Helm station anchor windlass control

[Sven]

We have the windlass installed and got a low profile momentary on (up-down) switch for the helm station back in the cockpit.

Now that we have that switch I can't imagine ever wanting to use it. Powering the windlass up or down when you can't actually see the anchor just seems like a disaster in the making.

Am I being too "rocket scientist" about this ?



-Sven

 

[u079721]

If I were single handing again I would use it to drop the anchor (once I knew it would fall freely). But for sure I would never feel safe retrieving the anchor using a remote switch like that.

 

[Emerald]

Just think back to the yacht club scene in Caddyshack and Ted Knight getting ready to christen his lovely little sailboat when Rodney Dangerfield comes along and hits the windlass switch on his huge stinkpot :0

 

[Loren Beach]

Just think back to the yacht club scene in Caddyshack and Ted Knight getting ready to christen his lovely little sailboat when Rodney Dangerfield comes along and hits the windlass switch on his huge stinkpot :0

"Hey, you scratched my Anchor!"



LB

 

[Dan Morehouse]

If singlehanding, there is probably some limited use for it. Once while on a chartered Catalina 42, we were trying to weigh the anchor in 20 knots of wind, and had great difficulty motoring up on it to relieve the load on the windlass because the bow kept blowing off. Consequently, there was ALMOST always a load on the rode which the windlass could not overcome. With crew on the foredeck operating the foot switches, we managed, but barely. If I had been alone, without a helm switch, there would have been no option but to stay put. And I hate being out of options. As an aside, Rodney Dangerfield's character was definitely NOT the Ericson type!

 

[stbdtack]

windlass control

I singlehand often, and my helm control for the windlass is the best thing I ever installed. From the helm I can see the paint marks on the chain so I know what I have out. I always retrieve the last bit while on the bow. Dropping anchor singlehanded is a breeze with the control at the windlass. Just gotta be smart about it.

 

[MarkA]

I would echo the comments about dropping the hook and breaking it free from the bottom.

I try to rig everything for single-handing because you never know when you, or the crew, will become incapacitated for whatever reason. You need to be able to drop the hook and back down on it alone. You need to be able to maneuver around a stuck anchor and break it free, alone. Often, these tasks must be done urgently in the middle of the night, in stormy conditions, and the safety of boat and crew are at stake. The cockpit switch is invaluable for those reasons.

Wouldn't it be nice to have autopilot remote controls that also controlled throttle and shifting from the bow? Probably not.