We did it!  Our automated testing device raised and lowered the Stinger Silent Precison Anchor 40,800 times.  We broke some stuff, fixed it, and that was the goal.  Pulleys failed after about 6,000 cycles, and were replaced them with ones of much better quality, and they passed testing.  The sliding tube was sticking after about 9,000 cycles, so we reduced the diameter and anodized it, and it stopped sticking.  The screws we used to mount the Stinger bracket to the kayak were backing out, so we went to an aircraft rivet which is impossible to loosen.  We dissected the wear parts of the stinger and determined there was plenty of life left even after 40,800 cycles.

 Why go through all that?  Because it’s OUR product.  It’s OUR reputation.  The quality, durability, reliability, and other abilities of this product to provide many, many years of trouble free pleasure is our uncompromised goal.  We purposefully broke parts on our product so we could improve it…so it would not break when our customers used it.  Seems simple, doesn’t it?

Stay tuned.   Other tests are on the way.  We’re going to drop a kayak on pavement landing fully on the mounted Stinger bracket, run the Stinger bracket into rock walls at paddling speed, run other kayaks into the Stinger bracket, soak it in saltwater, shovel sand / muck / weeds / and other stuff on it, then use it. 

Yea!!!!  We started automated accelerated life testing on our Stinger anchor system.  We are raising and lowering the Stinger 39,000 times which corresponds to raising and lowering the anchor system 50 times per outing, 3 outings per week, 52 weeks per year, for 5 years.  We’re going to inspect it for wear every 1000 raise and lowers, and make sure it still works smoothly. 

After 39, 000 raise and lowers, we will know what kind of durability and reliability we’ve designed into it… or what problems have come up that we can design out.  We’re going to have a completely reliable product!  Stay tuned.  This is the fun part!