Winchrite as anchor windlass?

[fredrussell]

My boat has a Simpson Lawrence manual windlass. It’s a horizontally mounted one with a socket you plug a winch handle into to wind chain in. The socket is offset to give you a bit of extra leverage. It’s a lovely thing to use - bulletproof and simple, but I’ve been idly musing on the idea of using a winchrite to power it (in my advancing years) as a poor man’s electric windlass. 30ft light displacement boat. Would a winchrite have enough oomph do you think? Or preferably one of those high torque right angled drills sometimes mentioned on here.

 

[Lightwave395]

Suffering from advancing years too, I use my Winchrite to raise the anchor if I'm not feelng like pulling it up by hand (a 26lbs CQR but best not to mention that on this forum...) It'll be great when I find pulling up the main too much like hard work and it's effortlessly taken me 15+ metres up the mast a few times.
Keep your eye on ebay, bought mine almost new for £400

I don't have any kind of windlass but I have a long line from the anchor which goes back to the cockpit, my OH presses the Winchrite button and up comes the anchor with me at the bow keeping the line and the chain in order

 

[fredrussell]

Sounds great, cheers.

 

[thalassa]

I have the same arrangement. A SL manual windlass in the anchor locker (Parker 31). The winchrite works well, but you have to get used to the oscillating movement it makes. The movement is of caused by the offset. Heard from this arrangement first from one of this parish, Charles Reed.
The switch on the bottom of the Winchrite lets you choose winch or windlass.

 

[AndrewB]

I don't use my Winchrite for raising the anchor, but have no doubt that it has enough oomph for this purpose if I needed. The battery may well need recharging after a couple of long hauls. As Thalassa says, with heavy loads it does tend to move about a bit, and also there is a lot of torque, so to stop it twisting you'll need a handy strongpoint to which it can be lashed.

 

[Lightwave395]

There certainly is some torque under load with the Winchrite but my OH has no problem hauling me up the mast using it so it's manageable as long as you're aware of it. I don't know how my 75 kgs compares with hauling up an anchor...

 

[fredrussell]

Thanks to all for responses. Thalassa actually has the same boat as me so it’s good to hear his Winchrite is up to the job of anchor retrieval.

 

[thalassa]

Thanks to all for responses. Thalassa actually has the same boat as me so it’s good to hear his Winchrite is up to the job of anchor retrieval.

If buying second-hand, avoid older (>4 yrs) examples. They have a different and weaker gearbox.