The forestay attaches to the chainplate using a D-shackle. I hate that thing. It's hard to screw in the clevis pin while holding the shackle in place, and tugging on the forestay to keep the mast from falling backwards. And I've dropped that damned pin enough times, that I'm thinking of replacing it with a snap shackle, like the one used to fasten the mainsail clew to the boom. Any reason not to do that?
The working load on the snap shackles in the thousands of pounds, so that's not an issue. Using a different shackle would require moving the pin on the shroud adjuster, but that's not an issue either. The only concern is the shackle accidentally opening while under sail, but that's never happened on the outhaul end. If a snap shackle is just not reliable enough, then how about some other quick-release connector?
The working load on the snap shackles in the thousands of pounds, so that's not an issue. Using a different shackle would require moving the pin on the shroud adjuster, but that's not an issue either. The only concern is the shackle accidentally opening while under sail, but that's never happened on the outhaul end. If a snap shackle is just not reliable enough, then how about some other quick-release connector?