Best winch handles

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BelleSerene

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It seems that some unspeakable low-life has come aboard our boat on its club mooring and helped himself to a Harken winch handle that I'd left in its pocket in the cockpit.

I'm inclined to replace it with one of those one-touch handles, and a bit of online research shows that the best-reviewed design is these ones by Ronstan: http://www.ronstan.co.uk/marine5/Quick-Lock.asp

I've located one UK-based source of them. Apart from that, UK chandlers seem to be tied to Lewmar and Harken.

I want the palm-grip version, and 10" rather than the compact 8" version.

Do you have any views, or suggestions of other designs?
 
Hi

I bought one of the Ronstan handles you posted the link for but it would not lock into my Cleveco 24 winches

It looked like the socket on the winch that the handle goes into was not deep enough to allow the mechanism on the Ronstan handle to lock into whereas i haven't had any problem getting a conventional handles with twist locking to work in them

Not sure what winches you have on your boat but something to be aware of

Regards Don
 
I was so impressed by my 10" Lewmar one-touch power grip that I went out and bought a second one. Easy to get in and out of a winch one-handed and very easy to put power into when winching
 
Kingfisher 3 said:
Winch handles that float would be a good invention!
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Been done, they don't really work in my opinion. Either far too bulky, or far too flimsy. I could audition for the role of mr Muscle in those old commercials and I snapped one clean in 2 grinding a genoa in.

Plus, unless it's very calm they're almost impossible to see, let alone get back to if they do go over the side.

For my money the lewmar one touch are the beeze neeze.
 
flaming said:
Been done, they don't really work in my opinion. Either far too bulky, or far too flimsy. I could audition for the role of mr Muscle in those old commercials and I snapped one clean in 2 grinding a genoa in.

Plus, unless it's very calm they're almost impossible to see, let alone get back to if they do go over the side.

For my money the lewmar one touch are the beeze neeze.
Click to expand...

Are you kidding? ... I was.
 
I have a floating winch-handle, I think they're great, found mine on the local beach whilst walking the dog A bit bulky, but good value!
More seriously, I've also got Harken handles which I find good. I wouldn't pay the money for a Lewmar one-touch. If necessary, I grab the handle and operate the catch with the thumb of the same hand.
 
I have been very happy with my one touch handles by Holmatro. Unusual make I know but they do exactly what I want in my Lewmar winches. No idea how much they cost as they were a great present from my son.

Yoda
 
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flaming said:
I wasn't kidding! Floating winch handles have been around for ages, but they're rubbish.
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On the whole I like floating winch handles, they make much fewer chips and dings in the cockpit GRP than heavy metal ones. I have once had someone drop one in and retrieved it - interseting that my instinctive response to get back to it quickly was not the RYA reach-tack-reach but an immediate gybe - the ancient MOB method.

I agree that nice bronze ones or quality alloy are stronger, but for ordinary cruising the light floating ones are fine.
 
Electric WinchRite. Unfortunately, though it saves a lot of effort, it's only as good as an 8" handle and you'll still need a conventional handle to sweat things up.
Barton did a plastic, floating handle - I've still got one though the original Australian one disintegrated off the Belon and resulted in a literal, single-handed return to Wales when my R thumb was dislocated.
 
I was given a Lewmar one touch handle as a present. Unfortunately it didn't work for us - in fact when we tried to use it it regularly got stuck in the (Andersen) winch and would not come out.
On the regular winch handle you turn the lever at the top and this positively disengages the retention. On the Lewmar a little spike sticks out to retain in the winch - but pressing the one touch only removes the pressure which holds the pin out. It does not pull the pin in - and with us it didn't self retract, hence got stuck in. May be an incompatibility with Andersen, but having finally freed it the handle was dumped ashore
 
dunedin said:
I was given a Lewmar one touch handle as a present. Unfortunately it didn't work for us - in fact when we tried to use it it regularly got stuck in the (Andersen) winch and would not come out.
On the regular winch handle you turn the lever at the top and this positively disengages the retention. On the Lewmar a little spike sticks out to retain in the winch - but pressing the one touch only removes the pressure which holds the pin out. It does not pull the pin in - and with us it didn't self retract, hence got stuck in. May be an incompatibility with Andersen, but having finally freed it the handle was dumped ashore
Click to expand...

They definitely work well in Lewmar winches, and I rather liked them - in one swift motion you can grab the handle about midways and pull it out of the socket, rather than twisting the little lever at the far end. But the difference is too minor to spend money on while I still have perfectly good "two-touch" Harken handles (with the "speed" knob at the top, which i absolutely never use, but is handy for storing the winch handle in the companionway grab handles).
 
Where can one buy a Electric Winch handle at a reasonable price ?
I looked on eBay without any luck .
 
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