which windlass

[alan54]

I am hoping to buy a windlass for my 31` steel boat. To help working space on the foedeck I thought of buying a low profile horizontal windlass, with the motor under the deck. As anybody any views or experiences with these compared to the vertical windlass with the large motor on the deck. Are they equally as effecient and is it just a question of aesthetics ?
regards
alan

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[jleaworthy]

I think you mean the names the other way around. The vertical windlass has the shaft axis vertical, with the motor under the deck. I fitted one of these (a Lofrans Aeron 1000W) and find it to be very good. Fitting is probably a little more difficult than with a horizontal windlass as top and bottom of the deck have to be made parallel, probably by fitting a pad which is what I did - it also strengthened the deck. The advantages I see are that the motor is well protected from sea water, the above deck part of the windlass is less likely to obstruct and, quite important, the anchor chain wraps around 180 degrees of the gypsy in comparison to the 90 degree wrapround with a horizontal windlass so that the chain is less likely to slip.

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[jerryat]

I agree re the Lofrans Airon 1000w. I fitted mine for a couple of Atlantic circuits about 5 years ago and it has proven excellent and totally troublefree. An additional thought. I fitted mine so that the motor/gearbox (below deck) and the hawse pipe hole 'straddled' the anchor locker bulkhead, so that the motor and it's attendant wiring was actually within the forecabin with the chain feeding forward of this into the chain locker. That way nothing at all comes into contact with the wet chain. It takes a tiny bit of jiggling, but it can be done.
I then made an opened bottomed (for ventilation) boxing covered in matching lining material to conceal it and now we scarcely notice it. The Airon has immense power (I use a CQR 35lb anchor) and has never failed to break the anchor out, it will also actually self stow the anchor despite my having a perfectly standard bow roller.

One to watch. Ensure that you size the power cables properly (it isn't cheap or small!!) as using too small a size leads to over heating of the motor and it's much earlier demise. In the Med. this was the major cause of windlass problems I came across, and these were on 'professionally' installed units!!

Quite right about the backing pad. It's well worth taking special care with this to ensure that the two surfaces (windlass and gearbox, above and below deck) are exactly parallel so that any tendency to distort the alignment is eliminated. I bedded mine (8mm aluminium sheet) on expoxy filler under the deck, gently tightened the joining bolts until the epoxy just squeezed out all round, then went home! Next day I tightened them up fully knowing that nothing would move and cleaned up the surplus.

Hope it all works out ok for you.



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