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4 Reasons To Invest In A Hydraulic Anchor Winch For Your Sea Fishing Craft

A sturdy, reliable anchoring system is a mandatory piece of equipment for any sea-going vessel, but the ability to anchor your craft firmly in a single location is particularly important for professional fishermen and women. When you come across an area where the fish are biting or a shoal can easily be caught with your nets, you don't want to accidentally drift away from the best fishing areas while you concentrate on making a catch.

Consequently, many owners of sea-going fishing vessels are eschewing conventional, electrically powered anchor winches and investing in hydraulic winches instead. Although they are more expensive than their more widely used electric cousins, hydraulic anchor winches have a number of advantages that make them well worth the extra money, especially for people who make their living from their catch.

What are the advantages of choosing a hydraulic anchor winch for my sea fishing vessel?

Exceptional power

Professional fishers choose hydraulic anchor winches primarily for their incredible power. Most hydraulic anchor winches are significantly more powerful than electric winches of similar size and configuration.

This makes a hydraulic winch extremely useful if you pilot a heavier steel or aluminium-hulled fishing craft, as these ships generally require very large, heavy anchors to prevent drifting. A hydraulic winch can also be useful if you need to anchor your craft over shifting sandbanks, shell-covered sea beds and other areas where only large, heavy anchors will work effectively, as many electric winches are too weak to effectively handle specialised anchors.

Energy efficiency

Hydraulic anchor winches provide excellent winching using a relatively small amount of power, and are usually more energy-efficient than comparable electric anchor winches, especially when working under heavy loads. While they require a higher initial investment, a hydraulic anchor winch can pay for itself over time by significantly reducing your craft's fuel and electricity usage during anchoring operations.

Can be used during electrical power failures

Electrical failures can be catastrophic at sea, and a fishing vessel with an electric anchor winch can be in serious danger during a prolonged outage -- most electric anchor winches are powered by your ship's existing electrical system, and will not operate if your craft's central electrical panel fails.

Hydraulic winches draw power from a dedicated hydraulic system installed on your craft. Installing these systems is one of the reasons hydraulic winches are more expensive, but they allow hydraulic anchor winches to operate properly even during generalised power outages.

Durability and reliability

Hydraulic winches tend to be a lot more robust than their electrical counterparts, partially because they are built to much higher tolerances to prevent dangerous hydraulic fluid leaks. Hydraulic winches also have less delicate electrical components than electric winches (for obvious reasons), and can lift much heavier loads without overworking their motors.

This combination of factors makes hydraulic winches significantly more reliable than most electric winches -- perfect for longer fishing voyages, or craft that lack effective backup anchors. For more information about winching systems like the Maxwell anchor winch, reach out to your local marine services company today.