Catalina 22, winch repair

[Gill]

The winches on my '72 wonderful 22' are in much need of maintenance. How do they come apart and what do I " watch out" for.

 

[LaDonna Bubak - Planet Catalina]

Repacking winches

Hi Gill!There are lots of good books to buy or check out from the library regarding general boat maintenance, all of which should include repacking winches. This should be done (in an ideal world) yearly but every couple years (depending on environmental considerations) should suffice. Now, I'm not sure about your "specific" winches but I'm guessing they're not self tailers (duh!). This saves a step. You'll have to determine how to remove the drum but from the age of your boat, I'd guess there's a big screw/bolt in the middle of the winch. If so, get a big a** screwdriver & unscrew it. Back up a step! Make sure you have a pan, bucket, etc. of solvent (paint thinner works fine) to put all the pieces in. NOW, unscrew that screw (or unpry the C-clip if that's the style you have) and carefully pull the drum off. I doubt you have ball bearings in them but be VERY careful when pulling the drum off as any springs or bearings have a tendency to stick just until they're in direct line of water! You'll then have to remove the pawls & springs at the base of the winch - again VERY carefully cuz the springs tend to...well...spring! Dump all this into the bucket & let it soak while you're cleaning the insides of the winch. Use solvent & a soft cloth (NOT terrycloth, preferably t-shirt material) and/or toothbrush. Pick out all the gunk with a toothpick if you have to but get as much out as possible. Do the same to the stuff in the bucket.Now set everything out on a paper towel, etc. Make sure it's all there, then begin using winch grease (white lithium from Home Depot will do) on everything but the pawls & springs. A light coat will be completely sufficient as too much will just gunk up. Put the springs in (VERY carefully) & use a light machine oil on them. Then put the whole mess back together! Easy, huh?You don't necessarily need to take the whole shebang off the deck to do it either. Good luck and BE CAREFUL! There's nothing worse than hearing that tell tale 'poing!' and seeing a splash out of the corner of your eye.LaDonna

 

[Rico]

2 more cents

LaDonna set out all the basics. Now I'm straining to remember what I encountered when I last re- worked my winches to offer 22 specifics. They are needle bearings, about 20 or so a side. You can use the grease to hold the bearings in place as you re-assemble.I found one pair of ratchet catch levers to be rounded off at the ends and not seating securely into the teeth. a little more neglect might have found them slipping. I used a bench grinder to re-countour the levers to mate correctly with the teeth. Do this carefully as I remember them to be brass and very soft. You'll see what I mean when you have them apart. For good measure, I put in a painted steel backing plate and re-bedded the winches in place.Best of luck.

 

[BJ]

"Poing" proofing winch repair

Although I've not rebuilt any winches (yet), I did read about a technique that might be applicable for your rebuild. It involves cutting a hole a little (1") larger than the winch base in the bottom of a receptical such a cardboard box, plastic bucket, or one of your wife's large tupperware bowls(under penalty of death!). The box is slipped over the winch and then duct taped to the deck along the edges of the hole, effectively creating a catch pan for any errant parts during disassembly. Good luck!