Gear: Boomer All-Terrain Anchor
A crusty old prototype hints that this new anchor should always come back up to the boatAlmost two decades ago, North Queensland farmer Duncan Webster lost his anchor on a reef. Now, thanks to his new Boomer All-Terrain Anchor, he reckons he will never lose one again.
The Boomer All-Terrain Anchor, on show at the 2022 Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show, looks nice and shiny on Webster’s stand. But sitting beside it is a big contrast.
It’s Webster’s original anchor, built in a shed 16 years ago out of the tines from a seed drill. Rusty, rough-looking and careworn, it’s visual proof that despite all the years of use in everything from sand to mud, shale and reef, Webster’s break-free anchor works.
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Webster said he built the original anchor after losing his more traditional one on a reef and wondering if he could make one that he’d never lose again.
The Boomer Anchor uses the concept of a shear pin that breaks, allowing the anchor’s prongs to collapse in response to a sharp pull on the rode and instantly releasing it.
“It’s fantastic in a reef,” Webster says. “We reckon it is the best and safest anchor out there. I’ve been using this [older] one for 16 years now off Mackay and I’ve never lost it.”
The new version of the anchor is crafted from 316-grade stainless steel and weighs less than 5kg.
Stumpy and aggressive, it’s suited to hold any ground and any size boat between 3.0 and 9.0 metres long – although not recommended for overnighting if your boat is more than 7.0 metres – just by changing the diameter of the shear pin that prevents the flanges from collapsing backwards.
“The pins all have a pressure point in them so if you’re really stuck and you’re having that ‘oh shit’ moment, you just drive forward and ‘pop’, the anchor releases,” Webster says.
The flanges are different sizes to help with holding onto a range of bottoms. Thinner flanges that are better at penetration can hold in reef and weedy buttons, while wider outrigger flanges are better at holding in mud and sand. The anchor rolls as it sets, so it always ends up with the right hold.
“Losing an anchor is expensive, and I’ve been very lucky for 16 years that I’ve never lost this one,” Webster says.
“I couldn’t get this any better.”
The Boomer Anchor is priced from $420, with Webster saying he was working on a larger 10kg version for much bigger boats.
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