Buying advice. Only two winches?

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SimonTurner

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Hello.

I'm looking for some advice. My friend an I are trying to buy an inexpensive 29-34ft sailing boat to navigate round the British coast this summer. Although both qualified and a bit practiced we've never bought a boat before.

We have found a Hunter Channel 32 not far from us that near enough ticks all our boxes except that only has two winches. Neither of us are confident enough to know how much this will affect out sailing, although I suspect it will reduce reaction times, could lead to mess and mistakes and perhaps stop us from using inventive jib/genoa/gennaker configurations. I am aware we could probably add a couple more but of course that come at a cost.

I'd welcome any thoughts for those more experienced.

The Hunter Channel is a fractional sloop rigging configuration with a self-tacking jib as a standard or popular option. Another feature we are not entirely enamoured with is that the main sheets are fitted to the centre of the deck.
 
Absolutely fine. You don't need genoa winches, as you have a self-tacking jib. Without those and spinnake winches, most boats have 2 winches on the coachroof. The Channel 32 is a good solid boat, and ideal for what you want. It's also very easy to sail and reef. Go for it.
 
potentillaCO32 said:
A great boat. Solid and seaworthy and the bilge keeler sails reasonably well for a bilge keeler.
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Hunter preferred to call them twin fin, rather than bilge keels, and it seems widely accepted they do sail very well for a twin keeled boat. We have the smaller HH23 and we only have 2 winches and it has never presented as a problem. Under what circumstances do you expect to need more?
 
ProDave said:
Hunter preferred to call them twin fin, rather than bilge keels, and it seems widely accepted they do sail very well for a twin keeled boat. We have the smaller HH23 and we only have 2 winches and it has never presented as a problem. Under what circumstances do you expect to need more?
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I look over the old yard in rochford from where i am refitting my current boat. A tarmacing compnay now, very sad.

I think a second pair of winches would only be useful for a spinnaker or asymmetric but you could easily get by without. I never use my second pair.
 
I had a second pair when I had spinnakers, when they were essential, but I don't think I would bother to add them without. Could be useful if you get a riding turn on the jib sheets I suppose, but otherwise just clutter.
 
johnalison said:
I had a second pair when I had spinnakers, when they were essential, but I don't think I would bother to add them without. Could be useful if you get a riding turn on the jib sheets I suppose, but otherwise just clutter.
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True. I have had 4-6 winches on my resent boats, but only two were used for ordinarly sailing (and in the case of the cat, two at the mast, but those can be served by others). On larger boats secondary winches are used for many adjustments, such as Barber haulers, but these are hand tackles on smaller boats.

I have added winch feeder blocks when some odd situation required redirecting a line to the other winch. Much cheaper and more compact than adding winches. Unless you have a chute.
 
Most of the time you only use one winch!
Didn't Dehler do the Central Winch System with everything led to a single winch?

We've got two deck winches on a 47ft cutter. There are others at the mast and for reefing etc. I will add a couple more everyday, but we've had the boat for over a year, sailed about 3000nm, and haven't really felt the need yet.
 
We only gave 2 winches, never been a problem. Originally fitted under the sprayhood but moved them to the aft position as difficult to use. If using the spinnaker, the genoa is furled so winch used if needed. 33' boat.
 
Doesn't this boat have cabin top halyard winches? In the rare situation where you might need to sheet a genoa at the same time as spinnaker you can sheet to one of those. The lead might not be perfect but it would be very temporary. Looking at the pictures this would seem to be doable on the HC32. Most modern cruising boats are rigged in a similar way with just two sheet winches.
 
Interesting question. I have a tiny 21fter but have 6 winches 2 on side deck for jib sheets that do all the work and 4 on cabin top for halyards, out haul and reefing.
Now when I bought the boat from the builder it had 2 for jib sheets and 2 for halyards. At the time I fitted the additional winches (42 years ago) It was as cheap to buy a winch (tiny single speed) as a clutch for halyards. Now only one clutch for main halyard and that because it came free of charge.
Now I find similar boats to mine are built and sold with just 2 winches on outside of cabin top. Used both for halyards and jib sheets. Just a bit of an angle for jib sheets up from turning sheave to winch. No I have never used this system and can't say I love it. However it would be nice to have side deck free of winches for posteriors.
Certainly 2 winches would be a problem with a dodger. I don't think the number of winches would be a deal breaker. ol'will
 
Halo said:
I expect most people only have one winch on their sailing yacht (the anchor winch) but 2 ,or 4 capstans. A winch has its rope or chain permanently attached
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The thing about language is that words mean what people use them to mean. Since the sellers call them deck winches, and sailors have constantly called them winches, they are now winches. The original effort of writing the initial OED was an interesting exercise in trying and failing to fix English in place.

Languages change.
 
thinwater said:
The thing about language is that words mean what people use them to mean. Since the sellers call them deck winches, and sailors have constantly called them winches, they are now winches. The original effort of writing the initial OED was an interesting exercise in trying and failing to fix English in place.

Languages change.
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That was so much more polite than what I was going to reply - chapeau! 👍
 
KevinV said:
That was so much more polite than what I was going to reply - chapeau! 👍
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He was also misleading as well as being pedantic. A capstan has a vertical axis and in old usage can only handle chain. Thus my vertical anchor winch is technically a capstan at top but as it has rope drum is also a windlass - though for the sake of sanity I ask Navigator to turn on The Winch power when I up anchor. And old time anchors were pulled in by windlasses or capstans with men walking in circles on the deck, arranging for them to work a horizontal drum ie winch would have presented a challenge (hamster wheel??). Winches do not need permanent chain or wire, and I for one am not going to rename my jib sheet devices as windlasses - winches they will remain
 
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