When you’re pulling up an anchor or a crab pot, you’ll get a better purchase on the line if you get up next to the rail, but putting your weight so far off center in a small boat might bring the gunwale uncomfortably close to the water. The alternative is to sit in the middle of the boat to keep it on an even keel, drag the line over the gunwale, and wear through the paint or varnish. The Pocket Puller holds line clear of the gunwale, preserving the finish. The fairlead and jam cleat allow for one-handed operation.
both photos by the author
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The Pocket Puller looks like a great device, and I will be buying one, but a word of caution: Securing an anchor line amidship on a small boat can lead to a capsize. Several years ago two people died on the Connecticut River when an underwater snag caught their anchor line, pulled the gunwale under and rolled their canoe.
Quite true. Even if you have the rode secured to the bow while you’re at anchor, hauling the anchor aboard from amidships in a current is quite dangerous. One night almost 30 years ago I had anchored a narrow, in what seemed to be a quiet passage between islands near the mouth of the Skeena River. We had arrived in the dark on a high tide and there was no current running, but in the middle of the night I could hear the anchor rattling. The ebb alone wouldn’t have caused much of a current, but it pulled the river flow with it and we were sitting in a current running about 4 knots. I didn’t trust the anchor to hold, so it was time to leave. I took the rode from the bow and brought it amidships, as I had always done to haul it aboard, and the bow veered sharply away, bringing the boat broadside the the current. Fortunately, the anchor broke free before the boat capsized.
Brilliant! As I am “the winch” in a 12′ dinghy and my buddy and I fish in 30 to 40 meter water, this will save the back.