Cheap Windlass Remote

[goeasy123]

My Sidepower windlass remote fob has gone kaput. They want £200 for a new one. Alternative, whole system makes from chandlers are £300 to £500. I can get a complete fob and remote box on Amazon for less than £35. At this low price will they do? Anyone got experience, good or bad?
Wireless Winch Remote Control Kit Anchor Remote Windlass Wireless Switch Trim Controller Marine Boat Accessory : Amazon.co.uk: Sports & Outdoors
Aramox Windlass Controller,Anchor Remote Control Windlass Wireless Switch ABS Trim Controller Marine Boat Sail Accessory 2 Transmitter : Amazon.co.uk: Sports & Outdoors

 

[Graham376]

I don't know that one but many of us have fitted these without any problems, pity they've gone up in price though - Boat Anchor Remote Windlass Wireless Switch Sail Trim Controller Fit 12V | eBay

 

[yotter]

I got mine for £11.99 including postage, I think it was for a landrover winch, works fine and comes with a spare remote, I will post if I find the link, or Google is your friend

 

[GHA]

Tried 3 different makes so far, all worked fine controlling the lofrans windlass solenoid. It's just a switch.

 

[Tranona]

The Sidepower one is in a different league from the cheapies - although the latter seem to work. However most have a delay from switching to movement which the Sidepower does not. I have the dual Sidepower one that does the bow thruster and windlass - same as on the last boat and would not be without it.

However the price differential does challenge the view as to whether the extra cost is worth it - personal decision.

 

[yotter]

Here it is
2x 12V Wireless Winch Remote Control Kit Handset Switch For Car Truck ATV SUV | eBay
The real challenge is to find one less that £11.99.
I would keep the remotes dry

 

[Bav32]

Plus 1 for hotter. I replaced my faulty Lofrans remote with a cheap wireless replacement and would encoutage others to do the same.
Other benefits include being able to raise or lower the anchor from the cockpit.

 

[Mistroma]

Here it is
2x 12V Wireless Winch Remote Control Kit Handset Switch For Car Truck ATV SUV | eBay
The real challenge is to find one less that £11.99.
I would keep the remotes dry

I bought these on eBay for £11.65 in January 2019. I remember some reviews on older black ones complaining about poor range. The blue ones claimed greater range and I bought them. Range was great when I tested them at home I gave up at around 100m from my front door. I suspect that models with poor range will have vanished from eBay by now.

They worked very well when I installed them in April 2019 and were a great help when anchoring or reversing towards a quay. We spend about 6 months in Greece and only tie alongside very rarely. I expected them to fail due to corrosion as they aren't at all waterproof and the on/off switch felt a bit dodgy. However, they worked all through 2019 and again this year. They were stored during 2020 & 2021 as we didn't use the boat.

Both failed this year when reversing in at Preveza but that was due to dud batteries. Not bad to get 2 full seasons and 2 years in storage from a battery. I got some warning from one unit when it failed to work initially at the previous anchorage and only kicked in when I walked to the bows.

I put some Contralube 770 on the battery contacts but didn't attempt to make the the remotes waterproof. I simply stored them in the chart table when not in use.

Excellent value, very reliable and good range (you'd need a huge super yacht to have range issues ).

 

[yotter]

I would hate to have the inconvenience of only 100 metres range but that is considerably further than the distance from my cockpit to the winch relay

 

[NormanS]

Is the radio frequency of switch/windlass programmable? If the controller has a range of 100 metres, does that mean that when you wind your chain in, everybody else's in the locality, winds in too? ?
Slight thread drift, but any advice on a reasonably priced wired windlass control switch?

 

[Graham376]

Is the radio frequency of switch/windlass programmable? If the controller has a range of 100 metres, does that mean that when you wind your chain in, everybody else's in the locality, winds in too? ?
Slight thread drift, but any advice on a reasonably priced wired windlass control switch?

They're coded to the controller but sometimes wish they were variable so we could have some fun.

 

[Tranona]

Slight thread drift, but any advice on a reasonably priced wired windlass control switch?

Plenty of wired controls - simple up/down on e bay at less than half the price of the "marine" brands. Usual question marks about whether they are suitable for use in the marine environment, both the control and the plug/socket need to be waterproof. However on my old Bavaria charter boat we fitted a simple industrial control (about 25 euros at the time) hard wired inside the forecabin and the curly wire out through the forehatch. This was fitted primarily because it kept the wire well away from the windlass and reduced the chances of the wire getting caught up with the chain/gypsy.

Personally would not waste my money on hard wired controls. Had my last boat from new for 6 years and the wired control was still in its plastic bag when I sold it.

 

[Norman_E]

My boat had no remote control for the windlass when I bought it, so I cabled from the relay box back to the cockpit and fitted a switch like this (though mine did not have the red stop button).
Up Down Push Button Switch Pendant Control For Hoist Crane With Emergency Stop | eBay

 

[yotter]

Is the type of anchor a significant factor:-;

 

[stephen_h]

Am I right in thinking that if the wireless remote failed the deck up/down buttons would still work?

 

[colind3782]

I bought one for £12.99 when I thought it might solve my Lofrans Cayman woes (see other thread) but I never had to use it. I bench tested it at home and it worked fine. The Lofrans replacement was £300-£400! The only problem with it was that it came without batteries and no instructions as to which battery to fit. It was obviously non-standard from the size of the battery compartment but a bit of online detection came up with LR23A and I got a couple from ebay for a couple of quid. I wouldn't hesitate to use it on the windlass control if the present unit stopped working.

 

[GHA]

Am I right in thinking that if the wireless remote failed the deck up/down buttons would still work?

Should do, the remote is just like adding another switch in parallel to the existing ones to control the solenoid.

A fair few cruisers use them but yet to hear of any failures or the wrong chain getting pulled up...

 

[pandos]

My boat had no remote control for the windlass when I bought it, so I cabled from the relay box back to the cockpit and fitted a switch like this (though mine did not have the red stop button).
Up Down Push Button Switch Pendant Control For Hoist Crane With Emergency Stop | eBay

Mine is similar to that one and is fitted to a long cable which reaches the cockpit so I can take it out the hatch in the forecabin and use it on the foredeck, and from the wheel, and all points in between. (I have a cheapy wireless one from Amazing which I hope to try next year)

 

[TSB240]

I have now fitted four of these cheap remotes for a windlass. No complaints from friends and especially useful when med mooring stern to and lightly crewed.
Great to find something that works and a factor of 10 cost less than any Marine equivalent.
The remotes use a small type 23A 12v battery. Worth keeping a spare on board if you have only one remote. Leaving remote switched on for 4 weeks reduces range to about 5M!

I know a friend has used the same wireless remote to turn his ebersplutter on or off without leaving his bunk!

I am still working on a similar wireless remote set up to fit to our ancient B and G autopilot. 6 channel wireless relay with two remotes is only marginally more expensive than the windless remote.

 

[KAM]

I fitted mine into a slightly bigger box with better buttons and a big red power switch. A worthwhile easy mod which has worked for years.