Yes but...
Hi,
Thimbles are there to preclude chafe, and especially with HM lines, distribute the load among more yarns. Radius is where it's at. A round brass or stainless sail thimble, like we use, is fine. It also gives a place to lash to, to tighten the lifeline. You can also ring hitch the line onto a bail. Just be sure, in the latter case, that there are no sharp or rough bits. Also be sure that the bail is up to the load, both because you don't want it to carry away, and because if it is strong enough for the load, it has a big enough bearing surface for the line.
Fair leads,
Brion Toss
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