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I like this idea, but waterproof pyrotechnics? ...nah. Not reliable enough, could be dangerous and might arouse the ire of the local gendarmerie. Or the neighbors.

How about if I just seal the lower end of the tube and shoot in some some compressed air? Same principle as a compressed air potato gun.

Let's see, for a 17 lb anchor, say 5-6 lbs of chain rode, 23 lbs. With a roughly 2" I.D. tube, lets's say 3 square inches, we'd only need about 8 psi to lift it. Just to make sure we got it out a decent ways, maybe 16psi in the chamber to get it started. A discarding sabot around the shank made out of a piece of styrofoam, or maybe one of those pool noodles (I love those babies, I have tons of uses for them around the boat) maybe a little grease or silicone to further seal against the bore.

For air power, one of those air buddy tanks you can fill up to 120 psi from a gas station hose or a bicycle pump, a cheap regulator, quick opening 12v solenoid valve controlled from the cockpit, and we're in business.

Wahoo!!! I can see a winter project coming on.

I like this idea, but waterproof pyrotechnics? ...nah. Not reliable enough, could be dangerous and might arouse the ire of the local gendarmerie. Or the neighbors.

How about if I just seal the lower end of the tube and shoot in some some compressed air? Same principle as a compressed air potato gun.

Wahoo!!! I can see a winter project coming on.

This is a fine example of why this is the finest sailing board on the web.

Thanks guys...

Thanks to these photos, my wife will never question the logic(or cost) of mounting a 4 horse next to my 90 again.
Rolf

Chip Hindes wrote:I like this idea, but waterproof pyrotechnics? ...nah. Not reliable enough, could be dangerous and might arouse the ire of the local gendarmerie.

gendarmerie Pronunciation Key (zh�-d�m-r, zh�d�-m-r)

1. A member of the French national police organization constituting a branch of the armed forces with responsibility for general law enforcement.
2. Slang. A police officer.

I wish I could pronounce it so I could us it in a poem! Does it rhyme with blur?

When I blasted my anchor, all I could see was a blur.
Trouble is, it arose the ire of the local gendamerie.