windlasses

[taulua]

i want to buy a windlass for my heavenly twins catamaran and can't decide between a vertical or horizontal manual one. my wife wants to be able to pull up the anchor and has trouble by hand. she is a small 50kilos. any suggestions besides that it should be me who pulls the anchor up.

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[Talbot]

if it is going to be a manual windlass, then there is no real comparison. The vertical type means a very uncomfortable and stressful experience for raising the anchor and makes more use of muscle power than bodyweight. The horizontal system allows bodyweight to be used and makes the task relatively pain free. The only real reason for the vertical versions is to clean up the bow section of the boat (or to kid your neighbours that you have an electric one/forums/images/icons/smile.gif)

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[Keith]

invest in an aluminium anchor and cut the weight on the bow even more, being a cat exploit your shallow draft to the fullest, i had a windlass on my cat and took it off once i got into the shallow draft mindset as being surplus to requirement. i would fitter a chain stopper before i fitted a windlass...........keith

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[snowleopard]

suggestion 1. go electric. swmbo always hoists the anchor and doesn't find it a chore, even when we have to re-set several times. if it's a fight, you may take a chance on dodgy holding rather than lift it yet again.

for manual ones, the vertical spindle type requires you to get down on hands and knees but is faster to pull in as it runs continuously. if you go for horizontal, it has to be double action.

if you use a combined rope/chain gypsy (i presume you are using a part-rope rode?) the vertical type is far better as the cable is in contact with the gypsy over 270 degrees where with the horizontal type it's only 90 degrees so much more likely to slip.

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[roly_voya]

Can recomend the Loftrans Royal, copes with my ground takle (100m 10mm chain + 45lb CQR} but normally you are only lifting the length of chain from bow to seabed, in 5m thats only a few kilos. Are you dragging the boat to the anchor rather than lifting it? If so try attaching an anchor bouy and motoring slowly towards it whilst lifting.

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