Advice on fitting Windlass

[PembrokeshirePromise]

Looking at fitting one of these - and would like some advice on what to consider. Have an existing anchor locker just behind the forestay - and reckon one of the vertical models (vertical / horizonatl alsways seems to be back to front to me /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif)

There is a bit of a lip behind the locker lid before the bulkhead - and I reckon the chain pipe would just about fit through there - which would leave the 4/5 fixing bolts and hole for the motor in the roof of the forepeak which would be OK I think

Angle of pull over bow roller would be Ok to starboard side of pole downhaul (which is just forward of the bulkhead at the back of the anchor locker) - low profile would reduce snagging

Was looking at:
Lewmar V1 Windlass - 8mm - £800
Lofran clipper Windlass -<£500

Look very similar on paper - is there a reason why the Lewmar is £300 + more

Are there any big advantages to horizontal over vertical or vice versa ?

Many Thanks

 

[William_H]

It seems to me that the primary concern will be the strength of the windlass mounting to the deck. This especially so if the windlass is to take the pull of the anchor rode as well as the load when hauling up the anchor. You would not wan the deck to depart with windlass attached leaving you with a big hole in the deck.

You could increase the strength of the windlass base deck area with plywood epoxied underneath....
or you might consider plates under the bolt heads under the deck to which wire can be attached and taken as internal stays aft to a strong point. eg back to the inside of the chain plate attachments. Set the wires up with some tension so the deck does not distort before the wires take the strain.

I reckon you need to think in terms of enough strength to be able to lift the whole boat stern down bow up by the windlass.....
Get some good engineering advice... good luck olewill

 

[PembrokeshirePromise]

Thanks for that OleWill - yes I was planning on expoxied ply and plates under the bolt heads (probably extended accross to underneath the cleat attachments which are tried and tested - and of course next to hull and toe rail which will increase strength) - but of course the angles aren't as good for resisting pull as a line aft

I hadn't thought of running stays aft - but that might be a good idea if faesible (belt and braces ...). Suspect more realistic might be a strap/stay running down inside the boat on the back of the anchor locker attached to the keel stem somewhere - that should provide fairly good protection aginst lifting

I would never plan to leave the boat attached to the windlass (thought that was generally a bad idea) - would always aim to take the load direct on a cleat (just in corner of photo)

I have a friend who is a boat builder who gets roped in whenever its structural or holes below the water line ...

I was also interested in any views on the makes of winch in particular and vertical / horizontal pros / cons and fall into chain locker etc

 

[JamesS]

If you are fitting a horizontal windlass, for best results the chain needs to drop directly off the windlass into the chain locker. We had to fit ours just aft the anchor locker and we are forever having to keep the chain moving by hand (or foot!).

We fitted a Lofrans manual, good value, easy to fit although with hindsight, given the problem above, it may have been better to fit a windlass with a vertical action.

Also, buy one of those hook devices attached to a rope so when at anchor you can take the weight off the winlass and onto a cleat.

Hope this helps.

 

[Salty John]

I fitted my manual windlass over the existing locker, as you can see in these photos:

I wanted to keep the deck further aft uncluttered and didn't want to intrude on the interior space. The boat is a 32' Jeanneau. The last picture is the hinged access lid I fitted over the right hand side of the locker.

I've had both vertical shaft and horizontal shaft electric windlasses and found no functional advantage for one over the other. If space below is limited you can get a windlass like the Muir Couger (I think) that incorporates the motor in the base. Vertical shaft windlasses have the motor below decks.
Critical points are to have the right gypsey for the chain and to have the chain drop vertically into clear space in the locker.

 

[ditchcrawler]

I fitted a Lewmar Horizon (horizontal) to a boat behind the opening locker & to one side to miss the furling gear.You can only do this if your anchor locker extends back a bit beyond the opening as the chain falls through a hole in the deck into the locker.Hunter(Select Yachts now) fit them to many of their boats this way as standard.

 

[PembrokeshirePromise]

Thanks all - just the sort of views I was after. I'd not thought of fitting it as hald a lid like John.

Also I'm now clear why horizonal is horizontal - its shaft orientation - I was trying to apply it to chain amgle - /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

We do have some space behind the locker lid (the downhaul deck attachment bolts are reachable from the locker) - so I was hoping that with a vertical windlass I can just about fit the front hole for the chain drop in the locker and the fixing bolts and motor into the forepeak cabin - the template looks as if it just about fits.

Does anyone know if the below deck motors on the vertical windlasses can be rotated through 90 / 180 degrees (the details on thwe web all seem to show the motor facing forwards - which if tight up against an anchor locker seems to be the worst way.

Thanks

 

[homa]

I fitted the Lofrans clipper 1000W vertical windlass with warping drup last year.
Similar anchor locker to yours.
My boat is 33' fin keel abt 4 tonnes.
I am very pleased with it. It's my second Lofrans - had one on the Monsun 31.
I removed the bow fitting because like you it had only one roller. Cost me £50 to have a second SS bow roller fitted so that the anchor stows on the stemhead. Quite glad I did remove it as I found half the SS bolts were partly corroded !
I use the other roller for mooring as I am on a swinging mooring. I cut out a template of the base and worked out where it would fit so that the motor was as close to the chain locker bulkhead as possible.
The electric motor is fixed underneath the windlass by 4 bolts and can fit in 4 different positions F&A or athwartships. I fabricated a hardwood plate for on deck and ply under deck to spread the load - also my deck has quite a camber anyway so needed something to mount the windlass on as it is quite large and has a flat base. This plate also raised the windlass about 1" and this helped with getting the lead right for the chain onto the gypsy. I like my set up because all the electrics are in the focsle in the dry. I used the original anchor locker lid, just cut it down the middle lengthways, a second set of hinges so I can open half up to get access to the chain.

I ran the heavy duty tinned cables from the battery locker to the windlass, mounted the foot switches and then paid an electrician to wire it all up with the required fuses, relays and isolation switch. etc.
Whole thing wasn't cheap but saves my back and we do seem to anchor more now.
Any questions drop me a pm.
Sorry I'm at work right now (shhhh) and don't have an photos.

 

[PembrokeshirePromise]

Sounds very similar to what I'd like to achive - PM sent

Many Thanks

 

[vyv_cox]

One of the critical points to consider is that the chain should fall from the windlass to the maximum depth possible. If your chain locker is the usual inverted pyramid/cone, this dictates the position of the windlass. Putting it elsewhere involves continual repositioning of the chain during hauling, which can be tiresome at best and hazardous at worst.

On my Sadler 34 this put the ideal position slap bang in the locker lid. After lots of thought and planning that's where I put it. I cut the lid in two and strengthened the to-be fixed part using some 1" plywood that I had around. This was bolted through the deck and also takes the bolts from the windlass. The remainder of the locker lid was fitted with the redundant hinge, strengthened up and refitted. The final job look like this:

The windlass is a Maxwell, it has been installed for about 5 years and used a great deal, as we live aboard for half the year. No problems with it at all, it's the 850 watt model and has plenty of power. Only problem is that the motor case is carbon steel, so I repaint it with Hammerite from time to time and keep it coated with grease.

Before deciding what windlass to fit, bear in mind that any protruding ones will snag jib sheets on every tack. I previously had a horizontal one which drove us mad, needing a walk forward on every tack and on many occasions when flying spinnaker.

 

[Tranona]

On the question of which makes, I have had good service out of an SL vertical axis manual windlass, but less good experience with their electric models, which seem to have weak motors and clutches - however don't think they are made any more. Excellent service out of a Lofrans Cayman horizontal axis in the Med where typically 30-40 metres of chain are laid and recovered twice a day for 20 weeks of the year. Can't comment on the Lewmar but most of their other kit has good reputation.

 

[FAITIRA]

IMHO,you don,t need to go mad with the beefing the deck etc up, when hauling, the deck will be in shear, backing plates under the bolts will be fine, good idea re the chain claw, not good to leave the stress on the winch, the choice with vert or horz will be determined to some extent by how much "fall" you have for the chain into the locker, we have a horz Lofrans, but I wuold be inclined to have a vert for the "fall" advantage if I had been buying it (it was in when I puchased the boat), but other than that it is fine, 33ft., 6dwt boat.