The New Allen AutoRatchet
by Ben Harden, Allen Brothers 12 Nov 2017 09:00 GMT
METS Stand 03.216, 14-16 November 2017
Allen A2345 Auto Ratchet © Allen
Allen Brothers will release its new AutoRatchet blocks, the A2345 and A2360, to the marine industry on stand 03.216 at the METS trade show in Amsterdam. Allen has redesigned the AutoRatchet and the new range will be the first to use the "X2" twin locking pawls, the British company claims "it will combine outstanding holding power in strong wind conditions with exceptional light airs performance."
The performance sailing hardware manufacturer's design team has been working on the project for over a year and the prototypes have been tested by Team Allen sailors. In fact the prototype 45mm auto ratchet already has several world class wins to its credit.
Commenting on the new block, Allen Brothers MD Liz Adams said, "The Allen A2345 is yet another major innovation from our design team, which patented the World's first AutoRatchet in the mid-nineties. Automatic ratchet blocks are now commonplace but when it was originally patented it was a revelation. We still produce this block, however its appearance has started to become dated when compared to the rest of our range so we will begin to phase it out during 2018 to make way for our new modern AutoRatchet."
The new "X2" pawl system which incorporates two pawls into the mechanism for the ratchet block allows the load to be evenly shared between both pawls, this allows the block to withstand higher working loads while also increasing both the reliability and longevity of the block when compared to the outgoing model. Allen will be accepting pre orders of the AutoRatchet's from mid-November with delivery expected in early 2018.
To find out more about the British hardware manufactures Allen you can follow them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/allensailboathardware or you can go to their website www.allenbrothers.co.uk