The MINIMUM acceptable size for a towing...

The MINIMUM acceptable size for a towing...

Question 1 of 3104866636ee728f7522a1c518159

The MINIMUM acceptable size for a towing bridle would be that size in which the safe working load (SWL) of each leg of the bridle is equal to which of the following?

Question 1 of 31048

Q

The MINIMUM acceptable size for a towing bridle would be that size in which the safe working load (SWL) of each leg of the bridle is equal to which of the following?

🔍 Key Concepts

• Safe Working Load (SWL) and how it relates to the breaking strength of gear • How the load is shared between two legs of a bridle during steady towing • What happens to the load on each leg if the tow yaws or one leg takes more strain than the other

💭 Think About

• If the towline load equals the SWL of the main towing hawser, how is that load distributed to each leg of the bridle in a perfect world? • Is it wise to size each leg of the bridle only for its expected share of the load, or should it have capacity for times when it takes more than half the load? • Which choice would still be reasonably safe if, for a moment, most of the towing strain came on just one leg of the bridle?

✅ Before You Answer

• Be clear whether SWL of each leg should be less than, equal to, or greater than the SWL of the main towing hawser • Consider unequal loading on bridle legs in rough seas or during yawing, not just evenly shared load • Ask yourself which option provides a minimum acceptable safety margin without being excessively oversized