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Windlass on 32-200 anyone add one?

mkollerjr

Member III
Blogs Author
The bar that my windlass rotates on is securely bolted to the underside of the bow cleats through bolts. You could probably lift the front half of the boat out of the water by it. There is probably an opportunity for you to use a similar method to re-enforce what you are referring to.

IMG_0532.jpg
 

Tom Metzger

Sustaining Partner
...This would require moving the forward hinge back for the opening part. I think it would leave enough room to open the hatch to work on the rode or forward deck fittings from below.

Any ideas on how I can reinforce the area under the windlass to handle the load?

Rick - I'm not a mechanical engineer (disclosure), but my idea would be to cut an aluminum backing plate the size of the hatch opening that is being glassed in so the force pulling forward is tied to the deck.

No details available.
 

Loren Beach

O34 - Portland, OR
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
Rick - I'm not a mechanical engineer (disclosure), but my idea would be to cut an aluminum backing plate the size of the hatch opening that is being glassed in so the force pulling forward is tied to the deck.

No details available.

Good idea, and altho it might add an extra couple of pounds, how about fabbing up a plate out of G-10? No corrosion threat and if you spec it out at 3/8" or more it should be just as strong.
:confused:

Cheers,
Loren
 

Tom Metzger

Sustaining Partner
Good idea, and altho it might add an extra couple of pounds, how about fabbing up a plate out of G-10? No corrosion threat and if you spec it out at 3/8" or more it should be just as strong.:confused:

I was curious so I did a quick Google check. G-10 weighs 1.83 gr/cm^3 and aluminum weighs 2.8 gr/cm^3. So if you used 3/8" G-10 and 1/4" aluminum it would be a wash. I don't really know what thickness is required for either.

If it's DIY it wouldn't matter, but a machine shop might prefer aluminum. Being corrosion resistant is an advantage, but epoxy or paint is cheap.

If Rick is that concerned about weight in the bow he can leave off 6" of chain. :rolleyes:

Any experts out there?
 

Rick R.

Contributing Partner
The bar that my windlass rotates on is securely bolted to the underside of the bow cleats through bolts. You could probably lift the front half of the boat out of the water by it. There is probably an opportunity for you to use a similar method to re-enforce what you are referring to.

View attachment 15460

If I had a horizontal windlass I would definitely consider this install. No major refab work, stows out of sight when not in use....brilliant.
 

mkollerjr

Member III
Blogs Author
Windlass update: The Lewmar Pro Series Windlass that that previous owner installed in 2007 and spent about $900 on, not including install, failed on me last weekend,weighing anchor in breezy conditions. I ended up having to hand haul up the 60 ft of chain and 33 pound Bruce. It wasn't that bad, and my arms felt good afterwards.

Trying to to trouble shoot it this weekend, I concluded the motor has failed. So, I removed the windlass. Extremely disappointing that this thing would be shot so soon. A new motor is about $150, but this is honestly at the bottom of my list. It actually feels nice not having that heavy piece of equipment on the now and having to rely on it. I'm going windlass-less for a while and see how it works out.

Mark
 

Rick R.

Contributing Partner
Windlass update: The Lewmar Pro Series Windlass that that previous owner installed in 2007 and spent about $900 on, not including install, failed on me last weekend,weighing anchor in breezy conditions. I ended up having to hand haul up the 60 ft of chain and 33 pound Bruce. It wasn't that bad, and my arms felt good afterwards.

Trying to to trouble shoot it this weekend, I concluded the motor has failed. So, I removed the windlass. Extremely disappointing that this thing would be shot so soon. A new motor is about $150, but this is honestly at the bottom of my list. It actually feels nice not having that heavy piece of equipment on the now and having to rely on it. I'm going windlass-less for a while and see how it works out.

Mark

Thats interesting Mark. I finally got to use the new windlass this past weekend. What a nice improvement over having to manually slide the rode down the hause pipe hole behind the old windlass. I never minded pulling it off the bottom, I just hated feeding it all through a small hole in the hot Florida sun with high humidity.

As as far as your motor goes, they seem to be starter motors and should be easily repairable by a starter shop.:nerd:
 

mkollerjr

Member III
Blogs Author
Thanks for the starter motor tip!

Don't get me wrong, if I was going to install a windlass, I would install it concealed the way the previous owner did. I'm just disappointed that this expensive piece of equipment gave up the ghost so soon. To me, that is not acceptable. I think I'm going to call Lewmar. It looks like they have a five year warranty, and this windlass is just outside that window.

Mark
 

footrope

Contributing Partner
Blogs Author
Thanks for the starter motor tip!

Don't get me wrong, if I was going to install a windlass, I would install it concealed the way the previous owner did. I'm just disappointed that this expensive piece of equipment gave up the ghost so soon. To me, that is not acceptable. I think I'm going to call Lewmar. It looks like they have a five year warranty, and this windlass is just outside that window.

Mark

Mark,
I have a motor from a windlass (possibly a Simpson-Lawrence) that I removed last year. I can take a few pics and send them. The unit was not marked but the motor is well identified. If you're interested I'll post something in the next couple days.

I like the rebuild idea though. Bearings and/or brushes might be all that is needed. Even after the armature has touched the casing, as long as there are no shorts or broken windings, they'll come back to life.
 

Rick R.

Contributing Partner
I feel your pain! I was complaining to Tom Metzger about the cost of this project (to which he said, " A sailor's dog sticks his head out the window to get away from the complaints" or something like that).

I got the starter input from my buddy that helped me do the install. He said when it does to be prepared to take it to a starter shop and they can rebuild them.
 

Tom Metzger

Sustaining Partner
I feel your pain! I was complaining to Tom Metzger about the cost of this project (to which he said, " A sailor's dog sticks his head out the window to get away from the complaints" or something like that).

That is really scary! :0 I didn't know anyone actually listened to me. I guess it's time to find a new site.
 

mkollerjr

Member III
Blogs Author
Well, I broke down and reinstalled my windlass today. I bought a new motor from Defender for about $145 (Lewmar wouldn't warrantee it). Took the whole thing apart and reassembled. The old motor was obviously shot with bad signs of corrosion. Cleaned everything up on the inside, re-greased, and resealed everything. Took the better part of a day, but pretty easy to do.

Mark
 

Rick R.

Contributing Partner
Well, I broke down and reinstalled my windlass today. I bought a new motor from Defender for about $145 (Lewmar wouldn't warrantee it). Took the whole thing apart and reassembled. The old motor was obviously shot with bad signs of corrosion. Cleaned everything up on the inside, re-greased, and resealed everything. Took the better part of a day, but pretty easy to do.

Mark

And worth every minute of work.
 

kapnkd

kapnkd
Rick - How did you know I was coming home today?

BTW, I thought you had a handsome Ericson E-32, not a work boat or barge. That windlass looks more like a line grabber than an anchoring device. :eek: I would be more inclined to go with a low profile V700 or similar design.

http://www.defender.com/product3.jsp?path=-1|2276108|2276145|2276147&id=1599818

I don't know if any of this style windlass can be operated without dropping the chain through the deck. I have a vertical windlass with a capstan (useless) behind my anchor locker and hanging down into the V-berth. I'm of the "handsome is as handsome does" school of thought - who would have guessed? - and didn't box it in. Because of the shallow anchor locker I have to tail the chain. While I can, I don't usually use the windlass for the rope part of the rode.

There are several threads on installing windlasses which should be available with a search.

I hate people that don't answer the question that was asked. To answer your question: I don't think you can get enough power out of this windlass. It's advertising says it is for a 20 - 30 foot boat; you want to be conservative. It only has a 150 watt motor. I have popped the 70 amp breaker (840 watts) on my windlass... not a problem, but a PITA to go below to reset it. The motor is rated 1000 Watts.
Agreed! ...We put the Lewmar V700 on our 32-2 and really like it! We also notched a channel into the bow and installed a bow roller system to better stabilize the anchor line when hauling the anchor. A tight fit but it worked out perfectly.
 

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p.gazibara

Member III
I installed a lofrans cayman on our E35-2. There was no anchor locker on my boat, so I made one just aft of the V berth. The windlass is just behind the forward hatch keeping the weight more centered. I made a backing plate of oak hardwood plasticized by epoxy resin bonded to the deck underside.

Since I purchased the windlass off a salvaged yacht, all the electrical bits were toast (the boat sunk). I used it in manual mode for our whole trip to NZ. It ultimately failed in manual mode because I wore out bits not designed to be used full time in manual mode.

I started writing some promotional material for electric motor drives and realized that the large high voltage battery bank used for electric drives means that the windlass wiring would be 1/4 the size. 10AWG or so for a 1200w windlass.

I reached out to all of the windlass manufactures to see if they had plans to offer a 48V or higher windlass. Lewmar, quick, and lofrans all told me to bugger off.

Maxwell said they had one in testing. The motor fits all of their current windlass models. Gotta love a company who continually improves. I toured their facility here in NZ a few months ago and was really impressed.

They have a massive load tester where the test products to failure. Interestingly, they test all of their competitors products as well. They find the failure modes of their competitors and make sure it won’t happen to Maxwell windlasses.

They make windlasses for everything from small aluminum fishing boats to cruise ships. Really cool.

In summary, I’m a huge fan of Maxwell windlasses. They are probably the highest quality product on the market. They are also in support of electric drive yachts and the future of green boating.

I’ll be installing one on Cinderella soon enough. Just need to finish this bimini first.

-P
 
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