Is an electric windlass a good financial investment?

[SimonFa]

I have just had an estimate for the supply and fitting of an electric windlass and it was a lot more than expected. To be fair it is a difficult job as they have to do some manufacturing in the chain locker, its top end with foot pedal and remote switch in the cockpit.

I know everyone sings the praises of an electric windlass and I have used them so, but will it have an impact when I come to sell in about 5 years time? At about 9% of what I paid for the boat (8% of the valuation) it seems excessive and I was wondering if its a good financial investment? (Assuming I don't sink the thing )

Thanks in advance for your thoughts,

Simon

 

[Fr J Hackett]

No it is not a good financial investment and neither is a boat. You buy a boat because you enjoy sailing any idea of getting what you paid for it let alone recouping the coats of maintenance and improvements are just wishful thinking.

 

[alahol2]

Anything I put on the boat has to justify itself to me, not to the next prospective owner. 'Standard' type kit on a boat (which is what a windlass is becoming) won't really add very much to the value, certainly nowhere near its cost.
I don't have a windlass because I can still manage the anchor and chain without too much problem. If I start to get a bad back or wonky legs then I will consider it.

 

[pvb]

It's not a good investment; any increase in resale value will be minimal. However, if you anchor frequently and have difficulty handling the current anchor, it might make life easier for you.

 

[jordanbasset]

I have just had an estimate for the supply and fitting of an electric windlass and it was a lot more than expected. To be fair it is a difficult job as they have to do some manufacturing in the chain locker, its top end with foot pedal and remote switch in the cockpit.

I know everyone sings the praises of an electric windlass and I have used them so, but will it have an impact when I come to sell in about 5 years time? At about 9% of what I paid for the boat (8% of the valuation) it seems excessive and I was wondering if its a good financial investment? (Assuming I don't sink the thing )

Thanks in advance for your thoughts,

Simon

I do not think investments and boats are natural bedfellows. Better to look at it from the point of view of will it make your sailing, or in this case anchoring, easier/ more practicable. Certainly would not have been without our windlass, that was on a 40 foot boat. But I have known others who like the exercise of pulling up an anchor.

 

[earlybird]

Rough guesses, your quote is $1.5k, which makes your boat worth ~£16k.
It will maybe add a couple of £hundred to resale value if you're very lucky.
Not a good financial investment.
You need to think of a better reason for fitting one.

 

[pathfinder]

I have back problems so I find my electric windlass a real advantage,like other have said its unlikely you will see a return in monetary terms but it could tip the balance in your favour with a future buyer .

 

[pvb]

Rough guesses, your quote is $1.5k, which makes your boat worth ~£16k.

My guess would be the quote was 2 or 3 times that....

 

[SimonFa]

My guess would be the quote was 2 or 3 times that....

Yes, it requires a lot of work.

Thanks everyone for your quick responses, its what I expected. I do have a bad back but that's through lack of fitness caused be a long term injury. I think I'll see how the rest of the summer goes and get i done over winter.
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Simonhttp://www.ybw.com/forums/newreply.php?do=newreply&p=4295379

 

[Boathook]

No it is not a good financial investment and neither is a boat. You buy a boat because you enjoy sailing any idea of getting what you paid for it let alone recouping the coats of maintenance and improvements are just wishful thinking.

Totaly agree. Having just fitted a windlass to my boat it was to make getting the anchor and chain up easier and therefore improve my enjoyment ...........

 

[ninky]

Boats are like lovers. Only do something for them because you want to, and not because you expect something back in return - especially not money. They will drive you mad a lot of the time, but you keep going with them because the happy moments you have together are just so worth it.

 

[lw395]

A Fortress might be a cheaper fix.
But £5k to not have serious back problems is a bargain.

How often and where do you anchor?
Are you using a storm bower when a lunch hook would do?

 

[tillergirl]

I have an old fashioned wooden boat originally with a naff worn out manual windlass that meant it was 'easier' (sic) to haul against TG's 7+ tons than use the winch. I went on a Greek Flotilla fortnight jsut for the hell of it and the gliberfast yacht was fitted with an electrickery windlass. Bloody marvellous. I thought it was the one think that the modern age would add to TG. Investment? Nope as others have said, it is money that will disappear but if you anchor, what a pleasure. I looked at fitting one to TG but I have insufficient 'drop' for the chain which always backs up so haven't done it. By I did fit one to my neighbour's Mobo (and got his old manual windlass which is a great improvement on my old one) and it is as I thought, marvellous. Frankly, if I had one, I would anchor more often. If you have the money, forget the investment angle and enjoy boating as you should do.

 

[DaveS]

No disagreement with others, an electric windlass is a very helpful bit of kit but you can't expect it do add more than a small proportion of its cost to the value of the boat. I single hand and anchor a lot so it was easy for me to justify getting one - and arranging for controls both in the cockpit and at the bow. OTOH I kept the cost to a minimum by fitting it myself and making up my own control gear rather that buying ready made. (The latter is maybe a step too far for most.) I am a firm believer in doing as much myself as possible since, apart from the financial saving, when something goes wrong - maybe somewhere remote - you have to fix it, and you've a better chance of doing so if you are familiar with it.

 

[bert49uk]

keep the cost down by just using one of the cheap wireless remotes on e-bay, thats what i did, no deck buttons no buttons in cockpit, the remotes are so cheap ive two incase one packs up

 

[Halo]

What really matters is your health. It is very easy to damage your back hauling on a stuck anchor - so if you do anchor more than a couple of times per year and you can afford a windless then get one. Much better to prevent an injury rather than invest in "health insurance" to fix you up after the event.
Mine operates from beside the chain locker. I cannot think that it could be sucessfully operted from the cockpit unless the fall in the chain locker is very substantial - and this is unlikely if you are retrofitting it
all the best
Martin

 

[Blueboatman]

For cost comparison for the OP .
I fitted a nice powerful Lofrans Tigres a couple of years ago. The windlass was bought when on offer. Somewhat overspec'd but so what? I gained a warping drum and an extra stout cleat and a dinghy hoister etc..

I made the teak plinth myself, ran the £200 quids worth of heavy cabling round the boat exactly how and where I wanted it, doubled up the engine start/windlass batteries in parallel, fitted the cockpit remote and breaker and ancillary wiring and solenoid exactly where I wanted... Blah blah..... this made the job affordable and ensured quality and I was able to tweak a couple of other bits with the boat dismantled

You can do your own soldering or crimping, hiring the tool etc, your labour is not potentially that of a bored, semiskilled employee with massive labour mark up... You get the idea..

So, yes it makes absolute sense and will add hugely to the boats enjoyment and offer sensible shorthanded options.. But don't forget to service the windlass too. If it seizes in 5 years it aint worth a jot!


Otoh to pay someone to take the boat away and bring it back all done..Now, that is a big hit.. With GRP work, £3.5-4k plus vat?

Btw a wireless remote instead of hardwiring to the cockpit may save a bob or two and improve versatility?

 

[sighmoon]

If your boat is over 35', I think a buyer might prefer the one with the windlass than the one without, all else being equal, but I doubt anyone would pay £5k more.

If your back is already dodgy, it's got to be worth it though.

It is very easy to damage your back hauling on a stuck anchor - so if you do anchor more than a couple of times per year and you can afford a windless then get one.

My understanding is that the windlass is intended only to haul the weight of chain and anchor off the bottom; it won't last long if used to release a stuck anchor, or to haul the boat to the anchor against the wind and tide.

 

[Halo]

My understanding is that the windlass is intended only to haul the weight of chain and anchor off the bottom; it won't last long if used to release a stuck anchor, or to haul the boat to the anchor against the wind and tide.[/QUOTE]

Good point - but how do you know its stuck until you haul as hard as you can?? - chain and anchor in 10m of water is already a lot for me

 

[Andrew G]

To the people suggesting WiFi controls - can you offer any links and commendations?? (I'm interested).

To the OP - nothing on a boat is an investment but some are better follies than others. It does depend on the size of your boat, anchor and chain and your use of it. If, like me, you go off single handed and anchor every night for 9 months and use a heavy anchor and 65m of chain in 25m+ of water - you wouldn't be without one. I orignially had a good (Muir) hand windlass but after taking 30+min to get the tackle up from 25m in 1+m waves I made the decision to go electric - best thing ever.

• manual release and (controlled) fall is what I mostly use;
• power down controlled from the cockpit is useful if you need to drop the pick in an exact spot or if the bow keeps blowing off (but ALWAYS continue to charge the battery so you don't leave it depleated overnight);
• best if you can do the work yourself but you need to plan the size of the beast, location of the battery (I prefer near the windlass), cable runs and sizes, switch locations bow and cockpit, chain fall and stowage, bow roller(s), snubbing (you can't leave the windlass to take the load) and more;
• I use the rope capstan all the time but that may be an option for some;
• I'm happy with 700kg pull and 20 meters per minute (up or down) - but it is a big unit;
• Another benefit is that you never put up with an imperfect lie - if you are not happy just pull it all up and do it again (I was always reluctant to do that with the manual one);

Cheers, Andrew