Questions, questions. What would you do if.........

[tome]

If it's pitching, I can safely use the footswitch. The inside forehatch was suggested by a windlass supplier, but the jury is out for me on that suggestion. On the hand remote, I've replaced the connectors with full Mil spec waterproofs but another consideration is that I want my wife to be able to use the spinnaker halyard and warping drum to pull me aboard if I go over, so I want to give the second control position and halyard lead a bit more thought...

 

[Becky]

Re: The Claymore Solution

That is more or less all we can do. Funny thing is that red is down, where I would expect it to be up, and black is up. I know that we can change the wires to the solenoid (although Richard assures me that they are as in the diagram), but we would rather it pulled up the anchor, so as it is, it is more use. But we will want a replacement when we get home.

Still, it is just one more unnecessary problem to frustrate our preparations.

 

[tcm]

The tcm solution

I would

1) ring up the supplier, nicely and if that didn't work...
2) ring up the supplier and go bonkers at them, and if that didn't work
3) get swmbo to ring up the supplier. This ALWAYS works

BUT...if the thing has been working er it can't be the wiring, can it? The wring can't have "gone wrong"

Praps the up doesn't work cos the chain goes the wrong way around or summink - worth a check in case the blimmin bloke turns up and does that jeez headshaking thing, tsk, jeez, tsk, jeez, tsk etc etc. Or cos it needs the engine on to have enuf juice or wotever...

One of them mite not work cos the foot controls are busted if it's electric, cos they're rubbish with a litttle poxy copper disk innem.

Oh, and of course, i wd set off, bound to be fine. Frenchy and foreign types are miles better at fixing boats. Or seem to be cos of course they can't chat on - they just do the job hehe.

 

[Robin]

[ QUOTE ]
another consideration is that I want my wife to be able to use the spinnaker halyard and warping drum to pull me aboard if I go over, so I want to give the second control position and halyard lead a bit more thought...

[/ QUOTE ]

I have this vision of you shooting skywards up the mast, dripping water...

I've never had the bottle to try using the windlass as a person raiser, mostly because my lovely lady once many years ago got a riding turn on the main halyard winch with me at the top of the mast! Fortunately there was someone within shouting range on another mooring or I would still be there.

Robin

 

[jerryat]

Hi Becky,

It sounds like the relay is jamming. I had exactly the same problem with the Lofrans unit supplied with my Airon. Rather than wait for a replacement (we were also about to shove off cruising!) I dismantled the relay and found that the main copper bar was snagging the plastic casing. A few minutes with a file and the thing has worked perfectly ever since - some seven years.

If you don't fancy messing with it, a replacement is easily fitted and shouldn't delay your departure.

Have a great trip anyway!

Cheers Jerry

 

[claymore]

Re: The Claymore Solution

I only have an up one - I fitted this because as I get older I think I will have more difficulty in getting it up.....
Parahandy seems to have trouble getting his down so he has a down button too.
I like to lay it all out on deck before slipping it in so I can get the right amount out. Once I'm nicely positioned on the foredeck, gravity seems to work a treat with getting it down....but not up.

 

[Robin]

Re: The Claymore Solution

With the greatest respect for the viagra solution, I would get worn out pulling the chain out on and ranging it on deck and surely the use of a windlass is to remove any physical effort and contact with muddy and rusty chain. So worn out that I might not be able to skip & dance fast enough to avoid being dragged overboard with my foot caught in a wildly snaking loop of chain were it to start running out! Actually a flippant response but describing a very possible scenario and one I have once narrowly avoided when laying heavy moorings from a purpose designed mooring barge in winter, a nightmare HSE exercise carried out by club 'volunteers'. There should be no need to flake/range chain if it has a simple marking system to show the amount let out and it can be dropped in the absence of the anti-viagra switch by a controlled release of the mechanical clutch.

Robin

 

[claymore]

Re: The Claymore Solution

Ah but - it makes a lovely noise as I flake it all out and wakes any potential snoozers down below. Added to that - 50m of 10mm chain represents a fair outlay of the readies and its a shame not to see a bit more of it from time to time.

 

[Robin]

Re: The Claymore Solution

/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

We get to see all of ours in one pile when we open the anchor locker and even hose it down lovingly on occasions.

 

[tome]

Becky

The problem is very unlikely windlass. The windings are big, and you'd know by now if you had burned one out by the smell of burned shellac. You haven't. And it works in at least one direction so don't rip it out.

Much more likely control box or wiring. Are these easy to get to?

 

[rwoofer]

You might want to ask Peter at Marine Maintenance in Haslar. He is currently installing my Lofrans windlass for power up/down.

Richard

 

[Becky]

Tom, the thing is that when we press the buttons on the deck, you can clearly hear the solenoid close with a heavy clunk, and there is current on the terminal on the motor. When the motor runs, you don't hear the clunk because it makes too much noise. We both wonder if there is something wrong with the wiring inside the motor. Richard has been down to Pumpkin this morning, but I haven't heard what the outcome was.
Still, it will have to stay there for 2 more months, so we may find out what is wrong by then.
Thank you all for the advice, and Claymore's digression on the effectiveness of viagra.
Regards, Becky

 

[tome]

Blimey Becky

I asked a simple question. Can u get to the control box? If so, my car is being fixed in the morning.

Cheers
Tom

 

[Becky]

Sorry, but yes we can easily get to the control box.

 

[ditchcrawler]

I fitted my electric windlass as per the instructions but when the toggle switch was pressed up the chain went down & vice versa.The top label did say down & the bottom lable said up.This seemed illogical anyway so I simply relabled the plate to fit in with the actual operation.It saved me alot of work & is also more logical i.e. flickswitch up for chain up & down for chain down.

 

[DaveS]

Sorry to disagree but your assertion is only true of a permanent magnet motor. A series wound motor will run in the same direction regardless of applied polarity. Some windless motors are permanent magnet types: they have two terminals and are reversed by polarity reversal, others are series wound with seperate stator windings for each direction: these have three terminals.