Wireless Windlass Remote with no Delay

[Bobc]

Personally, I don't see the point of them. I want to be stood on the foredeck watching it all come in, so if there is a problem, I know about it immediately.

 

[Andrew_Trayfoot]

Even if you are standing at the bow when you are winding in the anchor the remote has the big advantage of no control wires/switches/socket etc have to be run to and maintained at the bow. So much less to go wrong (and yes they do go wrong in that environment).

My only issue is that when I take my finger off the button it takes a second to stop. This is getting on for a foot of chain..This makes fine adjustments very difficult..

 

[Tranona]

Of course it is a personal choice. On my boat it is difficult to see the anchor and operate the foot switches to see the anchor because of the layout of the foredeck and bowsprit and a corded control is a menace. So for me a remote is a safety feature. A good one like I have with no delay is easy to use accurately.

I learned the value of a remote when I had my boat in the med with frequent anchoring and particularly mooring stern to using the anchor when there are often situations where you need to operate the windlass when not necessarily hanging over the bow.

 

[Neeves]

Your point ?

I said I liked it - what more can I say. Don't you like praise?

I learnt: You have a large Motor Boat, you have crew that can take the upper, helm, other crew who can manage the windlass and you can stand at the bow keeping your eye on things. No mention of remotes. Why would you need one if you have one crew member at the helm and another at the windlass - provided they communicate you are not actually needed. Certainly no mention of using a remote nor why you need one.

As far as I can ascertain you added nothing - you took a lot of effort to criticise what I posted. You are the electrical wizard here but you added nothing to the OPs question such as good remotes for his size of boat, ones to steer clear of, cheap good ones, ones that failed due to poor moisture resistance etc. It really serves little purpose if contributions are only critical of member's descriptions of why a device might be unnecessary and how they cope. In my posts I have not been critical of those with remotes - though if remotes commonly beat the living daylights out of bow rollers or windlass - then not having the remote seems like a good idea (Having a list of better remotes - now I wonder who might be well placed to provide that list....?)

I tried to indicate there is an alternative to a remote - they are not essential, people (or at least me and Bobc) survive without them. In this thread I have described how we have managed for 25 years without a remote.

Jonathan

 

[Tranona]

I tried to indicate there is an alternative to a remote - they are not essential, people (or at least me and Bobc) survive without them. In this thread I have described how we have managed for 25 years without a remote.

Jonathan

That sums it up - the magic word is "survive". If they did not exist you would find ways of working without. But they do exist so any sensible person would look at them and decide whether they add any value. Clearly they do as plenty of folk use them. In reality handling anchors is often not easy so the process may start from basics - how can I make this better and remove real or potential problems? I got my first remote the latter way after the hard wired cable that ran across the line of chain got caught up and ripped out (bad design and carelessness in not compensating for it). Wireless remote an elegant low cost solution.

 

[Graham376]

I really find it difficult the envisage where else on the boat you would want a windlass controller, so if you have both helm and windlass locations having a remote seems - redundant.

Jonathan

I use our remote down below where I can flake the chain into the locker to avoid it piling and jamming. When 10m marker appears, I go topside and retrieve the rest normally. No problem with the delay, soon got used to stop hauling when a bit if distance left to the roller.

 

[Boathook]

The cheaper wireless 4WD winch controlers are great value for money. See below:

For around £10- £15 these are a bargain. They are a great adjunct to a wired remote or foot switches. The freedom to operate the windlass from anywhere on the boat is very beneficial.

Given the very low cost of these units (and easy installation) every boat that anchors frequently (and has an electric anchor winch) should consider purchasing a wireless anchor remote in my view. Additional alternative back ups for activating the anchor winch are also sensible.

However, these inexpensive wireless units do have limitations such as the longer delay that the OP has noted.

For slightly more money the industrial wireless options that I have posted above are an alternative solution. These units fix most of the limitations of the very inexpensive units for not much extra cost ( in boat money ).

We use our wireless windlass remote almost exclusively (although we have wired back ups) so the performance is important. The industrial wireless remote units have been our best solution.
View attachment 180530

I've got this one on my windlass. There is a delay but it isn't much. I was going to get another foor the BT but they operate on the same frequency / code so not much good unless I fit 30 feet of wiring etc to be able to disable the windlass solenoid.

 

[PaulRainbow]

I said I liked it - what more can I say. Don't you like praise?

I learnt: You have a large Motor Boat, you have crew that can take the upper, helm, other crew who can manage the windlass and you can stand at the bow keeping your eye on things. No mention of remotes. Why would you need one if you have one crew member at the helm and another at the windlass - provided they communicate you are not actually needed. Certainly no mention of using a remote nor why you need one.

You didn't learn anything, apart from how to selectively quote, to distort what was said, to suit yourself.

What i said was;

"I have also fitted a wireless remote, i can stand at the bow while crew take the helm and operate the windlass whilst keeping an eye on things. I'm not restricted to any particular spot on the deck, such has having to stand on foot switches and can easily lean over to remove weed etc from the chain whilst using the remote."

So much for "no mention of remotes"

It's also clear that the only crew interaction is the person at the helm, i'm using the remote at the bow to retrieve the anchor whilst keeping an eye on things.

 

[Irish Rover]

You didn't learn anything, apart from how to selectively quote, to distort what was said, to suit yourself.

What i said was;

"I have also fitted a wireless remote, i can stand at the bow while crew take the helm and operate the windlass whilst keeping an eye on things. I'm not restricted to any particular spot on the deck, such has having to stand on foot switches and can easily lean over to remove weed etc from the chain whilst using the remote."

So much for "no mention of remotes"

It's also clear that the only crew interaction is the person at the helm, i'm using the remote at the bow to retrieve the anchor whilst keeping an eye on things.

I don't know why you bother. The poster in question is for ever derailing threads, telling others they should do things only the way he does them, and telling you how you should post on the forum.

 

[Bobc]

Even if you are standing at the bow when you are winding in the anchor the remote has the big advantage of no control wires/switches/socket etc have to be run to and maintained at the bow. So much less to go wrong (and yes they do go wrong in that environment).

My only issue is that when I take my finger off the button it takes a second to stop. This is getting on for a foot of chain..This makes fine adjustments very difficult..

Never had any problems with my quick controller in over 20 years.

 

[Tranona]

Never had any problems with my quick controller in over 20 years.

Is that wireless? If not then does not help as the OP is asking about wireless remotes.

 

[Bobc]

Is that wireless? If not then does not help as the OP is asking about wireless remotes.

My comment was in response to a claim that wired ones are problematic.

 

[Tranona]

My comment was in response to a claim that wired ones are problematic.

Don't recall anybody saying the device itself was problematic - they are generally reliable if kept dry, rather that in some cases it is not convenient and for some uses a wireless remote has quantifiable benefits to the user. The downside identified by the OP is that cheap ones have a delay in stopping and starting, but better ones don't.

So live with the downside and enjoy the other benefits clearly explained by a number of posters or spend the money and eliminate the downside.

 

[Andrew_Trayfoot]

So does anyone know of a slightly more expensive one with no delay?

 

[mikegunn]

I have a Lofrans’ Cayman windlass controlled by the options of a hard wired switch or a Galaxy 703 wireless remote. Neither is absolutely instantaneous as both are activating the same relay. I would estimate that the run-on after releasing the buttons is about 30cm of anchor chain. It’s difficult to be absolute because I believe that one’s brain takes approximately 0.4 of a second from registering an image, processing the information and converting it into a muscular action. In my case probably considerably longer. In practice of course and particularly when stowing the anchor, one practises the art of anticipation, thus making due allowance for the run-on.
Another big advantage of the remote is that it gives a visual indication of the amount of rode deployed, so when weighing the anchor I usually leave a meter or so washing off before going forward to attend to its stowage.
Mike

 

[Tranona]

So does anyone know of a slightly more expensive one with no delay?

The first one I had 20 years or so ago was not a cheapo and had no delay but can't remember the make. It was then about £150 or so. The last 2 have both been Sidepower dual function and work well, but are close to £500. The Lewmar windlass only are about half that

 

[LittleSister]

For those seeking instantaneous, fine control at low cost I can recommend hauling the anchor chain by hand!

 

[noelex]

So does anyone know of a slightly more expensive one with no delay?

Units similar to mine are quite readily available on Amazon, eBay etc. Another alternative is Chinese websites such as Alibaba, as the units are reasonably expensive in the UK. I paid about €50 for mine six years ago. Search for "industrial crane winch controls".

Check you are ordering the correct voltage, as they come in a wide range. My boat is 24v so the particular unit I ordered would not be suitable for a 12v boat, but there are plenty of 12v models.

 

[rogerthebodger]

All radio have on off delay to some extent some are longer than others its just a nature of the electronics in that when the button is released the receiving part of the remote needs a little time to determine that the radio signal ha disappeared so it can switch off. If the receiving device drives a relay the relay also has a time delay for it to drop out and cut the power to the windlass. The motor hauling the chain also has inertia and needs time to stop which all takes a little time

I have lots of remote controls I designed and made myself and the lower the delays off the higher chance of rapid on/off (chatter) operation. You pay your money and you take a chance

 

[noelex]

I took note of post #6 advising that my wireless winch control had "zero application in the marine world". Nevertheless, I decided that was I prepared to risk my life by testing such unsuitable equipment, all for the good of the forum. .

Today at anchor I performed some objective tests on the delay when operating the wireless anchor winch controller shown in post #2. Hopefully this will be helpful information for those considering purchasing a similar unit.

I compared the delay in my wireless windlass control to my wired back up (a Quick model). The delay was exactly the same for both units.

I tested this by measuring the shortest amount of chain I could retrieve or let out with a momentary press of the button (over three trials). The result was 14.5 cm for the wireless unit and 15 cm for the wired unit. Next, by releasing the button when a marked link of chain passed a point I measured the distance the chain traveled. The result was 12 cm for both units. These results were for no load. I imagine a load would have dampened the inertia of the windlass and reduced the distance considerably, but I wanted to keep conditions identical. The results will also vary depending on the design of your windlass and solenoid. This is a large 24 V, 4000 lb unit, but importantly the delay is the same for a wired and a good quality wireless unit.

I do not have one of the common, very inexpensive £10-£15 pound controllers to test, but I did use these units on my older yacht. My experience was that the delay was two to three times that of a wired unit.

On some installations the extra delay of the inexpensive wireless controllers compared to a wired unit is not an issue, but if you are finding it annoying then the industrial crane winch controllers (at least some models) will fix this problem and perform with an identical delay to a wired unit.