In the Mediterranean, reels are popular for storing stern anchor line and when Randy from Quickline saw one, he decided to order it from the Turkish manufacturer online.  After a few months of waiting for it to arrive, he wrote off his investment and figured he’d never see it.  But the reel did show up, hand carried by a Turkish representative who asked Randy for distribution assistance.  And so Quickline USA was born and grew into a marine business with a full line of anchoring related products. 

The flagship product of the company is the Quickline Flat Rope and Reel and it is the perfect way to deploy and retrieve anchor rode quickly while it let’s you make room in the lazarette for more toys.  Flat line is wound into a 316L stainless housing which has Delrin reel bearings and Teflon fairleads to wind line quickly and cleanly so there is no more coiling and snagging.  The reels come in three diameters (15, 18 and 21 inches) and hold 135, 200 and 265 feet of nylon polyester line that comes in 1.3 inch widths.  You can also get the Dynema line which is offered in 200, 300, and 400 foot lengths.  With a 7,000 lb. breaking strength, the same thread used in bullet proof vests, the Dyneema flat rope delivers the strength and stretch needed for safe anchoring. It is highly abrasion resistant, UV and mildew resistant, and is not susceptible to chafing. It does not absorb water and it floats up and away from your propeller when stern anchoring. 

The flat line has a breaking strength of 7,000 or 8,000 pounds depending on type and has a number of benefits. First, it stretches as loads increase to absorb shock.  Second, it doesn’t snag and stores flat so a 23 lb wheel on your rail carries up to 400 feet of line that isn’t using valuable lazarette space.  Third, it has a pre-spliced eye on one end that quickly attaches to an anchor or a towing bridle for the dinghy.  Finally, rumor has it that rats and mice can’t maneuver on the flat line and fall off before boarding the vessel. 

The line is held to the wheel with only some adhesive and a screw so it is not a load bearing device and must be attached to a cleat.  Mount the wheel on your rail or arch with the included mounting kit of brackets, adapters and spacers.  Two recent product innovations include a polished stainless housing and a locking handle that now comes with built-in deck and shackle keys.

I use this on my boat, a Celestial 48, for stern anchoring and wind it on a winch to get the boat into position.  It’s reasonably “stick” on a winch drum, it’s strong, it makes for quick clean up when it’s time to head out and everyone in the anchorage comes over to see that “little winding thingy” that seems to make stern anchoring easy.

The Quickline reel retails between $400 and $1,400 depending on reel size, and line length and type.  Not cheap, but ever so much easier.