Winch handle sizes - who knew?

[doug748]

I have just done a 40 mile unwind passage in lively conditions with no genoa winch handle. The handles looked fine but were the wrong bloody size. Nightmare.

Turns out that Harken used a smaller star pattern in the 1960's. What a swizz.

Next question has anyone got an ancient one to sell ? Looks about 16mm across flats.

.

 

[Neeves]

The square male fitting that fits on the end of the winch handle and into the winch can easily be made from a scrap offcut of aluminium plate (brass might also serve). Your more difficult task is finding an offcut thick enough. I made one to allow me to secure a (real) camera to a winch, I drilled a hole of the appropriate size to allow me to tap the standard camera fitting thread and insert a stud.

Jonathan

 

[fredrussell]

Like Neeves I made my own handle to fit my Lewmar windlass that has a 1/2” star drive.

 

[lustyd]

I don’t think it’s unreasonable that they were different before standardisation. 1960 was 66 years ago!

Pretty sure I’ve seen smaller ones for sale still. Try Marine Bazaar or chandlery barge in particular but Marine Superstore used to have a big selection and some with non standard bits.

 

[doug748]

I regret to say that Marine Bazaar closed last month, like my tyre fitter the landlord pushed up the rent to such an extent that it was not worth it.

 

[lustyd]

I regret to say that Marine Bazaar closed last month, like my tyre fitter the landlord pushed up the rent to such an extent that it was not worth it.

I knew I was keeping them afloat! We left Plymouth a month ago

 

[MontyMariner]

Some water/fuel caps use a star key, are they 1/2 inch?

 

[MontyMariner]

Looks about 16mm across flats

That's probably 5/8 in real money

 

[14K478]

A related issue:


Seven Harkens, one Lewmar square drive, three Barients, two Arcos (who were Arco?).

The Lewmar will work in a Harken socket but only half the area of contact is present.

It’s a cuckoo in the nest.

 

[doug748]

A related issue:
View attachment 209628

Seven Harkens, one Lewmar square drive, three Barients, two Arcos (who were Arco?).

The Lewmar will work in a Harken socket but only half the area of contact is present.

It’s a cuckoo in the nest.

I actually filed down the square on al old Lewmar item which should do the job. Annoying because the cockpit winches are the old size and the mast winches the new regular type.

.

 

[BobnLesley]

...Turns out that Harken used a smaller star pattern in the 1960's...

Next question has anyone got an ancient one to sell...

.

Not any more, but a Netherlands yacht was overjoyed to come across us a few years ago in the Cape Verdes: Only after they'd lost their usual winch handle overboard did they discover that their spare one didn't fit... We had half-a-dozen that matched, so we gave them two.

I've just now realised that all the other spare handles were still aboard when we left the boat in NZ; we broke and lost/dropped a lot of stuff over the years, but never a winch handle.