What switch did you install. Did you run the rocker back to the cockpit or get a remote switch of some sort. I know some have complained about the chain not free falling and bunching up below the windlass, so would need some sort of switch at the bow?
I'm going to have a million questions now.
Wow Scott you have little patience
The deck was 1" thick. If I recall correctly 5/8 ply plus fiberglass both sides made it 1". So I installed a backer plate made up of a piece of 3/4 ply which I epoxied into place. The underside was relatively flat. I held it in place overnight with a piece of 2x4 wedged underneath. This was the easy part of the job. I had already drilled the holes through the anchor locker so the next day I just re drilled through the ply. The bolts are plenty long enough for the extra 1/4" but would not work with the 1" as you run out of thread. To actually bolt the windlass down you have to hold the motor in place while trying to line up the slotted groove and threading the nut onto the bolts. I found it impossible to keep everything in place so I had to get the Admiral to stand on top of the windless from above while I did the hard work underneath but, of course now "she" installed the windlass!
My boat was not prewired which makes sense because Hunter would not know what type of windlass the owners would buy/voltage/amps etc. But yes there is a breaker on the panel. When I laid the template down to drill the holes I made sure that the part where the chain travels in and out lined up with the guide in the anchor locker and I took it as far forward as I dare. I used AWG#2 wire for the power. I came directly off the starter battery to the breaker supplied by Lewmar then, from the breaker to the supplied control box which i mounted to the backer plate. From there you run 2 powers to the windlass one for each direction. Then ran neutral from the windlass to the neutral bus bar behind the breaker panel. I placed the breaker under the nav table next to the battery switch. I then installed the foot switches inside the anchor locker. (I really did not want them deck mounted) and then I ran AWG#14 wire from the windlass breaker on the panel to the switches and pig tailed to each switch then connected each switch connects to the control box. I do not trust the rubber gasket to provide a complete seal so I ran a bead of sealant around the base. In fact the switches did not even come with a rubber gasket so they were place on top of a bed of sealant before being screwed down. It also came supplied with a rocker switch. I spent a FULL day trying to figure out how to run it back to my cockpit. I have the perfect place to put it next to the throttle control. While I was trying to figure this out I noticed that all of the wiring for my wind/speed/depth and autopilot come through a hole that the installer drilled through the drainage scupper under the sole of the cockpit. It is sealed with about half a tube of silicone. This made me blow my top. OK, maybe it hasn't leaked for 12 years but to me that's a problem waiting to happen. So at the end of the season I shall be pulling all of those wires out and re routing this is when I shall install the rocker switch.
I have 200' of 5/16 chain. This was a major pain trying to get it onto the windlass. It kept kinking and getting jammed. The free fall/operation is a friction fit and you have to tighten it quit hard with a winch handle to make it work. The rinky dink plastic handle that lewmar provided just wouldn't work so now I keep a real winch handle in the anchor locker. I brought the chain to the boat in a wheelbarrow and tried to wind it onto the windlass straight from the barrow. this was a mistake so when you get round to doing it you need to lay out the chain as long as possible and try to get the kinks out.
So while actually using the windlass I have found it to be extremely good but no it is not perfect. When I am in position and ready to drop the anchor the free fall tends to work only until the anchor hits bottom and then a bit more chain due to the velocity. If the Admiral is with me she will start backing up then normally the anchor will start to grab just enough to start pulling out more chain. If I am solo that weekend the I tend to lock it of and use the foot switch to pay out more chain and let the wind push the boat along. Bringing the anchor up it is important to try to not let the windlass drag the boat through the water. This can overload the motor. The windlass is only supposed to lift the weight of the chain and anchor. So If I am solo I tend to pull on the chain to get the boat moving forward then start to winch in using the foot switch. If the Admiral is on board then she can motor forwards for me. Yes the chain does bunch up and you have to continuously throw it to the back of the locker. Its not that bad. I sit down and push the foot switch with my right hand and the left hand is feeding the chain as it exits the windlass. My chain is galvanized. I fell that if it was stainless steel it would create less friction and everything would run a lot smoother but the price of stainless is crazy and it probably wouldn't last any longer.
I probably dont have to tell you this but I will anyway.
1. Never run the windlass without the engine running or else you will destroy the batteries.
2. Never rely on the windlass as a tie of point. At anchor the chain gets wrapped around the cleat in the locker then you need a snubber attached to the chain which gets tied of to the "real" cleats on the deck. The snubber gets paid out so that there is slack in the chain. I dont think neither the chain cleat or the windlass would last a night through a good storm if they were the primary source of attachment.