Windlass wiring help please

[RobWales]

Hi All,
I've just purchased a 2nd hand Quick windlass and need some help with how to wire it please?
Have done a google but drew a blank!!
I know I need a couple of switches for the bow also a relay/solenoid? and cables??
The windlass has a 500w motor and I have been told (correct me here if I'm wrong) that I can take the supply from the main cable that feeds my bowthruster,however I'm told that I should never operate the two at the same time(highly unlikely).
Anyway any help much appreciated.
Thanks
Rob

 

[itsonlymoney]

A lot of Bayliners have pre wired looms for a windlas in the anchor locker, have you checked if yours does ?
You may like to post the same question here, bayliner owners club primarily US users but very very informative, sure of an answer on there.
Ian

 

[RobWales]

Hi Ian
Yep first thing I did was check for the prewiring but mine was not however.
Thanks for the BOC link,I used to post on there quite a bit myself but find the YBW forums far better for this general type of information.
Cheers,Rob

 

[BartW]

Hi Rob,
it is fairly simple to install,
you need a relay for this purpose,
such a relay has 2 binding posts for the 12V supply and two for the motor, and 3 small ones for the controll switch
I have such a relay left, this came with a new replacement windlass, it can switch 60 Amps and it is brand new,
for a small price I want to sell it and send it to you.
but then you still need a controll switch, in fact any marine type 2way, 3 position, on-off-on, switch will do,
you will also need some electricity experience, because you have to use fairly thick wires and thats not easy to fix if you are not handy. It is possible to connect the supply parallel with the bow thruster supply, but in my boat there is a thermal automatic fuse in the windleass supply, and this has prooved to be very handy, when the anker is blocked and you are trying to force the motor.
How many amps is the windlas ?

bart

 

[Anthony]

Its possible that you could use your bowthurster wiring, but its undesirable. Whether you could actually do it depends on the cross sectional area of the cable, the load of the windlass, and the length of the cable run. Also the wiring should be protected by a circuit breaker of an appropriate rating.

If u really did want to use the wiring for both, and it is of a suitable rating, then you could always put in an interlock circuit into the control system so that only one of the items can operate at any one time regardless of whether both are switched on.

Anthony
Anthony

 

[volvopaul]

The bow thruster cables should be more than ample size is its a good set up, just fit the correct size breaker in a place thats ventilated and a separate cut off switch, its when people try and wire a thruster into an anchor winch it gets interesting!

Melting moments as I have seen before !!!

 

[GMac]

Go to the www.lofrans.it website, pick the english side of things.

Down the left hand side there is a 'technical' section. Find the link to the Marlin winch and download the manual for that one. Somewhere in that will be a very easy to follow wiring diagram.

The Quicks will wire up the same as that and the Marlin is damn close to what you have i.e a 5-700W motor. That will make everything seem suddenly quite clear.

I'd definitely agree don't run thruster and windlass at the same time, massive power draw.

DON'T shortcut by under sizing wiring. It will only degrade performance and life expectancy.

I like what Anthony said (above) sounds damn good advice to me.

 

[dalex]

[ QUOTE ]

How many amps is the windlas ?

bart

[/ QUOTE ]

This can be a bit tricky. Ohms law states power divided by voltage is current. So for a 500w 12v winch we are talking around 42 amps. Problem is, they can draw several times that if stalled so I'd look to go for cable at least able to carry 4 times the steady draw current. I'd use proper marinised tinned cable, with proper soldered and shrink-wrapped lugs, as the anchor locker is definitely a hostile environment for electrics!. As for switches, this is an inductive load and needs appropriate relay contacts. Use the proper windlass relay. Does the job and wont break the bank.
The windlass typically has 3 wires: A common, up, and a down wire. The Winch relay will have a diagram as to which wire goes where. Connect the common terminal back to ships ground. Connect the remaining 2 wires from the windlass to the two windlass terminals on the relay. The relay will have one more big terminal which you connect via a breaker and isolator, to ships battery. There will be smaller terminals which you need to run to your foot-switches or helm switch. The centre pole of the switch runs to ships ground. the other two terminals run to the 2 small terminals from the relay.
Foot switches simply wire from ships ground and one of the 2 small terminals on the relay. One for up, one for down. It's a good idea to mount the isolator for the windlass somewhere within reach of the helm.
Hope this helps.

 

[Anthony]

>with proper soldered and shrink-wrapped lugs

The connection of wire to lug should in the first instance be crimped (should be done with a proper crimping tool, not just in a vice etc).

The reason for this is that solder has a low melt point, in a fire, or even an extremly overheated cable, the solder could melt allowing a high current cable to come free and touch somthing else. If it is physically crimped then it is retained in the lug.

Whether to solder aswell splits opinion; it can help to keep out corrosion, but some argue that it creates a solid cable which is then prone to fracture thru vibration (i.e. the same reason you dont use solid core cable on boats).

Anthony

Anthony