We plan on doing a lot of coursing in the warmer climates on a 456 CC and would like to know if the anchoring gear that comes on the 456 is good for every day use. Is it beefy enough? I have noticed that the only change I see on the new 450 CC is the controls are on desk instead of under the hatch, that would say to me there were not too many complaints. Any thoughts on this? Thank you, Chip
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Chip, it would help to know what you have...
on the 456 CC today and what warmer waters you have in mind. Our P42 came standard with a 40 pound Danforth anchor, 30 feet of 5/16th high test chain and 200 feet of three strand nylon rope. The Danforth works great in mud or sand in our waters, but the 30 feet of chain seemed short, so I increased it to 50 feet. I also use a 20 pound kellet to aid catenary. If we were to head for warmer (tropical) waters, I would change over to all chain and an anchor suited for those waters, not a Danforth. Further, rope does not hold up well in coral laden anchorages. If you only wanted to hear from other 456 owners, please disregard this reply. Terry
on the 456 CC today and what warmer waters you have in mind. Our P42 came standard with a 40 pound Danforth anchor, 30 feet of 5/16th high test chain and 200 feet of three strand nylon rope. The Danforth works great in mud or sand in our waters, but the 30 feet of chain seemed short, so I increased it to 50 feet. I also use a 20 pound kellet to aid catenary. If we were to head for warmer (tropical) waters, I would change over to all chain and an anchor suited for those waters, not a Danforth. Further, rope does not hold up well in coral laden anchorages. If you only wanted to hear from other 456 owners, please disregard this reply. Terry
I was interested in the windless on the 456 cc
to see if it performed well with chain and line for anchor rode. Is it easy to work with and does it stand up to a lot of anchoring? We have not purchased our 456 cc but it is a boat my wifeand I both agre on. We now have a Catalina 30 1983. Thanks Chip
to see if it performed well with chain and line for anchor rode. Is it easy to work with and does it stand up to a lot of anchoring? We have not purchased our 456 cc but it is a boat my wifeand I both agre on. We now have a Catalina 30 1983. Thanks Chip
Chip, our Maxwell windlass has worked...
very well in all conditions. It is a manual drop and a pushbutton electric lift. I find it very east to work with as I solo about 80% of the time. We've anchored alot over the past few years and the chain/rope rode has held up well. The thimble at the chain rope joint is reaching a point of replacement in the next year or so due to wear and corrosion. After all it is 15 years old. Terry P.S. Good luck on your purchase.
very well in all conditions. It is a manual drop and a pushbutton electric lift. I find it very east to work with as I solo about 80% of the time. We've anchored alot over the past few years and the chain/rope rode has held up well. The thimble at the chain rope joint is reaching a point of replacement in the next year or so due to wear and corrosion. After all it is 15 years old. Terry P.S. Good luck on your purchase.
450 Windlass Problems
I sail a '95 450 with the standard Simpson Lawrence/Lewmar Horizon (1500, I think)windlass. If your boat came with the same model beware! The fleming (thin plastic strip that lies in the deepest part of the chain gypsy) also acts as a chain stripper. Because it is plastic it wears through very quickly. When it breaks it creates sharp edges that will immediately catch your rode and hopelessly jam the windlass during retrieval. Under tension it will cut right through your rode. I nearly lost my boat, 150 feet of chain and my anchor this way. Granted I should have put the strain of the rode on a cleat, not on the windlass, but I was dropping the hook in deep water for a 1-hour dive on a nearby rock ledge and figured it would be okay. The broken flemming chewed completely through 2 of the 3 strands of the rode AND hopelessly jammed the windlass. We were lucky to recover the chain and anchor after lots of jerry-rigging and Windlass disassembly in building wind and seas on a lee shore. I've eaten though 3 of these flemmings in 2 year of anchoring. I had a stainless fleming made soon after that last incident. If you have this windlass make that change immediately. Lewmar insists it is not a design flaw but their newer windlasses have metal flemmings. You should also make sure that the brushes on the motor are replaceable. On mine and a smaller model a neighbor owns, neither the brushes nor the brush assembly can be replaced unless you can find a shop to custom make and install them (brushes are not a standard size). Lewmar will tell you to purchase a new motor for $850 when the brushes wear out!! I have been told several times by Lewmar that brushes are made for the motor, but I have never been able to get my hands on a set through any of their distributors. Not even the Lewmar reps at the Strictly Sail show were able to order them. After they insisted, in the rudest tones possible, that replacements were easily obtained I asked them to order a set using my credit card and cell phone while I waited. From my experience, a set of brushes is not likely to last more than 1-2 seasons if you anchor frequently. Don't count on a "promise" that they can be ordered. I found the Lewmar reps from the Strictly Sail show to be exceedingly arrogant, defensive and uncaring, which was quite a disappointment after having found so many other vendors to be the complete opposite. Even if they were great I would hesitate to buy another product from a company who would market a windlass with a useless and dangereous plastic chain stripper and an $850 motor that needs to be replaced every time the brushes wear out. What were they thinking? If you are on a tight budget, have the flemming reproduced in stainless (I paid around $200) and search for an old-school electric motor or starter motor shop where you can have a few sets of replacement brushes custom made. The windlass is easy to disassemble and the motor is easily removed. Replacing the brushes is a little tricky so you should do it once before you leave so you are sure you can replace them yourself when the time comes. Outside of the brush and flemming problems (and the inevitable corrosion of the aluminum windlass housing) it is a capable windlass with acceptable power and good retrieval speeds. Good luck.
I sail a '95 450 with the standard Simpson Lawrence/Lewmar Horizon (1500, I think)windlass. If your boat came with the same model beware! The fleming (thin plastic strip that lies in the deepest part of the chain gypsy) also acts as a chain stripper. Because it is plastic it wears through very quickly. When it breaks it creates sharp edges that will immediately catch your rode and hopelessly jam the windlass during retrieval. Under tension it will cut right through your rode. I nearly lost my boat, 150 feet of chain and my anchor this way. Granted I should have put the strain of the rode on a cleat, not on the windlass, but I was dropping the hook in deep water for a 1-hour dive on a nearby rock ledge and figured it would be okay. The broken flemming chewed completely through 2 of the 3 strands of the rode AND hopelessly jammed the windlass. We were lucky to recover the chain and anchor after lots of jerry-rigging and Windlass disassembly in building wind and seas on a lee shore. I've eaten though 3 of these flemmings in 2 year of anchoring. I had a stainless fleming made soon after that last incident. If you have this windlass make that change immediately. Lewmar insists it is not a design flaw but their newer windlasses have metal flemmings. You should also make sure that the brushes on the motor are replaceable. On mine and a smaller model a neighbor owns, neither the brushes nor the brush assembly can be replaced unless you can find a shop to custom make and install them (brushes are not a standard size). Lewmar will tell you to purchase a new motor for $850 when the brushes wear out!! I have been told several times by Lewmar that brushes are made for the motor, but I have never been able to get my hands on a set through any of their distributors. Not even the Lewmar reps at the Strictly Sail show were able to order them. After they insisted, in the rudest tones possible, that replacements were easily obtained I asked them to order a set using my credit card and cell phone while I waited. From my experience, a set of brushes is not likely to last more than 1-2 seasons if you anchor frequently. Don't count on a "promise" that they can be ordered. I found the Lewmar reps from the Strictly Sail show to be exceedingly arrogant, defensive and uncaring, which was quite a disappointment after having found so many other vendors to be the complete opposite. Even if they were great I would hesitate to buy another product from a company who would market a windlass with a useless and dangereous plastic chain stripper and an $850 motor that needs to be replaced every time the brushes wear out. What were they thinking? If you are on a tight budget, have the flemming reproduced in stainless (I paid around $200) and search for an old-school electric motor or starter motor shop where you can have a few sets of replacement brushes custom made. The windlass is easy to disassemble and the motor is easily removed. Replacing the brushes is a little tricky so you should do it once before you leave so you are sure you can replace them yourself when the time comes. Outside of the brush and flemming problems (and the inevitable corrosion of the aluminum windlass housing) it is a capable windlass with acceptable power and good retrieval speeds. Good luck.
Lewmar or Maxwell on the
years after 95? You mentioned your windless is a MAXWELL, is this because your boat is other that the 450 CC or is yours a later year than a 95'? Thanks Chip
years after 95? You mentioned your windless is a MAXWELL, is this because your boat is other that the 450 CC or is yours a later year than a 95'? Thanks Chip
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