Simpson Lawrence Sprint 1500

[Wavey]

Anyone know if there is a windlass available that's a straight swop for the Simpson Lawrence Sprint 1500 vertical windlass? I knew when I bought my boat last year that the winch didn't work. Having taken the motor off it's in such a bad way it needs either a complete re-build or replacing. Is there another make on the market that has the same footprint so I don't have to chop bits out of the foredeck to make it fit?

Thanks
Jim

 

[Tranona]

All the windlass manufacturers publish dimensioned drawings of their products. Obvious replacements are Lewmar, Lofrans, Quick or Vetus/Maxwell. Trawl of their websites will get you the answer.

 

[Wavey]

Unfortunately that isn't as easy and straightforward as I'd first thought, hence the post on here.

 

[Wavey]

Refurbishment service available from these guys.

SL Spares Ltd
3-11 Fulbar Road
Paisley
Renfrewshire PA2 9AW

Tel: 01418874122

Might be of use to others with similar problems with Simpson Lawrence items.

 

[jdc]

Refurbishment service available from these guys.

SL Spares Ltd
3-11 Fulbar Road
Paisley
Renfrewshire PA2 9AW

Tel: 01418874122

Might be of use to others with similar problems with Simpson Lawrence items.

I've bought a new motor (actually 2) from SL Spares and can recommend them. Not sure if they do the reconditioning but they certainly ship spares.

The Sprint 1500 is the model I have, and it certainly destroys motors, entirely due to sea-water ingress.

The hawse pipe has only a pathetically short black PVC pipe which allows all the sea-water to run over the motor, and the sealing of the motor is pathetic as well, being a rubber boot with a cable tie around it as the only seal. Worse, the red and black electric cables run inside the boot as well, so water will definately get down past them and into the motor.

Fingers crossed, but I think I've fixed it now (on my 3rd motor). This what I have done:

1. I made a new plastic chain guide / hawse pipe out of black Osma 75mm down-pipe. I moulded this to fit with a heat gun and lots of patience. It projects 17cm or so into the chain locker so that water running down it will not run over the motor.

2. Seal with mastic between the plastic chain guide / hawse pipe and the windlass body, so water will run either down the new hawse pipe or not at all, so it can't get to the motor.

3. After replacing the motor - not too hard provided you've circlip pliers; you have to take all the gears out to do it - run the electric cables out of the bottom of the boot, ie not inside the boot along the body of the motor, and form a 'U' with them so drips will not run back up towards the motor.

4. Coat the motor body liberally with grease, especially over the plastic brush covers, and then slide on the boot and hold in place with a cable tie.

5. Take self-amalgamating tape and wrap it around the top edge of the boot and the motor all the way up past the motor - winch body join.

This way water is now much less likely to get into the motor, and although I'm now tempting fate by saying it, it has held up for a few years wheras in the past a motor would only last a season.

 

[Wavey]

Excellent info. Many thanks for that. Seems I've got a bit to do when it gets back

I contacted them on the offchance they might do some sort of exchange for knackered units and they replied saying they offer a refurb service. What sold it to me was that they included photos of one they'd recently done which looked even worse than mine. They even included details of the cheapest courier to send it with.

 

[Oldhairy]

Refurbishment service available from these guys.

SL Spares Ltd
3-11 Fulbar Road
Paisley
Renfrewshire PA2 9AW

Tel: 01418874122

Might be of use to others with similar problems with Simpson Lawrence items.

I wish I had known

 

[Seven Spades]

They just re-furbished my SL Horizon 1500 £1300+

I would rather have bought a new windlass for that but nothing else will fit. It does look like new now.

 

[Wavey]

Jeez, that's a bit more than I was expecting to pay. I was hoping it would come out under a grand. We'll see, and I'll post here the eventual cost so others know. I guess it's still cheaper than a replacement plus the cost of making it fit.

I wonder if yours was the unit they sent me pictures of.

 

[jdc]

Do it yourself?

Jeez, that's a bit more than I was expecting to pay. I was hoping it would come out under a grand. We'll see, and I'll post here the eventual cost so others know. I guess it's still cheaper than a replacement plus the cost of making it fit.

I wonder if yours was the unit they sent me pictures of.

It really isn't hard to replace the electric motor yourself, and will only cost you the price of the motor, probably only 1/5th the cost. Exploded diagram here:

PS: Item 81 is the chain hawse pipe I mentioned before. It is key to making this model reliable and has to be extended so water doesn't run over the motor.

 

[Wavey]

It really isn't hard to replace the electric motor yourself, and will only cost you the price of the motor, probably only 1/5th the cost.

It needs far more than just a motor swop unfortunately. I doubt it has actually worked in years.

 

[Seven Spades]

Jeez, that's a bit more than I was expecting to pay. I was hoping it would come out under a grand. We'll see, and I'll post here the eventual cost so others know. I guess it's still cheaper than a replacement plus the cost of making it fit.

I wonder if yours was the unit they sent me pictures of.

Well he had a lot of trouble with it and had to apply a lot of heat to get it apart etc. When I first spoke to him he estimated it at £700 saying that this was the average cost.