Barton Floating Winch Handle Broke

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Rosa

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As the title above above

Yesterday as it was used to tighten the top of the mainsail the handle suddenly snapped off just behind the locking lever.

The winch handle was probably about fifteen years old and although it was expensive I bought it because it was longer than my others and apparently floated.

It floated because it was plastic and the plastic eventually suddenly broke?

Has anyone experienced this?
 
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No, but if you race and drop one overboard.......

You are unlikely to go back to get it.

If, as is likely, you drop it in rough water, even when cruising - by the time you turn round, you will be lucky to find it.

Great, if not brilliant, marketing idea - not so sure it works in practice.

Jonathan

edit

Ours are Titan, red, we have three, they have not broken and are 20 year old (exposed to the Oz sun). We also have 2 very heavy Lewmar 2 handed (which I prefer - where the handle is not inconvenient) and a lightweight, single handed, pressed metal - cannot recall source.

When we raced, I had a rule - if any of the crew dropped a winch handle they had to replace it. It was very successful. I was the only person to lose one.
 
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Rosa said:
The winch handle was probably about fifteen years old and although it was expensive I bought it because it was longer than my others and apparently floated.
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As my late father would say, "That does not owe you much."

On a particularly bumpy passage we managed to lose not one but two winch handles!
 
Rosa said:
The winch handle was probably about fifteen years old and although it was expensive I bought it because it was longer than my others and apparently floated.
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How often did it fall in and was retrieved in those 15 years?

It being plastic and 15 years old, it may well have been UV degradation. Was it stored away from the sun when not in use?
 
Rosa

I have an unused 8" floating winch handle of unknown make, and still in its original packing, that I would be willing to sell for £12 plus p+p.
 
Yngmar said:
How often did it fall in and was retrieved in those 15 years?

It being plastic and 15 years old, it may well have been UV degradation. Was it stored away from the sun when not in use?
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Never fallen in. Kept down below when not in use.
 
Neeves said:
If, as is likely, you drop it in rough water, even when cruising - by the time you turn round, you will be lucky to find it.

Great, if not brilliant, marketing idea - not so sure it works in practice.
Click to expand...

Agree. And even if you find it and get back to it, how are you going to retrieve it? I can’t imagine successfully picking one up with a boathook.

Maybe if you buy floating winch-handles you also need to carry a shrimping net? ;)

I just have four ordinary metal handles, one in a pocket next to each winch, plus a spare stored in the cabin. Pinnall and Bax were selling them quite cheap at the time.

Pete
 
I have had a couple that have broken.

The reduced strength can sometimes be an advantage. Our old anchor winch clutch was designed to take a winch handle. A weak plastic winch handle was safer than a metal version. If the winch handle was accidentally left in place and the electric winch operated the spinning handle was quite dangerous.

If you have deck-fills or hatch locks that are designed to take a winch handle star lock (as many do) then rather than throwing away the broken handle remove the metal star lock part then drill a hole for a stainless steel bolt (for grip). Some plastic tubing adds a bit of padding and looks nicer. Much better for opening deck-fils or hatches than an unwieldy full sized winch handle.

Recycling at its best.

Sorry, not one of my best photos, but it illustrates the idea. This is a key lock I made several years ago.
 

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Attach the metal star lock to the centre of a chopping board - you have a small table when inserted in a winch. You might need to drill the hole out - attach the relevant threaded bolt and you can use the star lock, in a winch, as a secure base for your Go Pro to record your voyage (beats a tripod). There are a number of options - only limited by your imagination.

Jonathan
 
Neeves said:
Attach the metal star lock to the centre of a chopping board - you have a small table when inserted in a winch. You might need to drill the hole out - attach the relevant threaded bolt and you can use the star lock, in a winch, as a secure base for your Go Pro to record your voyage (beats a tripod). There are a number of options - only limited by your imagination.

Jonathan
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Neat idea.

I remember an advert in PBO for a small vice that could be mounted on a winch in a similar manner.
 
It has never occurred to me that I would ever find one after it fell in. But I like the facts that they are light, cheap, and won't ding the deck. So far, in 35 years, I've only dropped one handle, and that was because I didn't have a holder at the mast. I fixed that.
 
prv said:
Agree. And even if you find it and get back to it, how are you going to retrieve it? I can’t imagine successfully picking one up with a boathook.
Maybe if you buy floating winch-handles you also need to carry a shrimping net? ;)
I just have four ordinary metal handles, one in a pocket next to each winch, plus a spare stored in the cabin. Pinnall and Bax were selling them quite cheap at the time.
Pete
Click to expand...
Neeves said:
No, but if you race and drop one overboard.......
You are unlikely to go back to get it.
If, as is likely, you drop it in rough water, even when cruising - by the time you turn round, you will be lucky to find it.
Great, if not brilliant, marketing idea - not so sure it works in practice.
Click to expand...

I have one i have retrieved on 2 separate occasions. Admittedly benign conditions, and not racing at the time!
 
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