I've been pulling by hand for the past 15 years. I shrimp every year in Hood Canal, and many years in Area 10, and almost always get my boat limit. I put about 5 pounds in each pot. If I go to area 7 or area 6, I put another 5-10 pounds in, and then pulling by hand is a biotch.

Pulling by hand isn't all that bad and quite frankly, I can pull by hand faster than most mechanical pullers. I use a the Folbe rod holder pulley http://www.folbe.com/index.php?main_page...hkbdgeqp0on8m62 .
That helps a lot. I also have 2 people pull each pot, both on the rope and aligned in a row. I have a lot of deck space that allows me to do that.

I keep saying I'm pulling by hand until I'm too old to do it, then I'll buy a puller. In the mean time, enjoy the exercise.