Michael, an engineer who has been working in automotive engineering for two decades, was sitting in his basement wondering what to do next with his life!

Having enrolled in a yacht design course his mind was churning over things nautical and how to turn a living out of a hobby. Of course the initial desire was to design a fantastic new sail boat but sensitive to the forces of reality he went through a review of standard items. In 3 decades as a recreational sailor in boats 10’-40’, 3-15m, he had been exposed to most equipment. Looking for simple items which had not received much attention he stumbled across some old shackle key’s. The design of shackles has moved on significantly over the last half century. Shackle keys are still the same shape, typically attached to knives and being sold as bottle openers!
…..There must be a better design he thought…

Cold wet fingers, gloved hands, kids to retirees.

No knives, and if it accidentally goes overboard cheaper to replace than the $60 Leatherman he lost earlier in the year.

So a small, easy to hold, dedicated tool for undoing shackles was born, held in the fingers rather than the palm allows for an easy unrestricted 180 degree rotation. And the ‘key hole’ adapted to accommodate a wide range of shackles whilst locating them securely.

The initial prototype exterior shape looked animal like and looking down at the family golden retriever ‘ Sammy ‘ and seeing numerous similarities….Sammy the Shackle Dog was born, patents were applied for and manufacturing began.

The family team, especially Ian, an experienced sailor, started reviewing the range of applications and approaching retail and wholesale outlets on both sides of the ‘pond.’

The US product launch in January 2005 at the Strictly Sail show, Philadelphia, was a wonderful experience, with very positive feedback from customers. The UK launch at the RYA dinghy show was an even bigger success. Selling 1000’s in 2005 the stage was set to sell 10,000’s in 2006.

The Launch of the new “Opener ” shape in March/April ’06 was well received and the new features generated additional interest in the product and gave it broader appeal. New markets like South Africa, Australia, France and New Zealand are being explored. Whilst sales in North America and Europe are steadily growing.

So what next….well with Fun, Friendly and Functional the goal…numerous additional products are being explored and will be introduced as quickly as they can be proven and made available. Also ‘Sammy’ is going to be keen to expand his influence on the global sailing community, especially with junior sailors, as widely and as quickly as he can. Any and all help will be greatly appreciated. Please contact us with your feedback and any ideas you want to share.

Cheers Michael and Sammy.