Sheet Winches

[ptarmigan]

Finishing off the construction and fitting out in wood of 34' sail cruiser and now have to tackle all the problem areas shelved from before...
One problem is the building of a solid wooden base to take sheet winches(size 40) onto the cockpit coaming. The manufacturers say I must only bolt the winch base through the deck. I want to keep the side decks uncluttered and build a tapered block to zero at deck level.
What acceptable size and type of fastners would be suitable?
Many thanks
Iain

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[Peterduck]

The holes in the base of the winch will give a guide as to the diameter and number of stainless steel bolts [never screws] to use. The forces on a sheet winch in a strong breeze are quite substantial, so that the mounting of the winch has to reflect that, or you will lose the winch overboard just when you can least afford to. You may be able to substitute a fabricated stainless steel bracket in place of a wooden base. If your cockpit coaming is timber I wouldn't even contemplate using it as a mounting point for sheet winches. If it is fibreglass, I would want to know the thickness of layup compared with the layup of the deck, and if a stout backing piece [eg sheet stainless or 1/2" plywood] can be placed behind the winch to spread the load over a much larger area than the winch base.
Peter.

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[DMGibson]

There are plenty of boats with sheet winches mounted onto a timber cockpit coaming - it all depends on the strength of the coaming which can be made far stronger than fibreglass if required. Some use a wooden pad, often made up from several pieces glued together, and others have a stainless steel fabrication.

The material for the fastenings should match the winch - ie for a bronze use bronze fastenings, if the winch is stainless steel use stainless.

As the load is in shear, wood screws are acceptable if they are long enough and properly driven into the correct size pilot hole - always assuming you can get them big enough to match the size of hole in the base. if you go for a tapered block, you will almost certainly have to screw them down as would be difficult to get a flat surface for a nut if you tried to through-bolt them.



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[ashanta]

I have lewmar 40's fitted to a wooden coach roof.
There are four bolts per winch which go through the 3/4 inch roof plus another 1/2 pad that has been been tastefully fitted on the under side of the coach roof. The pad is quite large in surface area and fits into the whole area between the companionway and the side of the coachroof. I assume to spread any tenion?
The nuts that are use are the closed types with smart round appearance on top of suitably sized washers.

Regards.

Peter.

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[ptarmigan]

Thanks for that folks: I can't use the coach roof but I may be able to site them further aft directly onto the deck with bolts or construct a s/s bracket on the coaming/deck.

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[ongolo]

the smart nuts are called dome nuts


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[chris_db4]

on our jolina we have thin coamings and the winches are monted on s/s brackets which are fitted to the deck and the coaming with the outside face being the same diameter as the winch and curved round, looks like its just a really tall winch

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[ashanta]

I also have second set of winches set on the cockpit coaming by use of stainless steel frame.
I am going down to the boat weekend after next. I will take a photo of the fitting. If you PM me with your email address I will send you the photo of the s/s frame and the winch.

Regards.

Peter.

peter.

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