INSTALL AN ELECTRIC LINE PULLER

An electric line hauler makes recreational crabbing, lobstering and shrimping easy and fun boating activities for the whole family to enjoy.

One of the joys of owning a boat lies in its versatility. You can fish, enjoy wake sports, explore new waters, entertain friends and much more. In coastal areas, a popular boating activity is setting and retrieving baited traps or nets to catch tasty crustaceans such as crab, lobster, prawns and shrimp.

In certain locales, sets might take place in relatively deep water, sometimes with stiff leaded line. Gear can grow heavy (especially when occupied by a bunch of crabs or lobsters), and retrieving by hand proves back-breaking. Fortunately, today’s recreational crabbing, lobstering and shrimping enthusiasts can avail themselves of a cool labor-saving device: an electric line puller.

Offered by brands such as Ace, Discovery Bay, EZ-Pull, Powerwinch, Scotty, Trac and others, electric pullers make easy work of retrieving gear. Most systems are designed to use 12-volt DC power delivered by the boat’s onboard electrical system. Many models can be quickly and easily removed from the boat when not being used to make room for other activities and prevent theft.

Before you purchase and install an electric line puller, make sure it is rated to retrieve the amount of weight you expect to haul. For this project, we selected the Brutus Pacific Pro hauler from Ace Line Hauler.

The popular 20-pound Brutus features corrosionresistant construction and is rated to haul 110 pounds, drawing between 14 and 35 amps, depending on load, at speeds as high as 140 feet per minute. It will accommodate most line diameters and folds up for stowage.