Aluminium vs Chromed winches ?

[Boo2]

Sorry if this has been done before, but would someone kindly give me the executive precis as to which is preferable and why ?

Thanks,

Boo2

 

[TradewindSailor]

Chromed winches are longer lasting, aluminium are lighter. There are also resin drums but I've never used them.

I have Lewmar alloy drums, and they are as good as new. I rather suspect that they are original fit in 1988 too. So aluminium drums last a fair while, probably longer than the gears (also no trouble on the Lewmars).

 

[Poignard]

I remember reading somewhere that if the chrome starts to deteriorate and flake off, sharp edges are left that can damage sheets.

But, like I said, I read it - I am not speaking from personal experience..

I can tell you, from personal experience, that the Gibb aluminium winches on my boat are 44 years old and work fine.

 

[Quandary]

Harken are one of the market leaders today, they make most of their drums from stainless steel, but I would love to go back to the chromed bronze of yesteryear.

 

[PetiteFleur]

I remember reading somewhere that if the chrome starts to deteriorate and flake off, sharp edges are left that can damage sheets.

And hands ss my wife found out today as she handed me our spare winch handle and as I took it a splinter of chrome embedded itself in her hand. Had to be removed with a pair of tweezers and when we got home I found the errant handle in my bag - when asked 'why had it been brought home' the reply was "so YOU can wire brush all the bits of chrome off!"

 

[William_H]

Winches

My experience is with non geared single speed winches. The original sheet winches (16s0 on my boat had aluminium drums and I wore them out. This after about 10 years of hard racing with a lot of short tacks.
The wear problem area was in the internal bearing surface. They had captive stainless steel rollers onto a bronze vertical shaft. With the load of the sheet the drum would cock slightly causing the pauls to not hold properly. I considered getting them plated or trying to fit a bush but I found some similar sized plastic winches which are still going strong. And still being abused. I don't expect they will last forever.
My halyard winches obviously get far less work and are plastic and now 30 years old. A bit wobbly but OK.
good luck olewill

 

[cobolt]

Sorry, but no they don't. Harken predominantly use aluminium, the "shiny" option is chromed bronze. Same basic materials (I'm sure exact specification differs) as Lewmar.

 

[Quandary]

Sorry, but no they don't. Harken predominantly use aluminium, the "shiny" option is chromed bronze. Same basic materials (I'm sure exact specification differs) as Lewmar.

My Harkens have very light thin walled drums which I have never associated with cast bronze, when I take the covers off the boat every spring the surface of the drums are covered in rust spots (which annoys me but they do polish off) but I will take them apart again and have a proper look at the metal. If they are in fact bronze they are definitely inferior to Lewmars much more substantial bronze winches with drums about twice the weight and I am baffled as to why the drum surface rusts. I suppose in regarding them as steel I was giving Harken the benefit of the doubt. They perform OK so far but they are still quite new.

 

[cobolt]

Maybe you do have stainless, there is a full "SSS" option available, but it would be very rare. Some of the larger winches (superyacht sizes) use stainless, as do Lewmar's, but the "standard" size self-tailers would be most likely chromed bronze.