Capt. Biff's "ANKr-SNAPr"

[Capt. Biff]

A rogue wave, a sudden wake, a hollow sea, a broken limb or stump tumbling toward you below the surface,
a sudden snag and a rogue gust, drifting back over a slack anchor line and getting "pullstarted", even weed
accumulating on the anchor line. In virtually any profession that involves some sort of rigging, terms exist for
such situations, and they are invariably terse and brutally descriptive. "Mankiller." "Deathtrap." "Widowmaker."

For kayakfishermen, many involve moving water and your anchor line, and they spell really bad, really sudden
trouble. Long odds? You bet. But, sooner or later, it's the trouble you DON'T see coming that WILL do you in.

So you're smart. You use an anchor trolley, maybe you incorporate a bungee, you trolley to bow or stern
BEFORE you drop and set, you use proper scope, you've got a rapidly-deployable knife close to hand, you
incorporate a ditch float at the top end of your anchor line for later recovery, and yada-yada-yada.

But you might wish to think about incorporating one MORE little feature into your anchoring safety regimen:
one that takes over FOR you when there IS no time to react. When you can't possibly BE quick enough to
OPERATE a "quick-release".

ankrsnapr1.png

When your ANKr-SNAPr "activates", you will hear a loud and very sharp snap. This is, in fact, the sound of
YOU being snapped OUT of that alternate universe where you just became....... well, to put it bluntly, dead.
It is the sound of God not only politely pointing out, "Maybe it's not a good idea to anchor here, dummy!",
but graciously allowing undamaged you to paddle back around in your undamaged kayak and pick up your
undamaged ANKr-SNAPr, float, line and anchor.

The breaking point will be determined by several factors: the width of the saw kerf, the width of the PVC
ring, the thickness of the anchor-trolley ring they're attached to, and the schedule (e.g., thickness) of the
PVC. Keep it simple. Use Schedule 80, a thin blade (e.g., coping saw, hacksaw, etc.), and widen the kerf
(if at all) to your preferred snapping satisfaction.

And ALWAYS deburr and sand ALL edges. The application involves contact with cordage, comprende?

I've been using one for over a year now. (I wanted to sea-trial the hell out of them before posting anything
up on the net.)

TEST RESULTS:

1. Meets or exceeds the original design parameters:

a. Can automatically save your kayak --- and quite possibly your life --- in a variety
of dangerous conditions that happen somewhere on the water every day.

b. Completely set-and-forget, and absolutely cannot fail to perform its intended
function, even if it does break.

c. Has no moving parts --- in fact, has only one part --- and does not require any
alterations to your current trolley.

d. Waterproof, saltproof, inert to most solvents, impact-resistant, non-conductive,
and operates in any temperature range you will encounter while kayakfishing.

e. Made in the USA from 100% recycled materials (that were themselves made in
the USA) that most people already have laying around the house, and with
simple tools that most people already have.

f. Is free (money-wise), requires only five minutes to make, and is pretty much
impossible to screw up.

2. I wouldn't want to trolley without it. (And, yes, I keep a sharp knife rapidly
deployable anyway.)

3. Don't forget UV's effects on PVC, so change it out once a year or so.

Enjoy,

Capt. Biff Boffko

[John]

That is a pretty neat innovation I like it

[Todd]

Cool idea.