Electric winches / cordless drills

This one looks good from Hitachi. The highest torque rating I have seen and more than a Winchrite. Half the price and with a spare battery as well, each battery having double the Winchrite capacity.

A bonus is you can use it as a drill driver too. Get an angle grinder, impact driver and jig saw etc and you don’t need more batteries. It is a better spec than the one I have. Makita are a proper pro tool. I don’t know how well the Hitachi is made though.
https://www.ffx.co.uk/tools/product...18-36V-2X5.0-2.5Ah-Brushless-Combi-Driver-Kit
 
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capnsensible said:
Im more interested in the Winchrite as its designed for afloat use. Ive endexed a drill before with seawater. Open mind though.
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If you are going to get it very salty then it won’t end well. A protective coating like AC50 or Boeshield would be a good idea I think.The Winchrite isn’t waterproof by the way, just water resistant.
 
My Milwaukee has a protective neoprene sleeve which covers about 80% of the drill. It's made from wetsuit material which protects both drill and boat from damage and scratches. So far, in the two years I've had it, there are no visible signs of deterioration despite being in use during the 5 or so months per year we use the boat, admittedly in the Med. On present form, short of dropping it in the water, I think a drill will last quite long enough.
 
Zing said:
A home made extra long winch handle might be all that is needed if it’s only the last bit of trimming that you find hard. You can buy slightly longer winch handles. Maybe you need to try them first if you haven’t already. Then again if it’s not a problem of strength, but stamina a drill will help.
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Its not really a strngth issue so much as an "out of puff" issue. The boat is 35ft, the genoa is 140% and the winches are 44s. Not that difficult to raise the main - more an issue of winding in the genoa if single handing. My pilot ( below deck hydraulic) is good but not sensitive enough to hold the boat just luffing the headsail to lighten the load.

Not at all sure about having a heavy old lump of an electric drill in the cockpit all the time. And swapping from side to side.
 
birdseye said:
Its not really a strngth issue so much as an "out of puff" issue. The boat is 35ft, the genoa is 140% and the winches are 44s. Not that difficult to raise the main - more an issue of winding in the genoa if single handing. My pilot ( below deck hydraulic) is good but not sensitive enough to hold the boat just luffing the headsail to lighten the load.

Not at all sure about having a heavy old lump of an electric drill in the cockpit all the time. And swapping from side to side.
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That's exactly my problem too, including the head to wind problem with hydraulic steering. However the drill cured that and I can wind in the foresail much more quickly than by hand. I don't think you will find the weight so much of a problem; at least neither my wife nor I do. Make up a 8.5kg weight with bags of sugar or something and try it out in the cockpit. I think you might me pleasantly surprised, particularly of you have enough strength for your genoa winches.
 
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I have used the Milwaukee 28 V right angle drill for years it is bullet-proof built to a very high standard you can charge batteries on board has more tourque than anything else on the market I winch my wife or myself up the mast no problem I even use it on my anchor windless if you want to use the two speeds i.e. forward and reverse just have a pinput through the Kranchor and shaft
 
A question for Winchrite owners. Do you believe this device will get an 80kg bloke (most of the way) up an 16m mast? Seems an easier option than self climbing gear with the bonus of additional applications.
 
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SAPurdie said:
Also not why halve the cost by fitting only one electric winch as opposed to two? If you don't need room to hand wind it, it could perhaps be placed centrally somewhere like an old fashioned capstan, thereby covering all winching requirements?

Maybe even put up with the reduced performance of a club footed self-tacker for short tacking?
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Buy a Dehler CWS. Ropes all come to one central electric winch. I love mine.
 
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