes, snag clothing (and other fabrics) or cause injury, the Shockle features self-closing carabiners on each end.

True to the product's marine heritage (it was developed for high-load applications on sailboat rigging), the Shockle's 'biners are fashioned from anodized aluminum and fitted with stainless pins and springs, so they're designed to stand up to hard boating use. What's more, a properly secured carabiner can't slip off, so you're assured that whatever you've got tied down will stay put. We used an 18-inch Force 2 model ($44 [*$32.95]) to square away a full set of dock lines - which was hardly a test worthy of this unit's heavy duty rating. Securing our Labrador retriever in the truck on the way to the launch ramp was a better challenge - and we could envision hundreds of other uses, such as snubbing an anchor for trailering, or tying down a tube or flopping shade top.

The Shockle is available in 12-, 18-, and 24 inch lengths and in three different ratings. The Force 1 is rated to 50 pounds**, the Force 2 to 100 pounds**, and the Force 3 to 150 pounds**. A range of colors is available. Prices, which are surprisingly steep (after all, it is called the Shockle), range from $37 [*$26.95] , for the 12-inch F1 to $52 [*$37.95] for the 24-inch F3 Shockle. Even so, our rating (on a five-star scale):
* * * *
Ron Eldridge

* Editors note: We've reduced our prices.
** These ratings relate to the force required to stretch each respective Shockle to 190% of it's static length. Actual breaking strength is rated at 3,500 lbs.