My primary winches on my 1984 H-31 are a little on the small side, has anyone up graded to a larger size and what size did you use? Also the Jib turning blocks could be of better quality and larger diameter, has anyone gone this route?
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Re: Primaries
While we have an '88 H-35, the situation with the winches is the same as on your boat, as in undersized. The OEM primaries winches were 24's which I removed and moved aft as secondaries. In their place were installed Lewmar 43s which, while expensive even on sale, were one of the best investments. Like the song, you don't know what you've missed until it's gone. When one does a price comparison between 24s and 43s it is readily apparent why the manufacturer chose the 24s - they're much cheaper. I think the newer 35.5s have 43s as standard. In comparison to the 24s, the 43s are like power steering or power brakes. If you steer and let your wife run the jib sheets she will really appreciate the larger winches. The primaries get a lot of use so the other advantage is that parts, if they're ever needed, are readily available for the Lewmars. The recommended size of winch can be found in the winch manufacturers catalog but for fractionally rigged boats one will will need to make some adjustments if the tables are for masthead rigs. The 100 percent sail area will be the determining factor. The winch mounting locations have aluminum backing plates which are built-in to the fiberglass deck. Another reason for the change is the larger primaries are very useful for hoisting a person up the mast, a potential safety factor. I had a spinnaker hourglass wrap once and the winds climbed to over 20 knots and my wife had to hoist me up - the larger winches were really nice.
While we have an '88 H-35, the situation with the winches is the same as on your boat, as in undersized. The OEM primaries winches were 24's which I removed and moved aft as secondaries. In their place were installed Lewmar 43s which, while expensive even on sale, were one of the best investments. Like the song, you don't know what you've missed until it's gone. When one does a price comparison between 24s and 43s it is readily apparent why the manufacturer chose the 24s - they're much cheaper. I think the newer 35.5s have 43s as standard. In comparison to the 24s, the 43s are like power steering or power brakes. If you steer and let your wife run the jib sheets she will really appreciate the larger winches. The primaries get a lot of use so the other advantage is that parts, if they're ever needed, are readily available for the Lewmars. The recommended size of winch can be found in the winch manufacturers catalog but for fractionally rigged boats one will will need to make some adjustments if the tables are for masthead rigs. The 100 percent sail area will be the determining factor. The winch mounting locations have aluminum backing plates which are built-in to the fiberglass deck. Another reason for the change is the larger primaries are very useful for hoisting a person up the mast, a potential safety factor. I had a spinnaker hourglass wrap once and the winds climbed to over 20 knots and my wife had to hoist me up - the larger winches were really nice.
Upgrading this weekend.
Jim: We are upgrading the winches on our 1989 Hunter 33.5 this weekend. We have had many different crew members complain about the small primary winches on the boat. Additionally, we wanted to add another winch on the cabintop as we are leading control lines and spin halyard aft to the cockpit. The plan is to move the #22 primaries to the cabintop, and install new Lewmar 2 speed 40's for primaries. The turn blocks for the Genoa seem ok on the 1989 33.5. I will soon have a Barient #17 available for paperweight. I believe that the original Barient #22s are sufficient for the 110% headsail, but we fly a 150% or 155% most of the time. We also recently reduced the size of the jib sheets from the origional 9/16" to 7/16" line. These smaller lines flow through all the hardware much more freely and are still large enough to grip. I have a good friend on Suzy Q, a Hunter 31, who races in our fleet. I believe he uses #40s for primaries, but I'll check this weekend and let you know. We searched all over for a good deal... There were some at auction on e-bay that we missed. PY Yacht had a 10% off in a flyer that I got last night, Fawcett's (sp?) in Annapolis had a great trade in special last year during the boat show. Our friendly local marina gave us the best deal and he will give great service, too. Good Luck, Ron (captainronb@earthlink.net)
Jim: We are upgrading the winches on our 1989 Hunter 33.5 this weekend. We have had many different crew members complain about the small primary winches on the boat. Additionally, we wanted to add another winch on the cabintop as we are leading control lines and spin halyard aft to the cockpit. The plan is to move the #22 primaries to the cabintop, and install new Lewmar 2 speed 40's for primaries. The turn blocks for the Genoa seem ok on the 1989 33.5. I will soon have a Barient #17 available for paperweight. I believe that the original Barient #22s are sufficient for the 110% headsail, but we fly a 150% or 155% most of the time. We also recently reduced the size of the jib sheets from the origional 9/16" to 7/16" line. These smaller lines flow through all the hardware much more freely and are still large enough to grip. I have a good friend on Suzy Q, a Hunter 31, who races in our fleet. I believe he uses #40s for primaries, but I'll check this weekend and let you know. We searched all over for a good deal... There were some at auction on e-bay that we missed. PY Yacht had a 10% off in a flyer that I got last night, Fawcett's (sp?) in Annapolis had a great trade in special last year during the boat show. Our friendly local marina gave us the best deal and he will give great service, too. Good Luck, Ron (captainronb@earthlink.net)
More Winches.....
Jim: Suzie Q (Hunter 31) has 30s (better than 22s). I would go for the 40s if you have room. My project is still "in progress." Hole patterns did not match on the new, so old holes must be filled with epoxy. New holes must be drilled and tapped for correct size screws. Not difficult stuff, but you need to have all the "stuff" to complete. rb
Jim: Suzie Q (Hunter 31) has 30s (better than 22s). I would go for the 40s if you have room. My project is still "in progress." Hole patterns did not match on the new, so old holes must be filled with epoxy. New holes must be drilled and tapped for correct size screws. Not difficult stuff, but you need to have all the "stuff" to complete. rb
Drilling & Tapping Aluminum
Probably could have helped Ron out on his project but forgot some of the details - but it's comming back to me now. Drilling & Tapping in Aluminum requires a different tapping oil than for steel. Tapping aluminum with either a dry tap or steel tapping oil will cause the tap to gaul up and become dull quicker. Tapping oil for aluminum really helps both drilling and tapping significantly. Primary winch size is a function of the 100 percent jib area more than they type of jib sail. While the 150 genoa is a bigger sail than the 110 blade or even a 70 percent storm jib the load is going to be about the same on the sheets and the winches. If the boat has an aft cabin, adding winches in the secondary position will probably require an access hole in the overhead liner and cover plates. The spinaker halyard winch dosen't need to be all that large. In fact, if the jib halyard winch feels okay then it's probably going to be okay for the spinnaker too.
Probably could have helped Ron out on his project but forgot some of the details - but it's comming back to me now. Drilling & Tapping in Aluminum requires a different tapping oil than for steel. Tapping aluminum with either a dry tap or steel tapping oil will cause the tap to gaul up and become dull quicker. Tapping oil for aluminum really helps both drilling and tapping significantly. Primary winch size is a function of the 100 percent jib area more than they type of jib sail. While the 150 genoa is a bigger sail than the 110 blade or even a 70 percent storm jib the load is going to be about the same on the sheets and the winches. If the boat has an aft cabin, adding winches in the secondary position will probably require an access hole in the overhead liner and cover plates. The spinaker halyard winch dosen't need to be all that large. In fact, if the jib halyard winch feels okay then it's probably going to be okay for the spinnaker too.
Upgrade Complete - 40s work great!
Jim: There is a big difference! The Lewmar 40s work great. Installation is no piece of cake though. Different hole patters create need for epoxy, drilling and tapping new holes, bedding the new winches. It took me a couple of days, but it was worth it. Ron PS: John, Thanks for your advice.
Jim: There is a big difference! The Lewmar 40s work great. Installation is no piece of cake though. Different hole patters create need for epoxy, drilling and tapping new holes, bedding the new winches. It took me a couple of days, but it was worth it. Ron PS: John, Thanks for your advice.
barient winches
We have barient winches on our 1989 32' Vision. I have been searching for repair kits with replacement springs. Have you ever found any such kit? Since Barient is no longer making winches I have had no success on thier web page. Any ideas? MP
We have barient winches on our 1989 32' Vision. I have been searching for repair kits with replacement springs. Have you ever found any such kit? Since Barient is no longer making winches I have had no success on thier web page. Any ideas? MP
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