circa 1983 Lewmar 40ST winch part question

[BigFatGuy]

Hello Folk:

While trimming the jib one afternoon, the starboard Lewmar 40ST winch gave up the ghost; the handle spun with no resistance in either direction. There was not sudden *snap*, no indication of a quick break. In fact, the winch would catch, spin, catch, spin until finally the handle just spun without turning the drum. At any rate, once docked I disassembled the winch and discovered that the main spindle had broken at what appeared to be a joint. Please see the attached photos for clarity; a whole, working spindle is aligned next to the broken one. My questions are as follows: A: why would the spindle be assembled in two parts like this? The working spindle shows no indication of ever needing disassembly in such a way, so WTF? 2: would the torque requirements of the spindle negate a trip to a machine shop and an attempt to rejoin the two pieces of the spindle through welding and/or drill/pin? As you know, this is a rare part in an old, outdated yet perfectly useful winch. iii: Seriously, WTF? and IV: does anyone have a useful source for such hard to find parts? I would think that the arrays of hurricanes in the last few years would yield some salvage.

With best regards,

jdk

 

[Calif. Ted]

Try Minney's, they probably got a whole winch for what the part would cost to repair, you can call to see if they have one but it's a hardware store for boats.
http://www.minneysyachtsurplus.com/

 

[seadaddler]

Bigfatguy

How was it taking the winch apart and what tools did you use.
Can you add some helpful info servicing my winch every once in a while it spins free and than go's back to working perfect so maybe I need to lubricate it.
The winch is on my 2007 H-36 so maybe some lub is just needed but have never taken one apart yet.
Nick

 

[Benny]

Contact Lewmar and inform them of the premature winch spindle failure. At the very least they should tell you how to get it back together or how to get a replacement part. I cannot think of any design consideration that would have this part built on two parts. It looks like it may have been a bar joint that randomly fell in that location during machining. Lewmar has a reputation to protect and should have an interest in making you good. The fact that it lasted so long is perhaps accidental. If it would have been used on a heavily raced boat it would have broken long ago.

 

[Cayennita]

Go to Lewmar.com and then to support. Go to spares, get the manual on line and scroll until you get to the 40ST. Part #22 is the spindle, if it is the same as yours then contact West Marine with the Lewmar part number and they will special order it for you. I've done it many times.

 

[Cayennita]

Winches need to be taken apart periodically. The palls and related springs will stick into their recessed housing because of too much and/or old grease. I do mine every 3 months in the Caribbean and never have had the handle spin freely. AC boats do it every day as well as racing machines.

 

[Cayennita]

Sailorman.com in Fort Lauderdale has probably the largest assortment of mostly used boat parts in the US.

 

[Ross]

Looks to me that the two pieces were press fit together. Is there a hole on the base of the short section? Will the small diameter on the long section fit into the short section? If the answer is yes, then I would press them back together. I would very closely inspect the short section for a crack. This piece may have been heat treated and too hard to drill for a pin. You can check with a sharp file. If the file cuts easily you can drill, if the file just skids and you have a crack then you need a new part. You may have a new paper weight and have to find a good used winch.