Windlass, foot switch or handheld remote

[youp]

Finally arrived in Greece last year and flying back to Holland I had a sore back of manually hauling my anchor bay after bay. So time for a windlass. Got a quote for a windlass from Cleopatra in Preveza with the question, do you want a foot switch or handheld remote control. Having never operated a windlass before I welcome your advice. I sail a 37 foot Centurion.

Youp
s/y Nimbus 2000

 

[nimbusgb]

Both.

Foot switch to wind in when the handheld ( bidirectional ) stops working or for a quick tension up when you think the hook is dragging.

 

[Bertramdriver]

Both.

Foot switch to wind in when the handheld ( bidirectional ) stops working or for a quick tension up when you think the hook is dragging.

Absolutely both
The switches have a knack of failing when you most need them. More options the better

 

[youp]

Thanks! Better safe than sorry I understand.

 

[geem]

Thanks! Better safe than sorry I understand.

Foot switch for up only, hand held wired plus cheap electronic remote. Works for me.

 

[bobgarrett]

Foot switches are exposed to weather and fail. Wired remotes are inconvenient if run through forehatch as well as letting weather in if used in rain etc. Wireless might fail or have low battery but are convenient and don't suffer from constant weather.
My opinion, and what I have, wireless for usual use; backed up by wired remote through forehatch.

 

[Tranona]

Foot switches are exposed to weather and fail. Wired remotes are inconvenient if run through forehatch as well as letting weather in if used in rain etc. Wireless might fail or have low battery but are convenient and don't suffer from constant weather.
My opinion, and what I have, wireless for usual use; backed up by wired remote through forehatch.

+1 foot switches to be avoided.

 

[TQA]

I have Lofrans foot switches and average about an annual repair or replace.

 

[duncan99210]

Wireless remote. Cheap as chips off eBay and you can get them with two remotes so you always have a spare. Wired handheld as back up. We've had this set up for four years now and only use the wired remote every now and then to test it. Foot switches are the invention of the devil: they tie you to one place, mean you have to keep your foot on it and so can't move the chain in the locker without stopping the winch. They also die regularly as they are not protected from the elements.

If you're having someone fit the winch, it's easy enough to retrofit a wireless remote: takes about half an hour even with the machine translated instructions you get with the kit. Get the person doing the fitting to do you a wired controller into the forward cabin and fit the wireless remote later.

 

[Chris_Robb]

Foot switches are exposed to weather and fail. Wired remotes are inconvenient if run through forehatch as well as letting weather in if used in rain etc. Wireless might fail or have low battery but are convenient and don't suffer from constant weather.
My opinion, and what I have, wireless for usual use; backed up by wired remote through forehatch.

My foot switches are 20 years old and never given any trouble............. note to diary - buy 2 spares! I like them as it leaves your hands free. I don't like the ones on long leads that you have to get on deck through the forehatch. Certainly not one with a connection in the anchor locker. As with all wireless remote controls, they get "misplaced". Somebody said that the wireless controls have a delay in the action which could be a nuisance when edging up the anchor over the bows???

But an essential extra to what ever you have on the foredeck is an up/down control in the cockpit. With this you can do a Med moor quite happily with out any crew - in fact by controlling it yourself you can control your sternwards progress and direction far better than with a crew member paying out willy nilly at the bows.

 

[Bertramdriver]

Absolutely on the button

 

[vyv_cox]

Almost exactly as Chris Robb. My foot switches are about 15 years old, perfectly OK. My cockpit switches came with the windlass and are invaluable for the point Chris makes. I have not used a wireless control but for stern-to berthing I suspect that handling a remote controller might be more difficult than an up/down switch right next to the Morse control.

 

[nickf]

Same as Chris Robb and Vyv Cox - my foot switches are 10 years old and have never given any problem. Also have cockpit switches which allow me to berth stern to single handed and equally important to leave a stern to berth single handed with ease.

 

[AndrewB]

Just make sure this doesn't happen with the cockpit held remote ....

 

[Chris_Robb]

Almost exactly as Chris Robb. My foot switches are about 15 years old, perfectly OK. My cockpit switches came with the windlass and are invaluable for the point Chris makes. I have not used a wireless control but for stern-to berthing I suspect that handling a remote controller might be more difficult than an up/down switch right next to the Morse control.

Vyv, I only installed the cockpit controls following your advice!!!!!

 

[Palarran]

I have the Lewmar wireless remote and it has worked perfectly for 3 years. It's range is around 35'. For back-up I have a Lewmar rocker switch in the anchor locker. The remote is really, really, nice.

 

[BobnLesley]

We have a cockpit switch, which is used usually, the back-up or if I want to raise single-handed is a handheld unit with a wiggly wire that plugs/screws into a foredeck socket. The boat also had a footswitch when we got it, not only had the guts rotted out of it, so had the deck core for a couple of inches around it; one of the first jobs was to get shut of it and make good the damage.

Whilst it never had the chance to let us down, we've noticed over the years that many people's 'windlass failures' have been tracked back to dodgy footswitches, I certainly wouldn't fit another.

For us the cockpit one's the most important, though that might be different if our hand-held was 'wireless'? I'm too idle to unscrew the socket cap, connect and then reverse the process.

 

[geem]

My foot switches are 20 years old and never given any trouble............. note to diary - buy 2 spares! I like them as it leaves your hands free. I don't like the ones on long leads that you have to get on deck through the forehatch. Certainly not one with a connection in the anchor locker. As with all wireless remote controls, they get "misplaced". Somebody said that the wireless controls have a delay in the action which could be a nuisance when edging up the anchor over the bows???

But an essential extra to what ever you have on the foredeck is an up/down control in the cockpit. With this you can do a Med moor quite happily with out any crew - in fact by controlling it yourself you can control your sternwards progress and direction far better than with a crew member paying out willy nilly at the bows.

We use the foot switch to hoist only. Main use is when we lift the rib onto the deck. We hoist with windlass and it is convenient to have both hands free. The wireless is reserved for anchor duty and wired unit as back up.

 

[tri39]

I agree. I started with a handheld out of the forehatch, now on second one. But then added a remote control by the helm which gets a lot of use.

 

[jimali]

Hi

We have used one of these for a few years (many others are available just search for winch wireless remote in ebay)

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/12V-50ft-...ailers_Transporters_Parts&hash=item53f31c6bbd

Works well and easy to fit across the winch solenoid - you can use it from anywhere on the boat - ideal for med mooring when you can move from the front to the back as the boat is reversed.

Regards

Jim