Anchurler Product Review – August 2011 NW Yachting

ANCHURLER System

NEW PRODUCT REVIEW

By Capt. Mike Close

I will admit that I was quite skeptical of the Anchurler anchor catapault.  The claim that you can simply locate your vessel over the spot where you want to lie at anchor, and then set the anchor by just hurling it out ahead of the boat seemed too good to be true.  After testing the product, I must admit that the concept has merit, even though the current product design certainly has its flaws, some of which are rather serious.

I tested WHAT Company’s  Anchurler at the manufacturer’s  headquarters in beautiful Friday Harbor.  The ferry ride from Anacortes through the San Juan Islands was relaxing, and we even had to slow down to let some whales pass in front.  After touring WHAT company’s modest facilities, directly in view of the University of Washington Marine Labs, we set out on the water in a test boat loaned by Friday Harbor Marine and outfitted with an Anchurler Model 30, designed to hurl a 30# anchor and up to 50’ of chain.  The launching mechanism is based on a powerful piston which drives a cylinder in which the shaft of the anchor rests.  When the piston is activated, the cylinder hurls the anchor outward, pulling its chain and rope rode behind.  In order to insure that the rode does not snag while being hurled, it is necessary to deploy at least the chain portion so that it is forward of the hurler, easily accomplished by draping the chain into the water and back up to the anchor shackle.  After the chain is deployed, the desired range is set by turning a “Scope” dial, and setting the distance into a dial indicator (in feet).  Since we were anchoring in 30 feet of water, we set a range of 150 feet, which would give us a scope of 5.

We motored out into the harbor, and I steered the boat into anchoring position between two other anchored boats, such that I would lie exactly between them when anchored.  I activated the pneumatic boost pump for 10 seconds and waited for the green light, indicating that launch pressure had been reached.  Next, I flipped open the two separate Launch Safety Switch covers, and then simultaneously pushed the two Hurl buttons.  The Anchurler hurled.  I did not see the anchor leave the hurler, nor did I see its graceful arc and water entry, as the reactive force from the launch pushed the boat backwards with such energy that the helm wheel broke my glasses and knocked me to the floor.  Had I been warned ahead of time, I could probably have braced myself.  I could also have made sure that my camera was in a safe place, so that it would not have been flung to the floor where it suffered fatal damage.  My hosts were very apologetic, and have since graciously paid for my glasses and camera to be repaired.  The anchor did indeed set itself, and we ended up lying almost exactly where we had planned, so that part of the plan seemed to work.  Future models will have a windlass included, which will help greatly in retrieval.  The current model did not have a windlass, so we retrieved the rode manually.  Returning to the dock at company headquarters, we inspected the product and staged some photos with a borrowed camera.  While setting up one of the shots, the Anchurler accidentally hurled, sending the 30# anchor directly towards a sailboat in the next slip.  Fortunately, the chain rode had not been deployed for launch, and it caught the anchor in mid-flight after only a few feet of travel.  Unfortunately, the force of that chain snag tore the entire Anchurler assembly from the foredeck, and it sank below the dock.  I think that is a safe place for it, and I feel very fortunate to have escaped more serious personal injury just from being around this product.  Maybe it can be sold in Canada, but not here.  If you do see this product mounted on the front of a boat,  stay clear.  Maybe even notify the authorities.