"Winch-bit" drill-powered winching

[wiggy]

I got one of these, Makita DHP481RTJ 18V 5.0Ah Li-Ion Brushless Cordless Combi Drill
Comes with 2 batteries plus charger where as with the right angle one above you need to buy 2x batteries and charger and only offers about 10Nm more torque and is £50 cheater. It’s a fantastic bit of kit, the 5ah batteries last forever and the main is up in a moment.

 

[stuartwineberg]

I tried the Cranker with several drills. Nowhere enough torque to be any good. I bought one of the first Winchrites in the country in 2011 having seen it on a demo film from the Miami boat show. It is one of the best bits of kit I have bought. I used it today to hoist my main. Just a satisfied customer with a bad back and a dodgy shoulder.

+1for winchrite. As an old rather small bloke with a fully battened main (the boat not me) it keeps me on the water

 

[Laminar Flow]

Well if you could find a drill that supplied the required drive without the ‘impact’ you would be on to something. Certainly more useful than a device designed for winching alone.

I use cordless tools and in a professional capacity all the time. Still, I wasn't prepared for the torque on my brother's Bosch which could easily snap one's wrists.

 

[Laminar Flow]

Is there no point in an electric screwdriver or drill, either?

Effort = force x distance

No distance, no effort (in a manner of speaking!)

Mike.

Do let us know what happens when that 15mm drill bit gets stuck in the work piece ...

 

[Laminar Flow]

Just realized I've been responding to dispatches on the battle of Trafalgar.

 

[Moodysailor]

I just bought a Makita 36V cordless right angle drill with the following spec.

Max Torque	136 Nm
Model No	DDA460ZK

It has a brushless motor and would appear to have sufficient torque to undertake most winching tasks. It takes commonly available 18V Li-ion batteries and I hope to test it on our Bavaria 44 in May. I am somewhat surprised at the cost of the winch adaptor bits generally on sale around £45-55. This seems OTT for a simple component. Anyone with manufacturing facilities?

You have a £400 drill, but don't want to spend the extra £50???

 

[Blue Fox]

I have a Makita 482 18 volt, including the winch adaptor. I find it disappointing. Certainly, it is a strong beast. But too fast to use as a winch. You need a much lower rotation of speed (like the winchrite has) to raise a mainsail or winch the genua. The trouble is, when you use it in those lower regions of RPM, the electric motor will start to burn. Smoke will develop - if you continue it will be the end of the machine. Apparently it cannot sufficiently be cooled with a lower speed.
But a great drill as a drill!

 

[Greenheart]

Just realized I've been responding to dispatches on the battle of Trafalgar.

I didn't even receive notification that my old thread had been exhumed. Found it by chance, tonight.

The Bosch I'd bought in the summer I started the thread, is still going strong, but I lately bought another, brushless this time, when it was being sold at a low price with two 4Ah batteries.

Still haven't bought a winch-bit. I might have bought a newer boat for less than some of the Milwaukee kit costs. ?

 

[wiggy]

I have a Makita 482 18 volt, including the winch adaptor. I find it disappointing. Certainly, it is a strong beast. But too fast to use as a winch. You need a much lower rotation of speed (like the winchrite has) to raise a mainsail or winch the genua. The trouble is, when you use it in those lower regions of RPM, the electric motor will start to burn. Smoke will develop - if you continue it will be the end of the machine. Apparently it cannot sufficiently be cooled with a lower speed.
But a great drill as a drill!

The 482 is not brushless and is about 40Nm short of the torque required, that explains why the drill doesn’t like being used with a winch at low speeds.

 

[thalassa]

I've tried an 18V Makita, on low speed it works an unloaded main halyard.
It's virtually useless for anything with a load on it.
The Winchrite will just lift my main (32m2 x 5 battens), with no extra tackle) using a Harken 40 on low speed, with a few gasps for breath.
I use it for the Anchorman manual windlass where it's a star, but not on the genoa sheets (it's easy enough to bring these in by hand and harden up using a 10' handle).
Effectively the Winchrite has a performance comparable to an 81-year-old on an 8" handle, it's also easy to recharge. So I'd suggest the OP save his money on the winch-bit, as an 18v Makita needs 230ac to recharge, the Winchrite 30' on a 12v supply (it takes about 4.5 amps).
The Winchrite is considerably cheaper than an electric winch, but nothing like as powerful.

I've used a Winchbit with a Dewalt angle drill. It works, but it just isn't practical. Under load (28 m2 Pentex mainsail ), the handle is too high to position the drill correctly while the drill is trying to force itself out of my grip. Now I use the Winchrite, much more handy. I too have the SL Anchorman manual windlass, and lifting the anchor is fast and easy.

 

[doug748]

................. I too have the SL Anchorman manual windlass, and lifting the anchor is fast and easy.

Good to know.

Some years ago I invented a battery powered anchor winch for small craft (easy installation, no wiring problems, no heavy batteries) but the forum were not impressed. I look forward to my ideas being brought to fruition by a major manufacturer very soon.

.

 

[Lightwave395]

I bought a Winchrite some months ago, used it for the first time yesterday to effortlessly wizz me up the mast a couple of times. Absolute magic, worth every penny I reckon