Need a new manual windlass

[BigART]

Having just bust my excellent manual 2 speed Goiot 309 windlass, I have found that not only do Goiot no longer make this windlass, they do not make windlasses at all despite all the pretty pictures on their website. So I am on the hunt for a horizontal axis replacement (my back won't allow me to work a vertical axis one). The prime candidates are the similar looking Lofrans Royal and the Vetus Ursus with 10mm gypsys (gypsies?).

A few questions.
- Our current (broken) Goiot manual windlass had two gear ratios, high and low, which was ideal although it probably led us to trying to hard. I have seen windlasses on other boats where the handle was linked directly to the gypsy resulting in it being horribly slow, two or three links at a time. Is there some sort of gearing between the Lofrans/Vetus windlasses handle and the gypsy to speed it up a little?
- Has anyone any experience with these models, reliability, usability?
- Has anyone any other suggestions?

Thanks

Angus

 

[JohnTH]

What have you bust? Is it possible to re engineer a fix?

73s de
Johnth

 

[BigART]

What have you bust? Is it possible to re engineer a fix?

73s de
Johnth

It is a Goiot manual windlass that had been working splendidly, unfortunately, we tried a bit too hard in low gear to lift the anchor which was well buried in sand and it locked up, neither high nor low gear will move. The problem appears to be that one of the pawls has cracked inside the pawl carrier and the fragment has jammed between the pawl carrier and the splined ring on which the pawls engage. Sadly, to get the shaft out, one has to rotate it inside the pawl carrier to align the shaft pin with two orifices to enable the pin to be knocked out – but I can’t rotate the shaft to get to the pin. So I’m stuck, in Australia, nowhere near Goiot who don’t make this beasty (or spares) any more anyway.

I could get an engineer to cut/mill out the pawl carrier to get the windlass apart but then he has to make a new pawl carrier and splined ring but that will probably be more than the cost of a new windlass. So look like a new windlass, sadly.

Angus

 

[samwise]

We have used a Lofrans Royal for four seasons now and we are very happy with it. Very robust and easy to use. Very controllable on let down but slow going on the lever on the up but I only use it to break out a firm set anchor, After that I haul in by hand. Good exercise!

 

[BigART]

After that I haul in by hand. Good exercise!

Sadly, the state of my back won't alow me to do that. But thanks for the assurance on the reliability of the Lofrans.

Angus