skyflyer
Well-Known Member
Manufacturer (lewmar) say service your winches at least once a year maybe more.
Do you?
Do you?
regular winch servicing - advisable?
- Thread starter skyflyer
- Start date
micha571
Well-Known Member
We do it every winter. Taking them apart, clean them, grease them and put a dab of oil to the pawls/springs.
www.teamswashbuckler.com
www.teamswashbuckler.com
bobgoode
Well-Known Member
Yup.
peter2407
Well-Known Member
race?
If you race or extensively use your winches, then yes. If not, then no. When anew boat owner, I did the religious servicing routine, only to find the 'winch spin' (ie spin the winch with your hand) actually 'seemed' slower - might be bad servicing, might also be that the service introduced 'claggier' oil ...
If you race or extensively use your winches, then yes. If not, then no. When anew boat owner, I did the religious servicing routine, only to find the 'winch spin' (ie spin the winch with your hand) actually 'seemed' slower - might be bad servicing, might also be that the service introduced 'claggier' oil ...
pagoda
Well-Known Member
Well worth the effort once a year.
I serviced the main winches (jib) and found them fine after a year (they were "new" replacements of non-tailing winches.
In early February I was out and had some problems with the coach roof winches (cold maybe 3 deg?)
Taking them apart recently I found claggy grease on the gears AND pawls.
Cleaned up - proper grease on gears and OIL only on pawls. Sorted. And the winches are almost 20yo ! Otherwise fine.
Do it....
Graeme
johnalison
Well-Known Member
Your winches are the powerhouse of your boat and essential safety items. If they don't work properly, and especially if the pawls fail they can be dangerous. It only takes a few minutes to strip and reassemble modern winches, so I can never understand why some people don't seem bothered.
The amount of grease needed is very small, and a tiny drop of oil on the pawls is enough. Every now and again it is worth stripping the winch completely and cleaning every part with something like paraffin before starting again with minimal grease. It should then work like new. It doesn't matter if it doesn't spin freely when unloaded since it is the performance under load that matters.
Skysail
Well-Known Member
yes every year... I find it quite therapeutic.
Aurai
Well-Known Member
Winch Service
Hi
Not me but the crew do! Not hard to do and a lot easier than many jobs.
Aurai
Hi
Not me but the crew do! Not hard to do and a lot easier than many jobs.
Aurai
nigel1
Well-Known Member
About oncer per year, usually sitting at anchor somewhere waiting on weather.
Does not take very long, (unless you drop something)
Does not take very long, (unless you drop something)
William_H
Well-Known Member
Winch service
I have only single speed small winches. Yes I certainly clean and lubricate them every winter. If they get dry and cruddy inside then wear must increase. I wore out the original sheet winches after about 18 years of racing. The main bearing surface seem to have worn such they they cocked under load which caused pauls to fail. The replacements seem to be OK for last 14 years . I have been known to take a winch apart between tacks to give it a squirt of WD 40 type lube to get it going again.
I have been appalled at friends at the yacht club who don't know how to service their winches but have had the boat for many years. it is just so easy after the first time. olewill
I have only single speed small winches. Yes I certainly clean and lubricate them every winter. If they get dry and cruddy inside then wear must increase. I wore out the original sheet winches after about 18 years of racing. The main bearing surface seem to have worn such they they cocked under load which caused pauls to fail. The replacements seem to be OK for last 14 years . I have been known to take a winch apart between tacks to give it a squirt of WD 40 type lube to get it going again.
I have been appalled at friends at the yacht club who don't know how to service their winches but have had the boat for many years. it is just so easy after the first time. olewill
alahol2
Well-Known Member
Ditto.
lw395
Well-Known Member
If you cover the winches when you are not sailing, a lot less water and muck gets in. Must admit it's a job that can be pushed out of the winter maintenance slot, I don't see a problem on a lightly used boat if the service interval is extended. Using the covers, I've taken some apart and found them perfectly clean after more than two years.
A heavily used race boat which often takes green ones over the winches would be a little different!
A heavily used race boat which often takes green ones over the winches would be a little different!
fireball
Well-Known Member
I'll do one whilst sat at anchor or in a marina somewhere - it's something to do whilst on the boat not going anywhere ...
minkysailing
Well-Known Member
It is very interesting when speaking to boat owners about winches and maintenance. Many do not think to service these very important items of hardware, and many do not know how to. I agree that winches should be serviced annually and if you cannot or do not want to do this job yourself then there are many good people available to do it for you...no excuse!
When surveying yachts I would say on average 1 in 4 yachts need their winches to be serviced...
When surveying yachts I would say on average 1 in 4 yachts need their winches to be serviced...
AIDY
Well-Known Member
every year.... part of the routine maintenance.
alant
Well-Known Member
Useful if your not sure, to take a photo, before stripping everything.
Talulah
Well-Known Member
I have mixed views on this.
A lot of racers tend to strip down and inspect after every race.
However, there are those people who 'break' whatever they touch. So for them best to leave them be and perhaps only do it when there are indications of a problem.
There is also the crowd who of course 'will drop over board' at least one essential part during the process and so for them probably left alone unless done at a non-critical time with spares at hand.
I am reminded of a guy I sailed with who serviced his winches just before a Channel Crossing from Falmouth to Cameret. Having waited for a few days for the weather to abait we set off.
Once out at sea the port hand winch would be ground in and just as you were getting to the last couple of clicks on the winch with the sheet bar tight the pawl would give way and the winch would 'zing' as the sheet was released at full speed with the unwinding winch.
In the end we took the sheet across the cockpit and only used the starboard winch.
Once in Cameret the 3 of us dismantled the winch to inspect what was going on. The skipper had put the pawls in back to front. Something I wouldn't have thought possible but he achieved it. Cosequently they were only just gripping the drum. At full load they gave way. No one was hurt but it could have ended very differently if due care wasn't used when operating winches.
There was nothing wrong with the winches and servicing has introduced the issue where non existed beforehand.
A lot of racers tend to strip down and inspect after every race.
However, there are those people who 'break' whatever they touch. So for them best to leave them be and perhaps only do it when there are indications of a problem.
There is also the crowd who of course 'will drop over board' at least one essential part during the process and so for them probably left alone unless done at a non-critical time with spares at hand.
I am reminded of a guy I sailed with who serviced his winches just before a Channel Crossing from Falmouth to Cameret. Having waited for a few days for the weather to abait we set off.
Once out at sea the port hand winch would be ground in and just as you were getting to the last couple of clicks on the winch with the sheet bar tight the pawl would give way and the winch would 'zing' as the sheet was released at full speed with the unwinding winch.
In the end we took the sheet across the cockpit and only used the starboard winch.
Once in Cameret the 3 of us dismantled the winch to inspect what was going on. The skipper had put the pawls in back to front. Something I wouldn't have thought possible but he achieved it. Cosequently they were only just gripping the drum. At full load they gave way. No one was hurt but it could have ended very differently if due care wasn't used when operating winches.
There was nothing wrong with the winches and servicing has introduced the issue where non existed beforehand.
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prv
Well-Known Member
I have an excellent excuse - the four winches on my boat are only ever used as pegs to hang coils from
A previous owner converted from a single large jib to small jib and staysail, and re-rigged all the halyards with traditional purchases. All the loads are now light enough not to require a winch.
I had the tops off the winches to scrape the varnish around them though, so I greased and oiled them while I was there.
Pete
little_roundtop
Well-Known Member
Me too! There's something very satisfying about putting a clean and properly (ie. sparingly) lubricated winch back together.
PabloPicasso
Well-Known Member
my primary winches have to be unbolted from under the deck to service them. So: drop headlining, unbolt from underneath with a pal holding a screwdriver in the bolt head, service winch, and replace all with some sicaflex like gunk applied to the bolt holes.
Poor design really to have to remove the winches to service them. Hence don't get done as often as they should
Single speed saloon roof ones are easy just needing a circlip removed to get at them
Poor design really to have to remove the winches to service them. Hence don't get done as often as they should
Single speed saloon roof ones are easy just needing a circlip removed to get at them
