Confession - I have never serviced a winch

alan_d said:
I had felt progressively more uncomfortable over the last eight years about not servicing my winches. Then I discovered that, as they are Antal, I would need to remove them to service them and now I don't feel so bad.
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That's a pants design. On my Andersens I have to remove 1 or 3 machine screws depending on size, this frees a plate which lifts off and then the drum comes off. The screws are stainless into stainless so are never seized or corroded. It takes longer to get the screwdriver out than get the drum off. Understandable now why some people never do it.
 
I had a winch suddenly fail. The pawls must have stuck in the open position for a second. The handle slipped from my grasp, the drum spun, taking the handle with it & it wacked the back of my hand leaving a nasty bruise. Next job on the list was - service winches !!!
 
My Gibb ST28s needed to be removed completely to fully service but 90% could be done in situ. I always took them off which was not much of a problem.
My current boat has only a couple of small Harkens which are not really needed due to the small size of Genoa. I will however give them a quick once over.
 
Daydream believer said:
I had a winch suddenly fail. The pawls must have stuck in the open position for a second. The handle slipped from my grasp, the drum spun, taking the handle with it & it wacked the back of my hand leaving a nasty bruise. Next job on the list was - service winches !!!
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I have seen that happen on the main winch on a Mystery 35 while cranking in the genoa. The handle whizzes round at high speed. Losing control of the handle when the pawls fail happens on single speed winches because the operator naturally relaxes their grip on the back stroke. Nobody hurt in that case.
 
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Some years ago had the main halyard winch fail mid hoist. The heavy stainless handle caught my forearm leaving an egg sized lump and purple/yellow bruising for the rest of our holiday and beyond. Lucky it didn't break the bone! Needless to say, winch servicing is now part of the spring ritual.
 
VicMallows said:
And noone apparently noticed....... I enjoyed!
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Took me three tries, bit like those incredibly annoying 'spot the difference' competitions that used to be in the beano, but very worth it in the end for the first chuckle on this most dismal of days...?
 
This is attributed to one Jim Edwards, once of Harken UK, who travelled the country giving an intriguing presentation on 'Practical Tips for the Maintenance of Deck Gear'. Acknowledging the high cost of replacing good deck gear - blocks, jammers, winches - his tips on prolonging the life of what you have were 'like gold dust'.

Consider..... after a weekend's sailing, few of us think about our winches. Thus they sit all week with salt water inside, in the sockets, and deeper.... until the water dries out and leaves SALT CRYSTALS. Next time out, these crystals are crunched into powder and mixed into the internal oil and grease - to make a composite 'grinding paste'. That's what does the damage. Quite swiftly....

The easiest way to service your winches - and to prolong their life - is to stick the fresh water hose into the winch-handle sockets for a few seconds after each trip. Once in a blue moon, drop a drop of washing up liquid in there first.

There. That's saved someone a few hundred pounds they really didn't need to spend.... and maybe someone else a broken wristbone. Cheap? ;)
 
That's fine if you have a fresh water hose available. However, many sailors prefer the traditional type of swinging or trot mooring and would need a very long hose.
 
It's one of my favourite bits of maintenance - nice afternoon, preferably still on the hard so there's some chance of retrieving bits that have shot over the side. Most irritating thing is the cost of the tiny springs - can only be bought as part of a kit. I have had some free ones from generous spirited Lewmar chap at the London Boat Show.
 
oldbilbo said:
This is attributed to one Jim Edwards, once of Harken UK, who travelled the country giving an intriguing presentation on 'Practical Tips for the Maintenance of Deck Gear'. Acknowledging the high cost of replacing good deck gear - blocks, jammers, winches - his tips on prolonging the life of what you have were 'like gold dust'.

Consider..... after a weekend's sailing, few of us think about our winches. Thus they sit all week with salt water inside, in the sockets, and deeper.... until the water dries out and leaves SALT CRYSTALS. Next time out, these crystals are crunched into powder and mixed into the internal oil and grease - to make a composite 'grinding paste'. That's what does the damage. Quite swiftly....

The easiest way to service your winches - and to prolong their life - is to stick the fresh water hose into the winch-handle sockets for a few seconds after each trip. Once in a blue moon, drop a drop of washing up liquid in there first.

There. That's saved someone a few hundred pounds they really didn't need to spend.... and maybe someone else a broken wristbone. Cheap? ;)
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surealy rain would do the trick? at least up here anyay its guaranteed

not sure about the soap tho - surely it would remove the grease/oil over time?
 
bikedaft said:
surealy rain would do the trick? at least up here anyay its guaranteed

not sure about the soap tho - surely it would remove the grease/oil over time?
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rain is common in the UK

I will leave god to wash those nasty salts out

I have never owned a winch for more than five years - so perhaps I have been benefitting from the servicing of other sailors

on the other hand I have only had small boats (apart from the giant 26 foot centaur). I guess the forces involved are much. much smaller than those involved in 35 footers.

D

"sail now - fettle later"
 
dylanwinter said:
on the other hand I have only had small boats (apart from the giant 26 foot centaur). I guess the forces involved are much. much smaller than those involved in 35 footers.
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Indeed they are. What you will get away with on a 22' boat you are less likely to get away with on a 45' boat, which is why small boats are great - much less fettling to sailing time. Even so, I think that on a rainy day when the wind is howling and you don't want to go anywhere spending 20 minutes per winch every few years, even on a small boat, does no harm.
 
dylanwinter said:
I have never owned a winch for more than five years - so perhaps I have been benefitting from the servicing of other sailors

on the other hand I have only had small boats (apart from the giant 26 foot centaur). I guess the forces involved are much. much smaller than those involved in 35 footers
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Plus, I would think that you've only ever had single speed winches - so no gears to worry about.
 
AngusMcDoon said:
That's a pants design. On my Andersens I have to remove 1 or 3 machine screws depending on size, this frees a plate which lifts off and then the drum comes off.
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My self-tailing Lewmars are even easier - no bolts, the top plate simply unscrews. There are a couple of flats cast into the top of it to put a tool against and start it moving - a large flat screwdriver is best but you could probably use the winch's own handle in a pinch.

The non-self-tailers have a spiral circlip which I can hook out with a fingernail.

In both cases the inner workings then come apart easily without tools.

Pete
 
Daydream believer said:
I had a winch suddenly fail. The pawls must have stuck in the open position for a second. The handle slipped from my grasp, the drum spun, taking the handle with it & it wacked the back of my hand leaving a nasty bruise. Next job on the list was - service winches !!!
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I've seen that happen too.
It's perhaps the boats which don't get used as much which are most likely for the pawls to stick?
Or maybe it's the ones where the winches get subjected to heavy spray when the boat is surfing....

How many people cover their winches to stop the bird poo getting inside?
 
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