TESTED EWINCHER ELECTRIC WINCH HANDLE - £2,099

Designed for yachts from 30 to 60 feet, Ewincher is an electrically assisted winch handle recently upgraded and relaunched with more power and longer battery life.

- Sam Fortescue

You can use it as a standard handle without engaging any power or introduce more and more assistance by simply squeezing the trigger.

I found the most comfortable way to use it was to keep the handle steady and let it do all the work for me aboard my Sadler 34. The Ewincher’s improved 450W motor can now manage up to 100 rpm with 90Nm of torque – a 10 per cent increase.

The battery remains at 3Ah (about the same capacity as a cordless drill) which should be more than enough for a full day’s sailing on a 45ft yacht.

Human arms can maintain about 130W of power or peak at around 200W, so the Ewincher’s maximum 230W represents a decent boost. I found that I had to counteract that force with my arms to some extent, so it’s far from effortless.