Lofrans Windlass gone on strike - help please!

[DrBob]

After a long sail to Norway and back, our Lofrans Project 1000 vertical windlass refused to work at the weekend. I didnt get much chance to look at it before leaving the boat and need some suggestions on what might be wrong before I get back to the boat this weekend.

The unit is one year old - very little used and not used since or during the Norway trip. There is power to the windlass switch on the main distribution panel and that switch is oK - ie there is power going up the wires to the foredeck. When activated neither the up or down switches on the foredeck do anything nor does the radio remote switch so suspect it is not the switches. No sound of anything happening in the motor. The fuse near the control box is ok but there was a lot of water around the electrics in the anchor locker. We didnt get any further looking at the porblem than that. The clutch seems ok so I think it is just no power getting to the motor rather than a seized unit.

Any ideas on what to look for? The circuit diagram shows a circuit breaker which I assume is for overloads. Not sure where that is till I get back to the boat but it would make sense if that was exposed and has got corroded. The handbook is not much use!

Any advise would be great.

Dr Bob
www.ronautica.co.uk

 

[ccscott49]

The water route would be the first bet for me, corrosion. The I would check to see if the power is actusally getting to the motor itself, if it's all sealed, then it looks like you will have to remove the underslung unit to investigate further.

 

[ostra4]

i have lofrans caymen windlass .This has an overload breaker next to our control panel in saloon but could be located eleswhere .Its a large switch which is around the same size as domestic fuse swithcgear .
hope you sort it .
andrew

 

[DrBob]

Thanks both. I will have a good look at it this weekend.

Dr Bob