Winch base, is it replaceable?

[Red Panda]

The base of my reefing winch - the mounting plate - is cracked and bent (and was like that when I bought the boat).




Is it possible to replace just the broken mounting plate? I've had a look at the Lewmar website and can't find this as a spare. Although it looks like a separate piece, it might be constructed as part of the central stem, I couldn't find any obvious way to separate them.

Failing that, does anyone have a spare Lewmar 16 for sale, or even one with a broken drum but with a functional base/stem?

 

[michael_w]

Try your local precision metal shop. I'd have thought it is a simple enough job to weld/braise a bit on and then machine as required.

 

[PetiteFleur]

Is it possible to rotate the winch so that the least strain is on the damaged hole? Probably work best if the holes are all symmetrical.

 

[Skylark]

The Lewmar website illustrated parts list for their size 16 winch shows only the centre stem so it looks like the base plate is not available separately. What material is it? If it’s non-ferrous it would be very difficult to repair. Try to Wanted Ad here or set a search for Lewmar 16 winch on eBay and other similar sites?

 

[Spirit (of Glenans)]

Try your local precision metal shop. I'd have thought it is a simple enough job to weld/braise a bit on and then machine as required.

+1. You could perhaps get them to finish the repair slightly oversize so that you can spread the load using bigger washers.
I reckon that the damage was caused originally by someone using it with a bolt missing, giving rise to unfair loading.

 

[Red Panda]

Thanks all! I'll try the local metalworkers and see what they suggest.