In the process of re-rigging my boat over to synthetics, I have also been finding new ways to attach things with these amazing lines. The goal is to get away from steel and weight and holes in the boat as much as possible.. Or as much as is practical anyhow.
I posted some shots of "soft hanks" which came about as guys thought they wanted a better way to attach a sail to the stay. With bronze hanks (like I am currently using) there was the concern of chaff on a synthetic forestay. I have not tried these on the sail (I actually want to see if i get any chaff, I am betting I won't) but I have some made up, and have used them in place of steel shackles. So far so good.
I came up with the idea for this halyard soft shackle recently after seeing how the soft hank worked. I have not used it enough to recommend it. But they are easy to make and fun to work with.
The halyard rope is 3/16" Dynex. Very light, very strong.
Anyhow the photos of this ongoing project are at:
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ner-22345.html