Hydraulic anchor winch

[Canopy Locked]

One job this winter is to remove the old electric anchor winch from the stern and fit a decent winch forward.

I am toying with the idea of a hydraulic winch - I just wondered if anyone has had experience of hydraulic winches or point me in the right direction to research further?

Cheers

 

[jfm]

No experience as owner of one, though my next boat has one

I don't think hydraulic makes sense though. You'd need PTO on the engine, and would have to run pipes etc, and it would be very expensive. There is nothing at all worng with electric. What's wrong is cheap electric, or too-small electric fitted by boat builders as cost-saving original spec equipment. If you buy something like a Lewmar Pro Series or a V4 (I don't know if you prefer vertical or horizontal) and have good cables/batteries (pref 24v) you'll have a great set up imho.

 

[omega2]

you've got mail.

 

[Assassin]

Be careful if you use hydraulic as they are, or can be extremely powerful pieces of kit which can cause considerable damage if incorrectly fitted. For ease of use i would stick to the quality electrical types.

If you fancy hydraulic then ensure it is professionally fitted, if the power damages your boat around its mounting point, then you have some redress against the installers.