What is this piece of hardware on eBay?

[rbgarr]

http://tinyurl.com/2vmz73

[oakman]

got me?

Oak

[Hwyl]

It's as you say; a tinyurl

[Hughman]

Landing gear for a kadiddlehopper.

[The Bigfella]

Its stainless steel.

[rbgarr]

Maybe we're overthinking it and it's just for measuring dollar bills.

[py]

It's a Gronickle. Never really took off though in this particular form. The longer end tended to break off where it meets the shackle. Later models had a small turks head to help get a better grip on the hook, which was a significant improvement, but they could never solve the breaking problem. Couldn't use thicker rod for obvious reasons. Sad really, the guy who invented it and brought it to market put his life savings into it. Ended up sailing off into the sunset and was never seen again. Bad weather, gear failure or suicide? Or maybe just an escape to another country to escape the mounting bills and embarrasment. The coroner made an open finding.

[Pernicious Atavist]

In the States, we use it to dehitch when we get a hitch in our gitalong....
My Grandpa had a recurring hitch in his gitalong, but, being the old Sahara logger he was, he made one up out of a spruce root and a kaddidlebob.
He'd never go for that new fangled, stainless thing, no sirree....

[Lew Barrett]

It's a hawse hook. It's intended to center the anchor rode for any boat whose rode comes off the side. This allows the boat to swing in unison with other vessels in a small anchorage. Anyone with a hawse pipe or off center anchor roller will understand the benefit. This is a particularly small one, which is, I'll admit, a bit odd.

[Lew Barrett]

LOL!!!!!! I'm feeling playful tonight:) I hope I still have a decent reputation in the morning.

[switters]

I've been waiting for a gronicle reference for weeks.:D

[rbgarr]

The rumor is that it's a cast-off body-piercing of Bob Cleek's.

A 'gronicle enhancer', if you will.

[MiddleAgesMan]

Whatever you do don't let Duncan Gibbs' girlfriend see it.

She'll bring in the FBI and shut down this forum. ;)

[outofthenorm]

Maybe it's an example of the fabled "skyhook" - but it looks upside down to me.

[epoxyboy]

It's a Gronickle. .

Dont be silly - EVERYBODY knows that gronicles are only made out of cast bronze, and NEVER to metric measurements.

Pete

[py]

Well, that was part of the problem. Maybe if the guy had stuck with bronze......

[skuthorp]

It's a triantigowontigong, for a gooses bridle for sure. My gramps used to tell me of 'em back in the old country....... But in stainless steel???

[Figment]

Looks like an inventive combination of gooseneck pin, tack shackle, and reef hooks, all in one.

I'm guessing it's a failed experiment. The offset of the pin would make the shackle twist the tack something fierce.