Winch upgrades

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zzjfawce

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As a new owner of a venerable Cavalier 30, a popular design down under, I am crawling up a steep learning curve in boat maintenance and modification. So I have converted from forum lurker to registered user (which sounds eerily like the description they give to "clients" attending methadone clinics). Can anybody help me as regards winches. I have (old) Lewmar 30's for headsail trimming and find that teenage boys want to winch but no one wants to tail; this generates much futile activity which is amusing but only for a while. Can I get self-tailing "upgrades" or even new winches that will use the same holes so I don't have fill them and drill new holes in the coamings (which are cored, I think)? Thankyou for any advice.
 
Welcome ex-lurker........

There are rubber tops which #sort of# convert your current winches to self tailing in operation. Some like them some don't. I have used them on occasion and found them to be OK with care, but not for racing!

New winches can be direct exchanged in fitting size, e-mail Lewmar with the model ref, they will advise.

I fould my new Antal 32 self tailers economical to buy, but they are a slightly different Pitch Circle Diameter to Lewmar.

Jim
 
Welcome to the forum. In spite of appearances forumising isn't the same as a methadone habit. For one thing, it's cheaper (unless you own a boat /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif ), and, while it can be adictive, it's probably less harmful than most forms of chemical recreation.

The rubber tops are called winchers. I have them on Jissel (24') and they do work, but they're nowhere near as good as proper self-tailers. They are, however 1/10 or less the price of a new winch. You pays yer money...

If you do need to replace the winches and the holes don't match, it may well not be as big a problem as you fear. If the coaming is cored, the core will almost certainly be replaced by a something solid under the winches, probably a lump of marine ply. I'd tape over the underside of the old holes and fill with slightly thickened epoxy. Allow it to go off and drill your new holes. I'd paint the insides of new holes with epoxy, too to seal them, then use plenty of sealant when you fit the winches.
 
Tell me more about the winchers.

I've got self tailers as my main winches, but I've also got a coach roof winch which is used for the main and genoa halliards. Once winched up these then lock off on jammers.

When I am single handing it can be difficult to use the winch as I run out of hands....one for the winch, one for the tail and one for the tiller.......

I've tended to look down my nose at the winchers but, as this winch is used less than the main winches.... what do you reckon?
 
I have a pair of Winchers and they grip the rope OK. The drum needs to be full, so the Wincher can work, and I find it doesn't "self tail" particularly well.
I always cleat the tail off rather than relying on just the groove around the top.

TIP - to fit a wincher to the drum, soak in very hot water, apply some soap, and wrestle it on wearing gloves. I had a nightmare the first time, but there is a knack to it.
 
Thanks. I think I'll try one. The poor self tailing doesn't matter too much as I use the jammer immediately anyway. However, if I can winch the halliards with just one hand it will make things easier.
 
I've found that for halyards you can just load a plain winch with 4 or 5 turns and it self grips & tails (assuming there is somewhere for it to tail to) - it does loose grip at the top (when tensioning) but most of the work is done by now...
 
Thanks for your reply. I'm at Sandgate in Cabbagetree Creek but it would be good to have a look at somebody else's Cav - it might help me answer some othere questions I have. Like why does it seem so difficult to go astern with my folding prop. The 30 is just a stretched version of the 28, isn't it?
 
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