Mainsail hoist - winch or electric?

[wiggy]

This is my solution Makita DHP481RTJ 18V 5.0Ah Li-Ion Brushless Cordless Combi Drill. You need to use it carefully as 125Nm of torque is definitely enough! You need also need one of these Force 4 iWinch Bit for Winches | Force 4 Chandlery
The added advantage is that you have a superb cordless drill to use on board or at home as well.

 

[dunedin]

Electric can be great, but it comes with its problems. Can give the batteries a good kicking. Plus if you don't stop the very instant you get resistance to the hoist, you can damage the mast.

Had the battery problem on a Beneteau 50. Seen track damage on a Hanse 45 and a Lagoon 421. Bigger boats obviously but full length battens make the sail heavy. A moment of Inattention caused damage.

My own boat is much smaller and I like the look of the winch rite. But still care needs to be taken, I reckon.

We have an electric halyard winch for the main halyard, which works well. Yes, need to be careful - but good technique should avoid that risk.
Our strict rule for using the electric button is
- only two turns round the winch; and
- ALWAYS tailed by hand, never in the self tailer.
Hence if gets stuck on something then will slip and give warning before break something. Also tend to pit final tension on by hand as gives better feel for right tension for wind.

As the spray hood limits visibility upwards, we also have a lightweight plastic tube with balsa “prodder” on the end - which allows operating the winch whilst looking up at sail/mast - helps get past lazyjacks as well as spot any reefing line tangles or similar

 

[geem]

Our main is 35m2 10oz cloth and fully battened on cars. The intermediate sliders are also on cars. We hoist and reef at the mast so minimal friction. I can hoist the main all the way to the top. The Mrs can get within a couple of metres by hand. Friction is a killer. It doesn’t take much to make the job really hard work. Well worth having a look where the friction is in your system. As has been suggested, try a hoist at the mast first. If this is an improvement, look where you can eliminate some friction.

 

[Resolution]

If you have done everything possible to reduce friction and are still finding it difficult then I would endorse the installation of an electric winch. Not only will this solve your problem, but the expense will be more of an investment than most of the things we buy for our boats. When you are eventually putting your boat up for sale an electric winch will be a major selling point to any women / wives / partners involved in the purchase ( other than Bulgarian weight lifters!)

 

[stuartwineberg]

100% recommend a winchrite. Only thing is stop a few inches short of fully up and sweat the last bit by hand. 2 reasons. It will kick out of your hand with some force if you don’t and if you force it to do the last bit it will eventually nacker the gearbox. Excellent service and support from the sellers down at Deacons in Swanwick.

 

[ashtead]

On a 10.8m (34) Bav no issues with hoisting the main with full battens,however on a Moody 41ac we now hoist main via a power sheet winch via the manual winch. Ju st tweak the list few inches as required using handle. The electric winches can then be used for main sheet 0r the furlers(carefully) -

 

[Kukri]

68 years old, very unfit, 510 sq ft mainsail, heavy Terylene but not fully battened, Harken 42 ST at the mast, StrongTrack, Winchrite. The StrongTrack is wonderful. NB we don’t use it for the trysail, which has its own full length track.

Edited to add: I would recommend a low friction track and, if you have full length battens, the best possible batten cars.

 

[grumpy_o_g]

On the "friction" theme...if you have regular mast sliders, might ball bearing batten cars like the harken battcar system be worth a look?

My immediate thought was something like Battcars. If the sail isn't rattling down under it's own weight at least a fair bit of the way there's still too much friction I would say. Not sure how reefing would work with a electric drill type of thing? Sounds a bit of a faff exactly at the time you really don't want it.

 

[fredrussell]

There’s a winchrite on eBay - currently 200 quid with one day to go.

 

[jordanbasset]

A completely different approach would be in-mast furling, the issue would be that it would have to be retrofitted and I am aware in the past some of these systems had issues. Not sure if the same applies today?

 

[KenF]

Thanks everyone for the feedback - lots to think about !

 

[Kukri]

100% recommend a winchrite. Only thing is stop a few inches short of fully up and sweat the last bit by hand. 2 reasons. It will kick out of your hand with some force if you don’t and if you force it to do the last bit it will eventually nacker the gearbox. Excellent service and support from the sellers down at Deacons in Swanwick.

Absolutely agree with that, and suggest a couple of whippings on the halyards, in contrasting colours, to indicate where to stop stop the Winchrite, just short of “two blocks”, and at each reef.

I do have one whinge about the Winchrite; the plastic cover over the charging port is too small and delicate (might suit a mobile phone!) and you can’t pull the Winchrite out of its bracket without unplugging it (reasonable!) and putting the charging port cover back (very fiddly!).

 

[mjcoon]

I do have one whinge about the Winchrite; the plastic cover over the charging port is too small and delicate (might suit a mobile phone!) and you can’t pull the Winchrite out of its bracket without unplugging it (reasonable!) and putting the charging port cover back (very fiddly!).

That sounds like an opportunity for a link-up with the 3D printing thread...

 

[sailaboutvic]

A completely different approach would be in-mast furling, the issue would be that it would have to be retrofitted and I am aware in the past some of these systems had issues. Not sure if the same applies today?

My experience from over 35 years owning boat with slab reefing when we brought this boat four years ago with in mast that in mast reefing was a pain and wish We still had slab , then I change the main sail , what a difference.
But I guess the OP doesn't want to go to the expense of chancing the Mast so I agree with most her and electric winch , If feel he can't go to that experience then winchrite

 

[ip485]

Electric winch first - the most elegant solution, requires zero effort and will solve your problem but at a cost and complexity of installation .

Ewincher second, much better than the other, but try it first as there is some counter resistance. This assumes you already have a manual winch in place which I think you must.

 

[awol]

Weetabix?

 

[Zing]

I have the line topping makita drill with a crazy amount of torque.. I would never use it on a winch as your likely to break your wrist or similar ! The kickback is extremely fierce.. More than enough to throw you off your feet.
I have an old scholl stainless halyard onto a winch drum at the mast base.. Its quite quick but more importantly pretty effortless as its not going around lots of pulleys .
One hand on the cap shroud for stability, the other on the winch handle.. Im about 30 square metres.

They work very well. Just put the torque limiter onto the appropriate setting and use the appropriate speed and gears. If you are rough with these tools they can bite you back.

 

[sailaboutvic]

Weetabix?

Dont you mean Weetawinch?

 

[Kukri]

I would start by looking to eliminate as much friction as possible. Track, batten cars, ball bearing sheaves and blocks, smaller (Dyneema) rope.

 

[LadyInBed]

Do you use your topping lift to raise your boom before raising the main?
That will take a lot of weight off the final hoist of the sail.