The earlier pelican hook was an Asian knockoff imported by ABI. Click the photo below under "More images" for a sample of the ABI part.It was not the best quality. It was often difficult to close as the hinge joint was loose and sloppy. When closing it under tension, the latch pin didn't always align with the hole in the hook. As a result, two hands were often required to latch the hook

ABI went out of business in 2009. The original hook is no longer available. Thankfully, our replacement is a much higher quality American made part. When you squeeze the latch closed everything aligns properly and it latches easily.

1) These pelican hooks have a replaceable pin mechanism. For this to be possible the pin must be removable. Removable pins can be lost. We highly recommend having a spare aboard for safety. We check all departing orders that include pelican hooks to ensure the pins are included. If you loose a pin or to order spares, see our Pelican Hook Rebuild Kit found under "May we also suggest" below.

2) The ABI hook is one of several pelican hooks Catalina Yachts used over the years. To confirm you have the old ABI hook, compare yours to the photo of the ABI hook below.

Although we know our hook is a direct replacement for the ABI hook. It may work as a replacement for other pelican hooks used by Catalina Yachts as well. If yours is not the ABI hook, compare the thread size used and the length of your hook to our 5/16-24 right hand thread and 3-1/2".

Caution: For reasons unknown to us, most standard pelican hooks (including the "normal" ones we use in our lifeline kits) use left hand threads. It is unusual to find the right hand thread as used by Catalina Yachts. Most pelican hooks found in your local chandlrey therefore will not fit your lifelines.