Sea Catch
About Sea Catch
Sea Catch, manufactured by McMillan Design, Inc., has spent over 30 years solving one of the most hazardous challenges in marine and industrial rigging: safely releasing a line or object while it is still under load. The Sea Catch toggle release is a mechanical quick release designed exclusively for releasing an object or line under load, and the company is celebrating over 31 years of sales. What began as an innovative answer to a dangerous problem has grown into a globally trusted product line used across commercial maritime operations, towing, rescue, and heavy industry.
The Engineering Behind the Toggle Release
The Sea Catch Toggle Release combines an old and proven four-point-toggle-linkage principle with computer-generated parts precision-cut by water jet from aerospace-grade stainless steel plate. This approach eliminates the weaknesses found in traditional quick-release hardware. It is designed specifically to release objects or lines while they are under full tension with minimal effort, and there are no internal springs to rust, lose tension, or fail.
General Sea Catch features include perpendicular or parallel release directions, a hitch-pin lock for device locking safety, low friction and low-effort lanyard-style release for maximum user safety, on-load and off-load releasing capability, and construction from 100% stainless steel with no springs.
Sea Catch offers models ranging from 1 to 600-ton capacities, and since 1994, Sea Catch products have played significant roles in safe releasing operations across 14 major industries around the world. Applications include tug-tow operations, rescue launch deployment, davit systems, buoy laying, anchor handling, and subsea vehicle deployment.
Quick Release Pins & Clevis Hardware
At the heart of every Sea Catch system is its precisely engineered quick release pin mechanism. The over-center toggle linkage acts as both a secure lock and an instantaneous release — holding a load firmly until a simple lanyard pull activates the release lever. A hitch-pin safety lock prevents inadvertent release, and all parts are precision-cut from aerospace-grade stainless steel to ensure durability and reliability in the toughest marine conditions.
Shackle Connections
Sea Catch's designs are built around compatibility with standard marine rigging. Connecting shackles, hitch-pins, and retainer rings are available as part of the full Sea Catch product line. The shackle hardware used with Sea Catch Toggle Releases comes in a range of sizes to match each model — from the compact TR3 with a 1/4" shackle up to heavy-capacity models — ensuring a secure, common connection point that riggers worldwide already know how to work with.
Why Professionals Choose Sea Catch
- No springs: Eliminates a common point of corrosion and mechanical failure in marine environments.
- Multi-directional release: The lanyard can be activated from multiple angles, improving operator safety.
- Aerospace-grade stainless steel: All Sea Catch parts are longitudinally cut from aerospace-grade 15-5 PH stainless steel plate, with Rockwell hardness between 34 and 42 after heat treat.
- Proven longevity: Some units have exceeded 5,000 cycles and are still in service.