Barton wincher

Jun 5, 2017
2
Hunter 23 Wildwood Crest, NJ.
Anybody try them? Thinking about getting a set NOT because of the self tailing supposed capabilities (which is ok I suppose), but to keep the Maxwell winch caps in place after the crack and before they decide to jump into the water....
 
Mar 23, 2016
45
Hunter 26 MN
I use them on my h26. I swapped my winches to a larger size so I could install them. I use them instead of the cleats for the jib sheets. It is faster for me and I can do it when it's just me on the boat.

I don't use the self tailing feature of them.
 

Joe

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Jun 1, 2004
8,005
Catalina 27 Mission Bay, San Diego
Impulse aug 04 022.jpg Impulse aug 04 033.jpg Impulse aug 04 042.jpg
These pics are from 2004. The winchers were a previous owner purchase that I re installed.... used them for 5 or 6 months, then gave them away. Glad I didn't spend money on them. I don't recommend them at all.

There is no self tailing feature because there is no stripper arm to peel off the line. That makes them useless as a sheet winch....in fact, performance will be impaired because the drum must be fully loaded to engage the "st" ribs on the bottom side. When you throw off the line to change tacks, you must unwrap, rather than "pull up" on the sheet to clear the drum.
As a halyard winch you can get a little self tailing action... perhaps 1/3 turn.. for minor adjustments... but you still have to re-cleat the line.... so.. what's the point? The Cunningham serves better for small luff adjustments. Note that the halyard in the middle picture isn't even using the wincher. Especially no good for single handing.

If you're looking for a cleat.... install a cam cleat on a riser. Way more efficient. You can uncleat with one hand sitting from across the cockpit... with the wincher you must sit or stand next to the winch and unwrap the sheet from the cleat part before making any kind of adjustment... it's awkward, slow, goofy.

These things will not enhance your sailing experience.... invest in non captive(no fairlead) cam cleats on risers for sheets and rope clutches for halyards. Trust me.
 
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Feb 26, 2004
22,776
Catalina 34 224 Maple Bay, BC, Canada
Joe and I have disagreed on this humorously in the past. I loved the ones I had on my sheet winches on our Catalina 25 for the almost 13 years from 1987 to 1998.

Your boat, your choice. :)
 
Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
Another no vote. The person who invented them I’m convinced had never set foot on a sailboat. They were invented to appeal to a person who likes the concept of Self-tailing winches, but doesn’t want to spend money on them.