What's your winch cleaning schedule like?

[bsangs]

Last winter I removed all eight winches from "Radiance," brought them home, gave them a thorough cleaning, replaced a few pawl pins, lightly re-greased/oiled them, and reinstalled. Some people on the internet recommend doing this annually, but I have a difficult time imagining mine are gunked up enough again to necessitate that. They got fresh water rinses after sailing, and we had a lot of rain this summer, so some times I'd leave the covers off to give them an extra rinse. What's the general consensus here on a schedule for winch maintenance?

 

[alcodiesel]

When they squeak, I clean and lube.

 

[Loren Beach]

About every other year. But we boat in fresh water, so no salt crystals. I also keep covers on them when parked at the slip.
(Like flossing, I feel a bit guilty if I do not do it regularly....)

 

[Frank Langer]

Sailing in salt water year round, I grease them twice per year. I could probably do it a bit less often, but it only takes about a half hour per winch, so I choose a day when I'm staying at dock, open a can of beer and enjoy a quiet, productive afternoon in the sun.
Frank

 

[Christian Williams]

It's certainly easy to put off. Probably been two years for me now. Better get to it.

I have convinced myself, by the way, that even a powerful hose-down after sailing has zero cleansing effect on the winch gears and races. Not a substitute for taking off the drum.

The E38 has several winches that need to be periodically removed from the boat, although more modern products can often be serviced in place.