Self Tailing addition

[bob_tyler]

I have a very old bronze genoa winches, bottom action. They work perfectly but I would like to make them self-tailing.

I have seen some "additions" somewhere which will do this.

Has anyone any experience of using these additions?

Do they tend to "slip"?

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[tugboat]

I remember articles some time ago about blue rubber 'thingies' which could be fitted on top of winches to give a self-tailing facility. Think they were called Winchers is memory serves. They came in different sizes. I have no experience of them. Suggest you enquire at your chandler to see if they are still available.

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[Sea Devil]

I once purchased a pair of rubber add ons to make self-tailing... winchers I think they were called - after 2 weeks I sold them on at a bit of a loss.... I found that if you take the max possible turns on the winch with the sheet it will self tail more or less anyway - Spend a lot of time single handing but I am not convinced add ons are the answer... but I can live without the cost of buying proper self tailers


<hr width=100% size=1>If you have time visit my web site
www.michaelbriant.com/sailing

 

[dulcibella]

I found the Winchers excellent on my last boat. They aren't true self-tailing, but they allow you to secure the genoa sheet instantly without having to cleat off - particularly useful when single- or short-handed. Well worth their small cost (£20-30 per pair, I think).

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[bedouin]

I had these for a while (they are called "winchers"). I thought they worked pretty well - it enabled self-tailing of a fashion (but not as good as genuine ST winches) and allowed you to cleat off the rope as well. Cleating off is not an integral part of the self-tailing as it is on an ST winch but something you have to do once you have finished winching in. Once cleated off they is no risk of slipping but I'm not so sure about while grinding in.

All in all I rate them a lot better than nothing, but nowhere near as good as the genuine article.

You would also need to check that they would fit on bottom action winches
<hr width=100% size=1><P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by bedouin on 22/09/2004 13:28 (server time).</FONT></P>

 

[geoffatstanpit]

I tried Winchers (about £20 for a couple of simple rubber mouldings)

If you put enough turns on the winch to make them work, then the rope climbed up the drum and pushed them off into the sea.

No thanks!

Geoff

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[gordonmillington]

Had a couple of Winchers on our 34 ft yacht for 10 years now. At the cost they are very helpfull but not as good as the real thing, they do work for us. But the other replies have missed one of the advantages. If you fall against the rubber it is much less leathal than the hard metal top of a winch. My head is evidence to that.
According to the information still in my file they come in 4 different sizes and are made by WATSKI USA, INC.

<hr width=100% size=1>Fable

 

[Cantata]

Yep, as others have said, 'Winchers', about £30 a pair. They do work well, the one thing they don't do that a proper ST winch does, is feed the rope tail off. So every turn or so of the drum you have to pull the rope tail away. As an alternative to buying ST winches, they cost very little and are certainly a lot better than nothing.
Can be a so and so to get on in the first place - I seem to remember that soaking them in hot soapy water is the recommendation, although we struggled for a long time and got them on in the end by adding neat washing up liquid round the top of the drum.


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[IanPoole2]

I ended up using Teflon grease to get one of mine on - a right b*stard it was.
They do work - after a fashion.

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[Aja]

You had the wrong size fitted then!

Donald

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[Stork_III]

If you've got Lewmar winches, take the top flange off, three screws?, fit the flange to the Winchers from underneath without any lubricant, so won't slip afterwards, then replace flange on top. Easy as Pie.

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[isandell]

I tired some on Lewmar 6s. There were the right size and were no use whatsoever.

They were given to me and I gave them back. As far as I know the owner still has them. If anyone wants to buy, I think he will be happy to sell for somewhat less than the 30 odd quid they cost (for a rubber ring?)

Ian

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[moodycruiser]

They are available from force4 online - but if you want to get some pm me with your winch type and model as they give very little information on the site - it is only when you get the packet with them that it states what sizes fit what on the cardboard label (there are 4 sizes) winches - on the site they only say so-many-millimetres to so-many-millimetres drum size, but that can be difficult to eyeball unless you got calipers.
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<hr width=100% size=1>Tony

 

[webcraft]

How anyone can sail without self tailing winches is beyond me . . .

I'd never used them until we bought our Vega last year. Their presence didn't even register as significant when I handed over the readies. Now I take them for granted, and if I got another boat this would be the first thing I fitted, before instruments or anything - absolutely essential IMHO as it allows one person to sail the boat while the other kips / cooks / sunbathes /stays at home.

- Nick

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