winch cleaning - do you remove the winch?

[john6206]

Hey All -

I've been watching winch cleaning videos. It's still snowing here today and I'm not ready to actually start doing boat projects - BUT there is only 2 months till launch!

Everyone says it's an easy, don't be intimidated - it looks a little complicated!

Some of the videos include removing the winch and taking it home, cleaning it on your shop bench. I do see some advantage to that - but it seems like extra work. Do you remove the winch when you clean it?

Rebedding everything is also on the to-do list, but I wasn't planning to start with the winches.

Do you replace the springs every time you clean the winch? (guy from Lewmar suggests that)

 

[Don S/V ILLusion]

I once cleaned a winch on the kitchen table. My wife informed, in graphic terms, to never do that again.
Actually, doing in on the boat seems easier assuming the climate isn’t uncomfortable.

 

[RussC]

I take them off the boat just so WHEN I drop a screw, or a spring pops out, I can usually locate it on my bench without snorkel and full diving gear.

 

[Captain Larry-DH]

You have plenty of time-critical jobs to do below the waterline for spring prep. This isn’t one of those. This can be done in the cockpit at anchor when just hanging out during the sailing season.
Lewmar wants to sell overpriced winch service kits. I clean them and inspect the components each time. Replace springs or pawls or roller bearings only if needed.
I use SuperLube PTFE synthetic grease sparingly, lightly applied with a small chip brush that’s been trimmed short with scissors. I use a 1qt or 2qt plastic bucket with paint thinner and another trimmed chip brush for cleaning. Those brushes are stored in a ziplock bag between uses.
PS - Does your bedding need replacement? Is it degraded or degrading there or elsewhere? If not, why fix something that doesn’t need fixing? Some bedding can last as long as the boat.

 

[dLj]

It can depend upon what winches you have. I used to have a boat that to service the winches, I had to remove them. But most winches you don't have to do that. I now service my winches on the boat as my current boat allows for everything to come apart without removing the winch from it's mounting. I almost never feel I need to replace the springs but if one looks weak or in any way damaged, definitely change it. I've rarely had to replace a paw. I would suggest making a carboard box with a hole cut out so that you can put it over the winch, I then tape it to the boat. That way if anything jumps out, it usually stays inside that box.

dj

 

[Stu Jackson]

Unless you are a glutton for punishment there is NO reason to take winches off a boat to service them.

The oft-repeated "put a box around them" is pure nonsense and drivel. Why? Because anything that is likely to pop out of a winch is going to fly further horizontally than the edge of the bloody box! If you are concerned about that, hang a towel off your lifelines and around the base of the winch.

I've serviced mine many times and didn't have anything pop off or drop. I just worked slowly and carefully.

 

[Davidasailor26]

I also don’t remove mine for servicing. Unless the bedding is leaking touching it just seems like inviting new problems. I do hang a towel from the lifelines and lay another on the deck around the winch - easy insurance.

None of the steps are very complicated; just keep a printout of the exploded diagram to see what order everything should go back on during reassembly.

 

[Foswick]

Because anything that is likely to pop out of a winch is going to fly further horizontally than the edge of the bloody box! If you are concerned about that, hang a towel off your lifelines and around the base of the winch.

I don't follow your reasoning. A part would pass through the sides of a box, but would be caught by a towel?

But, that said, I just tape a sheet of plastic or something to drape between the coaming and lifeline. But, a box would work well.

The issue is less about something flying through the air into the water and more about something falling and bouncing or rolling into the water. Often what happens is, when you lift the drum off, something sticks to it as you lift, but then falls out. On my boat, the coamings and deck are carefully designed and calibrated to redirect any dropped object directly into the water, regardless of where the object was dropped. My marina has to dredge my slip every couple of years to remove all of my dropped eyeglasses and tools so I can still get in and out of my slip.

This diagram represents how various objects dropped in my cockpit react to surfaces:

 

[Calif. Ted]

They are Lewmar "Ocean" winches, you can disassemble with bare hands, nothing going to "jump" overboard or stick to the drum.
https://www.lewmar.com/mst_attachment/attachment/click/attachment_id/182/

 

[jssailem]

The idea of a box, a towel, or even an old sheet is to create a barrier to the springs or bearings leaping or being slipped through fingers. I have used all three. I now have an old sheet that runs from a lifeline, cut out over the winch, and down to my lap. Working slowly, I rarely have an issue.

Like @Captain Larry-DH, I only replace items if broken.

There are many recommendations for lubricants. Practical Sailor has a good review of winch lubricants.
I personally have been using Corrosion Block with success. It is light enough that it doesn't attract dirt and gunk up the winch, yet it protects the metals and provides a smooth action.

I would use my phone to take pictures of the parts as I remove them. If you are working on self-tailing winches, you will want to get the stripping bar in the correct orientation when you reassemble.

 

[thinwater]

I never, in 40 years, took one home. Extra work, rebedding ... no way.

You should replace the springs every few years, anyway. I've had ~ half a dozen breaks over the years, always after 2-3 years.

Replace the pawls at the same time. They may not look worn, but they are, just a little. If you used a mic, you would see it. This causes the seat to wear faster, and if the seat wears out, the winch is toast (too expensive to replace that part).

Some winches cannot be fully serviced on the boat. Don't ever buy one of those. Often, the mounting bolts are either seized (mast) or impossible to access. The solution is to clean everything you can reach with solvent and a brush and lightly re-grease. It will work.

There are a few where you can't even get the drum off (idiots). Often, these can be lubed by flooding the handle socket with engine oil and them spinning both ways, on and off, for a few minutes. Put a rag around the base to catch what drips through. My secondaries are like that. They're 35 years old.

I've never had a part stray even a few inches. Go slow. I've been lucky too, I suppose. And all of the towel and box ideas are sound enough.

 

[Tally Ho]

I would not remove the mounting bolts to take them home for cleaning. But my old Barlows have 3 cap screws that let me remove the upper part of the winch easily. In that case, I have removed the top and took that home.

in most cases, remove the drum, and clean and regrease in place. I have put a hole in a cardboard box and used that to catch anything I drop (but it won’t stop a flying spring!).

Greg

 

[shemandr]

I took mine home to redo. I preferred to work in the comfort of my shop rather than stooping over the winch in the cockpit or sitting aside of it in a stressed body position. Plus I had the instructions at hand, good lighting, magnification and all the tools I needed at hand. I thought it was worthwhile to re-seal the mounting hardware anyway.

 

[Rich Stidger]

My two cents- I have never removed the winches for cleaning. I do surround the winch with towels and hang from the lifelines as a precaution. I have a bucket of de-greaser to wash the bearing assemblies and lots of rags to wipe the post and base of grease and dirt. Re-grease lightly, don't pack the bearings, and oil the paws and spring. It takes me about an hour for each winch from start to finish. And I do this service about every three years.
YMMV.

 

[jssailem]

I do this service about every three years.

My alarm is ringing.

 

[Justin_NSA]

I didn't remove mine from the deck. I dismantled and cleaned them in the boatyard. I have Barient winches. I had to order replacement parts from Australia!

 

[Scott T-Bird]

No need to stress ... It's an easy job and very satisfying. Absolutely don't take the mounted base of your Lewmar winches off the boat. Wait until a nice day when you can relax in the cockpit for a few hours and take your time. I would buy the Lewmar kit for no other reason than it leads you thru the procedure and you get spare springs and pawls (I believe). It's very unlikely that you will lose pawls if you are careful. The springs are replaceable and you can lose one when you pinch the ends and it slips off your fingertips, so be sure to have spares. I've lost one or two but it just gave me an excuse to use the replacements. I don't bother with any boxes or curtains to contain parts when I disassemble.

The first time I took mine apart, I think I had difficulty removing the center spindle because it wasn't that intuitive, but I eventually figured it out. I don't remember specifically what my difficulty was. It was one of those moments I felt dumb for not knowing right off. It just happened to be a bit sticky & needed to be cleaned.

 

[thinwater]

Done regularly, I doubt it takes me 10 minutes per winch. No build-up. Also, your remember how. All four take about an hour, by the time I've cleaned up.

Like shaving, done regularly, it's nothing. Taking off a beard takes longer and hurts.

 

[william24424]

Clean & lubed them on boat, didn’t lose a spring yet, although I dropped my screwdriver & then sunglasses trying to retrieve screwdriver into water. Water density is greater than air, leads to gravitational pull on surrounding objects. Be careful, good luck.

 

[Scott T-Bird]

Use a small plastic tub to fill with mineral spirits and soak your parts for cleaning. I use one tub for containing parts after removal and one tub for soaking parts in mineral spirits. The Lewmar kit provides the service manual, oil that you will use on springs & pawls and the grease to use on all of the assembly parts. Do not use grease on the springs & pawls. The instructions make that clear. Just pay attention to which way the gears go together when you remove them. The rest is very intuitive. Even if you don't pay attention to the way the gears come out, you'll figure out how they go back together with just a little trial and error. I'm sure replacement springs come with the kit but I'm not sure about the pawls. Buy extra pawls if you need to. There is no reason not to have some for spare parts.

I haven't bothered to replace springs, but it's not a bad idea. I was going to suggest to keep the old ones for spares, but when you buy a package, you'll probably have more than enough anyway.