Has anyone mounted an electric Winch for the main halyard to replace the Barient on a Legend 37.5? Where did you run the power cables? Jerry
Electric halyard winch
- Thread starter Jrtauber
- Start date
jssailem
SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John
- Oct 22, 2014
- 22,048
Jerry.. While it is possible, the cost might be better spent on improving your sail slides so there is no friction to raising the sail. Most main sails can be raised by a 90 pound woman in a bikini, without a winch, if the sail and halyard are working correctly.
Just get a Milwaukee angle drill and a winch bit. Way cheaper and can be used as a drill.
I bought the 28 Volt Milwaukee angle drill and a winch bit this past May, Pulls the main up with no effort thru the Lewmar coach top winch and takes me at 165 lbs up to the top of the mast again with no more effort on the users part than pulling the trigger on the drill. A much cheaper solution to the electric winch installation.
jssailem
SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John
- Oct 22, 2014
- 22,048
I made one from a 1/2" socket extension (cheap at a flea market) that was cut just a couple inches from the 1/2" square drive. The square is just a tad larger than the 8-point socket on the winch, so a bit at a time of grinding the 4 sides of the square down will get you a good fit. On the shank, put some dye marker or paint or such, clamp down tight with the drill to mark it, then grind the three marks down as much as you need to get 3 good landings for the drill jaws.
Jerry.. While it is possible, the cost might be better spent on improving your sail slides so there is no friction to raising the sail. Most main sails can be raised by a 90 pound woman in a bikini, without a winch, if the sail and halyard are working correctly.
Over the years the mainsail track gets gunk, sand and salt in it.
To hoist the main I go to the mast, heave down on the halyard where it exits the mast, place a wedge in the organizer turning block. Then go back to the cockpit , haul up the last 50 cm and winch tight. The sail has a boltrope and it is OLD. I found that it was getting harder and harder to haul up, so I made up a track cleaner. Pic 1
This is 30cm of (rough) nylon rope with a tether whipped to it. The tether ends just above the rope on one end and extends down about 5 cm or so on the lower end. The main halyard is connected to the short end (Pic 2) and a light downhaul to the other( pic 3). The rope is liberally sprayed with silicone grease then fed into the track.
I hauled up and down a couple of times. Removed it and resprayed and repeated.
It WORKS!!!! The main now glides up. Will work with slugs too. Gary
Over the years the mainsail track gets gunk, sand and salt in it.
To hoist the main I go to the mast, heave down on the halyard where it exits the mast, place a wedge in the organizer turning block. Then go back to the cockpit , haul up the last 50 cm and winch tight. The sail has a boltrope and it is OLD. I found that it was getting harder and harder to haul up, so I made up a track cleaner. Pic 1
This is 30cm of (rough) nylon rope with a tether whipped to it. The tether ends just above the rope on one end and extends down about 5 cm or so on the lower end. The main halyard is connected to the short end (Pic 2) and a light downhaul to the other( pic 3). The rope is liberally sprayed with silicone grease then fed into the track.
I hauled up and down a couple of times. Removed it and resprayed and repeated.
It WORKS!!!! The main now glides up. Will work with slugs too. Gary
Attachments
I'll throw my 2 cents in here based on my experiences with my Hunter 340. The main is big and heavy. Add the friction of the track to that and every time we hoisted it, once it got about halfway up, we had to use the cabin mounted winch to finish the job. I've always cleaned the track and used McLube but only obtained marginal improvements and I didn't like spraying lubricant all over the track in a breeze. I looked at replacing the sail track with a smoother system but the expense didn't seem to justify the reward for me.
My solution was to look for a used "Milwaukee 2707 18V Li-Ion 7/16" Hex Cordless Right Angle Drill Kit". The kit included the drill, 2 batteries and charger. The bit I purchased is this one, "Winch Driver Sailing Bit Tool 11/16" Double Square." Get the drill model 2707 with the standard chuck. I actually got the model 2708 quick-lok one and it works well but I had to modify the winch bit with my dremel to fit the drill quick-lok bit. I paid $200 for the drill kit and $20 for the bit.
So for $220 I now have an electric winch that works great. Raising the main is as easy as pushing a button. The main quickly and easily runs up almost 90% of the track in about 20 seconds, I then reverse the drill and use the 2nd speed on the winch to finish the job. The only downside is the drill isn't waterproof but I may make a sleeve for it to keep it dry. Under the dodger I haven't had a problem keeping it dry.
My solution was to look for a used "Milwaukee 2707 18V Li-Ion 7/16" Hex Cordless Right Angle Drill Kit". The kit included the drill, 2 batteries and charger. The bit I purchased is this one, "Winch Driver Sailing Bit Tool 11/16" Double Square." Get the drill model 2707 with the standard chuck. I actually got the model 2708 quick-lok one and it works well but I had to modify the winch bit with my dremel to fit the drill quick-lok bit. I paid $200 for the drill kit and $20 for the bit.
So for $220 I now have an electric winch that works great. Raising the main is as easy as pushing a button. The main quickly and easily runs up almost 90% of the track in about 20 seconds, I then reverse the drill and use the 2nd speed on the winch to finish the job. The only downside is the drill isn't waterproof but I may make a sleeve for it to keep it dry. Under the dodger I haven't had a problem keeping it dry.
Georgewd,,,
So the 18 Volt drill is powerful enough? People have recommended the 24 volt but they are very expensive. Possibly the only thing heavier than your 34 main is my 37 main. It is a monster!!
So the 18 Volt drill is powerful enough? People have recommended the 24 volt but they are very expensive. Possibly the only thing heavier than your 34 main is my 37 main. It is a monster!!
The 18V drill works well for 90% of the hoist at the full speed. I then reverse the drill and use the 2nd speed of the winch for the extra 6' or so of the hoist. I haven't had a problem with it and don't think the extra voltage would add anything. Be patient as I searched craigslist and fleabay for months to find a good deal on a used drill. New ones are very expensive $400-500.