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Lofrans windlass battery

lonokai

Member III
Hey gang,

Sea Star has a windlass which I have never used in the three years I’ve had the boat,

apparently, PO had wired the system to have a third battery up in the v-berth locker.

There is no battery there now.

Do do you think I should use a deep cycle battery there or would a decent/good automotive battery do, assuming enough wattage for the windlass itself?
 

Baslin

Member III
I would think that a high amp starting battery would be the best choice but you may want to contact Lofran. I would also verify the amp draw on your windlass and make sure to size your cable accordingly. I believe there is an app called "Circuit Wizard" from Blue Seas that you can plug in your numbers (12V or 24V System, Windlass Amp Draw, and Length of Cable) and it will tell you the size cable so as to not have a voltage drop more than 3%.
 

gadangit

Member III
I have an AGM for my windlass battery which also is the starting battery for my generator. It is mounted more amidships under a settee to keep weight off the bow.
I decided that for a typical anchoring situation my generator would already be running and the battery would have good voltage from the charging alternator.
The distance from the battery to the generator and the windlass is about equal and I've grossly oversized the cables.

Chris
 

Tom Metzger

Sustaining Partner
Do do you think I should use a deep cycle battery there or would a decent/good automotive battery do, assuming enough wattage for the windlass itself?

This is definitely not a deep cycle application. If you plan to use the windlass like most of us do - only use it with the engine running - it's not necessary to have a dedicated battery. Install a breaker near the house bank and run wire to the windlass switch at the bow. The alternator supplies a good % of the load so it is not too much drain on the house bank.

On my E-34 I ran #2 wires and have plenty of voltage at the windlass. That's based on 50' of wire & 100 amps. Based on less length for an E-27 and likely less current you may be able to use #4 wire. If you install a battery you will still have to run wires for charging it.
 

lonokai

Member III
Windlass, thanks for the info

Thanks, for the responses.

I really have never used the windlass. It's the Lofrans Airon.

I may remove it from the boat and go back to basics on the forward Anchor.

Again, in three years, I have never used the windlass.
 

Emerald

Moderator
Again, in three years, I have never used the windlass.

When I was young and still had a back, I didn't think I would ever be interested in a windless. Now I "need" a windless. I can get by without, but I've hit that point of why not use it? For that last bit of lift, it can be a really nice thing.
 

Christian Williams

E381 - Los Angeles
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
Yes. I plan never to anchor singlehanded (emergencies only) Hauling up 35 feet of chain and a 20KG anchor under the pulpit of a 38-foot boat is for the young or the strong.

I've tried to figure out a come-along (block and tackle) to help, or a route to a winch, but never could see how it would work.

We don't anchor much here, but anywhere else I'd want a windlass.
 
L

Leslie Newman

Guest
I've contemplated a windlass, but the E380 (E38) isn't setup for a windless it seems without a lot of modifications to the anchor locker. And I don't want to add a lot of chain weight in the bow, so I am still hauling in the anchor line by hand. I'm 60, and still fit. We'll see how I feel about this in say 8 or 10 years from now.
 

lonokai

Member III
Windlass Woes

Well, to your points, I'm not getting any younger, and I had hoped to continue to streamline electrical on "Sea Star," but I think given my limited abilities in the fiberglass repair and anchor locker design arena, I will simply purchase a new battery for it (there's nearly brand new wires leading to the forward V-berth storage where the battery was housed), and hope that it provides me some service.

I've only anchored once, in Marina del Rey, when an engine repair went wrong, just after the service guy left and I found myself stranded in the channel, drifting towards a jetty and no wind.

I'm headed on my first Catalina trip this summer, but those are usually moorings.
 

Christian Williams

E381 - Los Angeles
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
For Catalina, take a mooring and pay the bucks. No worries.

However, to cruise the Channel Islands we need a good anchor and rode and a stern anchor too, and some familiarity and confidence. If that's not on the immediate horizon, the windlass can be decoration. We can still anchor by hand in emergencies.
 
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lonokai

Member III
Lofrans Windlass on E27 “Sea Star”

Here ya go.
 

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