Francis Anchor Winches

[swift2]

Hi all

I have a Francis E900/2 electric winch from the 70’s original quote £285
Can anybody give me any information where I can get parts etc and is the company still in production or have they been taken over by another company? My searches have come up with nil so far.
Thanks in advance

 

[Poignard]

I wonder if it might have been made by the same firm as made Francis searchlights. Might be worth a try:
web page

 

[pvb]

Francis windlasses were originally made by Francis Yacht Winches, but the business was sold to Simpson Lawrence at some point, I think in the 70s. Fred Francis started making winches again in about 1977, but sold that business in 1985 when he was diagnosed with cancer. Simpson Lawrence are out of business too, but SL Spares may be able to give you information. Francis windlasses were very well engineered and, depending on the problem, a repair may well be possible.

A fascinating fact about Fred Francis is that he was the inventor of Scalextric!