Winch servicing advice please

M

mickyp168

Well-Known Member
Joined
7 Jan 2015
Messages
108
Location
Cannes France
Visit site
Hi
I have a 1981 Daimio 700 built by CNSO in southern France. I doubt the winches have been serviced for years. Consulting my Haynes manual for boat maintenance it says I need to check the manufacturer and then source the servicing instructions. Close examination of my winches shows no sign of a name of the manufacturer. And CNSO are no more. I can see there is some sort of circlip in the centre which holds all the cubbins in place I assume? But I am loathe to prise it out for fear of a catastrophe which will result in a lot of bad language on my part. Does any member know where I can source some sort of idiots guide to servicing a winch please?

Thanks
Mick
 
remove the circlip it will be ok :encouragement:
do one at a time ( you then have a reference with the other one) lift the drum off & pix before you dismantle further, wash all parts in paraffin, dry & apply grease lightly, dont over do it, oil the pawls & reassemble
 
Take loads of pictures as you take the thing to bits. It's also fairly simple to figure things outs when reassembling, as most bits will only go back into one place and one way round! Make sure you don't get grease on the pawls as that will make them jam over time, use a drop of thin oil (3 in 1) one them. Watch out for the springs, they're quite small and will fly a long way if they release under tension.
 
As Sailorman says JFDI.

Take it apart carefully, lay the parts out neatly as you remove them. Clean really thoroughly (diesel is an alternative to parafin if you don't have any). Grease VERY lightly with waterproof grease. Just smear a thin film over all the surfaces. Re-assemble.

You might well find it caked with dry grease because previous owners never understand the concept of grease lightly :). One tip is just to soak the old grease it 3-in-1 oil and re-assemble anything you've removed up to that point. Then use the winch for a short sail and take it apart again. Makes it easier to get the grease off once it has been softened.

You may need Allen keys depending upon the winch type. And penetrating oil if it has been that long since it has been disassembled.

As Sailorman says, lightly oil the pawls. Take care not to lose clips or springs when taking them apart.

Test its function as you re-assemble it. Make sure you can't lift the drum off when it has been re-assembled (I can't remember the make where that check was necessary, but there are some out there).
 
I posted a description of servicing my Gibb winches a while ago but can't find it now to link to but here is a link to my photos of the reassembly. You take the circlip off using a small screwdriver which releases the drum. On mine the stripper arm uncsews anti clockwise. It needs a tap with a hammer to start it. But protect with a wood block. Be careful not to lose any bits as they're probably not available although I found that Lewmar springs and pawls also fitted Gibbs.
IMGP0258.jpg



http://s496.photobucket.com/user/ghostlymoron/media/boat technical/IMGP0258.jpg.html?sort=3&o=13
 
Last edited:
There are a number of videos on you tube showing how to do it.

Whilst the manuals will be great, if you can't find them you can probably work it out if you have seen other winches being serviced.

Be prepared for springs to come out at random times. I always strip mine when cockpit tent is up as it minimises risk of bits going for a swim.
 
Stripping winches should be simple but it's surprising how far a small object can travel laterally when dropped, as I have discovered by experiment. In one boat, I used to put a bunk board inside the lifelines resting on deck. On my present boat I can sit astride the winch on the coaming while facing the cockpit.

The only springs likely to pop out are the pawl springs, for which you should have replacements to hand. This won't happen easily with my Lewmar 43s but it can be hard to avoid with the 16 halyard winches. I don't know about the OP's but Lewmars have a central column held in place by a couple of lugs. What is not so obvious is that the column needs to be raised a millimetre or two when reassembling. The Lewmar kit includes a brush, which show how little grease is needed.
 
Not long finished servicing my winches for the first time on this boat (Lewmars). I was surprised at just how much blue coloured grease was in them - a bit like cleaning thickly spread butter of toast in places (see gear in picture)! I cleaned all parts in a paraffin bath and used an old toothbrush for the thickly greased bits or awkward recesses, which resulted in a satisfyingly clean result all round.
Left to dry and then lightly greased as advised using the Lewmar pastry brush with oil only on/around the pawls.
Overall, not a bad way to spend an afternoon! Any advice about extreme care when removing the pawls is well written - the springs will travel a long way if you don't control/catch them during the lift out.
Need to think about the windlass next....IMG_5560.jpg
 
gasdave said:
Not long finished servicing my winches for the first time on this boat (Lewmars). I was surprised at just how much blue coloured grease was in them - a bit like cleaning thickly spread butter of toast in places (see gear in picture)! I cleaned all parts in a paraffin bath and used an old toothbrush for the thickly greased bits or awkward recesses, which resulted in a satisfyingly clean result all round.
Left to dry and then lightly greased as advised using the Lewmar pastry brush with oil only on/around the pawls.
Overall, not a bad way to spend an afternoon! Any advice about extreme care when removing the pawls is well written - the springs will travel a long way if you don't control/catch them during the lift out.
Need to think about the windlass next....View attachment 51366
Click to expand...

Amazes me how much some people put on. It's interesting watching the lewmar video of servicing and see how little they put on and I guess they should know.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top