Anchor windlass

[bartsbutt]

Hi everybody
I just wondered if anyone has had experience of south atlantic anchor winches and could pass on any info of quality and suitability please

 

[Neeves]

And Good Morning to you

Can you clarify - and maybe for the uninitiated provide a link. I don't know a South Atlantic Windlass but I do know a Muir Atlantic Windlass.

Jonathan
(from the country where Muir windlass are built)

 

[Zagato]

I don,t know about South Atlantic but I have South Pacific if your not bothered about geography.

 

[bartsbutt]

Hi Johnathon
I had not heard of them either but I found it on a web site which came up on a google search,
Web site is "compass 24" supposed water sports site

Graham

I don,t know about South Atlantic but I have South Pacific if your not bothered about geography.

to be honest geography doesn't matter I am looking at prices but I don't want to get cheaper that is gonna be no good after a short time

 

[duncan99210]

Compass 24 are a fairly long established set up: they used to trade in UK but retreated to Germany a few years back.
Their South Pacific offerings are here South Pacific. Peering at the labels on the photos, they seem to be the Australian made South Pacific winches, not South Atlantic. The winches seem to be reasonably priced perhaps Neeves can let us know what if he knows of them and how good (or bad) they are.

 

[Boathook]

Boatgear direct are the UK dealers for south Pacific as far as I'm aware.

 

[Neeves]

I confess not to know of the windlass - I think they are better known for their drum winches, where you wind the rope onto a drum, and are predominately used in runabouts (where they work fine). Again I think they were made here but are now made in China. These is nothing wrong with any of this.

Most people here would look to buy a Muir, made in Tasmania, or Maxwell made in New Zealand and now owned by Vetus. I don't think either are a cheap option, given their location of manufacture, but you get what you pay for. We used a Muir Atlantic but when we changed our rode we opted for a Maxwell RC 8-6, that's effectively a 8mm windlass with a 6mm gyspy. We could have continued to use the Muir Atlantic but a new gypsy cost the good part of a new windlass - it was an easy decision. Ours has the 1000 watt motor for the 8mm chain (we could have opted for a smaller motor). We have had excellent service from Maxwell, though as you are not based here you will not get the personalised attention we enjoyed. I explained to Maxwell what we were doing, downsizing chain but maintain all the same tensions and loads, we discussed various options and the resultant recommendation has been trouble free. We did not opt for a capstan (our windlass is under a hatch and the capstan would protrude and be a trip hazard). The other reason for not opting for a capstan - we have mast based winches and we have one larger electric winch aft which we could use as a capstan if push came to shove. The Maxwell gypsy takes both chain and rope and they have a unique (I think it unique) gypsy design to make dual retrieval trouble free). I also like the ease with which I can dismantle the windlass for service, its a split ring and a easily operated bayonet fitting. Maxwell tell me most windlass issues are a lack of servicing. Muir and Maxwell obviously offer local servicing and parts on our doorstep (should you need them).

For choice of windlass I would tend to caution and look to a model made slightly over specified, so a 10mm windlass (with a 8mm gypsy) and a motor for the 10mm chain (load) for a 8mm rode. It will then accept abuse that is inevitable one dark night when unforecast winds develop and your anchor has set overly deep. The recommendation is - do not use the windlass to pull the yacht to the anchor - in the real world you need a windlass that might be required to do - just that. So look to slight overspecify. We run our windlass off the house batteries but always have the engines running when we retrieve. Our battery bank is quite close to our windlass, all centred round the mast, check that your batteries are large enough and make sure you use the right specification of cables. We have foot switches at the bow roller and a control at the helm. We don't have a remote, don't really need one - but they appear to be cheap off eBay and reliable. We also do not have a chain counter but rely on a marked rode.

So - we overspecified the windlass but did not bother with the bells and whistles.

The options here after Muir and Maxwell would then centre round the other well know windlass manufacturers, Lewmar, Lofran etc who have some real background in making windlass, big and small, where some technology will trickle down and the manufacturers have a name to defend (in Lewmar's case - back to Simpson Lawrence (whose parts are still available).

Unless your funds are boring a hole in your pocket I might delay a purchase decision for a few days, weeks. I monitor windlass threads and some of the horror stories I hear, read about, of some manufacturers, check back on windlass threads) would ensure I did not touch them with a barge pole (or even boat hook). There are plenty of windlass manufacturers - I'd search around but only buy from one whose product is known and known for being good and preferably is local, to you and where you intend to sail.

Windlass are largely trouble free - apart from the exceptions to which I allude, they (windlass) are mistreated by owners (who do not service them) and despite abuse - last for decades.

Jonathan