Rewiring anchor winch to boats new electrical system.

[steve yates]

I ripped out my boats electrical system 2 years ago and am now starting from scratch, I was going to replace the windlass cables but access to the windlass is a nightmare so I may reserve that for a some other time job and use those existing heavy duty cables.
I was pleased to find I had kept the breaker switch, having seen the prices of them, but a bit of reading mentions an additional component may be needed? A solenoid of some kind?
Is this something I need to add to the circuit or is it part of the windlass so will be already present?
I presume the pos runs from the windlass to the breaker, and then to the battery via the isolator switch?
And I was thinking the negative would run from the windlass to the ground point on the engine, with a cable from the battery negative to the engine ( i’m using the engine start battery for the windlass) or should I run it directly to the battery negative?
And where in this does the solenoid slot into all this?
Thanks.

 

[LittleSister]

Yes, you need a solenoid/solenoids (sometimes called 'control unit' but is not the controls you actually operate). It is basically a coup,e of switches, operated by light wires from your controls at the helm or wherever, that turns on and off the voltage/current in the supply wires reaching the windlass, and can swop the polarity that reaches from them to the windlass to reverse it. (Solenoids needed because the supply current (in operation) is too great to be directly switched by the lightweight control switches themselves, and this arrangement also minimises supply cable length and hence voltage drop, and the light control wires make the installation of the controls easier.)

Hopefully there'll be someone more knowledgeable along shortly, but I'd say take the windlass negative straight from the battery - it's carrying quite a high current mainly (perhaps sometimes only) from the battery, so no point in taking it on a tour to the engine, and engine is probably further away from the windlass, so more voltage loss in the length of cable.

The solenoids (which are likely in a single unit) control the contact between your supply (the long heavy cables from the battery) and the windlass itself, and change the orientation of the voltage to the windlass and hence whether it's raising or lowering. The solenoids will be positioned close to the windlass and should have quite heavy cables between solenoids and windlass, but they won't (usually) be that long, so quite how heavy they are is less critical for voltage drop than the supply cables running (I assume) the length of the boat. (Bit different if you have a battery mounted forward for the windlass and any bow thruster.) You'll also have light gauge wires running from the windlass controls to the solenoids to operate them.

You can probably find guidance online in the windlass manufacturers installation instructions. If not available installation instructions for a similar sized windlass of a different model or manufacturer will be much the same.

 

[PaulRainbow]

I ripped out my boats electrical system 2 years ago and am now starting from scratch, I was going to replace the windlass cables but access to the windlass is a nightmare so I may reserve that for a some other time job and use those existing heavy duty cables.
I was pleased to find I had kept the breaker switch, having seen the prices of them, but a bit of reading mentions an additional component may be needed? A solenoid of some kind?
Is this something I need to add to the circuit or is it part of the windlass so will be already present?
I presume the pos runs from the windlass to the breaker, and then to the battery via the isolator switch?
And I was thinking the negative would run from the windlass to the ground point on the engine, with a cable from the battery negative to the engine ( i’m using the engine start battery for the windlass) or should I run it directly to the battery negative?
And where in this does the solenoid slot into all this?
Thanks.

If the windlass was there before you ripped everything out the contractor (solenoids) could still be there, it will most likely be close to the windlass, follow the cables from the windlass, where do they go ?

 

[steve yates]

Ok, so the windlass is wired to the control box, as are the foot switches, it makes sense that it will be up there by the windlass and I never touched anything around the windlass, so my heavy duty cables are probably running directly from the control box.
I’ll have a look tomorrow, of course both heavy cables are black so I need to fig out which one is pos and neg while I’m in there.
Thank you gentlemen.

 

[William_H]

if both cables are black and you can not identify a pos or neg terminal they are connected to. Just connect up what seems right length wise to battery. If it is wrong the winch will operate in reverse to what you expect. In which case reverse the wires. ol'will

 

[pandos]

There's probably also an isolator /key switch somewhere so perhaps you can deduce the positive/negative from that.

Also as you are at it treat yourself to a wireless remote control..you will never go back to using foot switches ( but you can leave them connected)

 

[garymalmgren]

From Little Sister's diagram I have eliminated the deck switches (5) and the deck (hand controller) outlet. (4)
These are prone to failure.

These would be replaced with a radio controller fob and a receiver for a remotely operated garage door. These are a few quid on Temu.
The blue wires are low amperage "control circuit"

 

[PaulRainbow]

For a cheap remote these are OK: Winch Remote

 

[steve yates]

From Little Sister's diagram I have eliminated the deck switches (5) and the deck (hand controller) outlet. (4)
These are prone to failure.
View attachment 208699
These would be replaced with a radio controller fob and a receiver for a remotely operated garage door. These are a few quid on Temu.
The blue wires are low amperage "control circuit"
View attachment 208702

View attachment 208701

Thanks. Wouldn’t the neg cable go straight to the battery, not to the breaker?

 

[steve yates]

I like the idea of a remote, as I will mainly singlehand. Great idea folks, I never even knew these were a thing. Especially if I I can leave the foot switches wired as backup for when I can’t find the damn remote
I’ve ordered the one you linked to Paul, cheers.

 

[garymalmgren]

Hi Steve.
Little Sister"s diagram has a single pole circuit breaker. Quite acceptable.

I have drawn a two pole circuit breaker. Which I prefer for no real reason.


Either one will do the job.
The two pole unit will also be your on/off switch.


Gary

 

[steve yates]

Thats a good point, I’m pretty sure I had no on/off switch previously, if the battery isolator was on the winch had power. Is this normal? I guess the foot switches have covers you have to lift to use them, so you can’t send the anchor rattling down inadvertently, which would be my only real concern.

 

[steve yates]

If the windlass was there before you ripped everything out the contractor (solenoids) could still be there, it will most likely be close to the windlass, follow the cables from the windlass, where do they go ?

Yup, tucked up out of site in the chain locker.