How do I make my winch lower my keel?

[Timo42]

Ed, if I wanted to flame someone, I would go to S/A, here, we aim for a higher level of civility. The thing about releasing the pawl is that it does you no good in making the winch functional, it acts as a one way clutch, and seems to be functioning normally, since the O/P stated that he could get the keel to come up. The gear that the pawl stops only holds the drum if either the brake is applied via pressure from the threaded crank handle, or it is rusted solid. Given that the O/P has stated that he tried to lower the winch it would be safe to assume that the brake disc is rusted to the clutch gear. this being the case, sticking fingers in the vicinity of the pawl is dangerous since the pawl is located above the gear and out of sight and in close proximity to the cable reel, it's gear, and 10 or so feet of old, kinked cable which is attached to 625 lbs of steel. BTW since the O/P stated that the cable is frayed, I will take his word on that. The winch is 23 years old, obviously from the pictures is in sad shape and should be replaced for safety reasons. Age alone is not a reason to replace something, the hand cranked blower for my blacksmith forge is over 100 years old and still going strong. On the other hand, age and neglect on a mission critical part to me means replace for safety's sake. I don't think that is being a "scaredy cat" I don't want my last words to be "Hey y'all watch this" TIm

 

[TexasEd]

Right-O

He wants it to go DOWN, not up. Best way to do this is to reverse the action of the pawl. I guess some people just see the world through flames.

 

[Bob Gump]

I replaced

I bought a replacement and had it installed in a day.... No problem and well worth the effort..... Picture of my old winch attached... Got the cable from Home Depot and swage from West Marine.... Keep it simple and safe... I used my old winch handle since it was already bent to fit... You really can't see the condition under the cable until you pull it.. My boat is a 1983 Mac25...

 

[caguy]

Good call on replacing it Bob, that is pretty ugly.

 

[Erik]

lower Keel

To All
As an old sailor but a new Mac 25 owner I went through the boat top to bottom in order to get familiar with all its systems (I thought). She almost sunk , maybe flooded would be a better description. You see the tube that contains the keel winch cable became entangled in the cable when I was raising the keel. I assume it became pinched between the cable and winch side plate. It was pulled right off the hull through fitting and being below the water line you know what happened. We came back after a long lunch to find things a bit wet, at least a foot of water INSIDE the boat. The bilge couldn’t keep up battery went dead and everyone was steppen and fetchen. It took a little while to find the leak and reattach the tubing once done I cut some off the top so there is no chance to foul the winch. The reason for all this is in your photo the tubing appears to be high enough to get caught between the cable and winch side plate. The boat won’t sink but it makes a mess.

Erik

 

[Timo42]

Frank, I am definitely looking at the hose and clamp next time we go out. After the motor mount bolts, rudder, and the battery... I'm just saying... Maybe Sunday?
Happy New Year to all, Tim

Texased, I don't follow you, how exactly do you reverse a one way pawl? This isn't a trailer winch with a lever. Look at the picture of the winch Bob removed, how would you even get to the pawl? Would you have something like that on your boat? Remember the 625lb keel . No flames here, just trying to understand your point.

 

[Bob Gump]

FYI - Link to Winch manual in PDF form... Parts Breakdown, Operation, and maintenance...http://www.dutton-lainson.com/206306.pdf

 

[TexasEd]

Answer

Timo, my boat had a trailer-like winch with a pawl. Not all of these winches are the same. Some have a friction clutch and others have a pawl. The most important thing to remember here is to keep the handle from swinging around and hitting you. Sounds like Bob Gump's decision was a good one. I like his idea about shortening the tube to avoid getting it caught in the winch/cable. I bet his new winch has a pawl.

 

[Timo42]

OK Ed thats the problem, someone put the wrong type of winch on your boat at some time. The OEM winch is a brake winch, which is what the OP has. Both types of winch have a pawl, but the trailer winch pawl is reversible with a lever and the brake winch is not. IMHO a trailer winch is not safe in this application because it can get away from you and cause serious injury, a properly functioning brake winch can only go as fast as you crank it and if you let go it stops. Bob has the brake winch, look at his link.
BTW, I have a feeling that Erik's hose clamp may have worked its way loose or maybe a broken strand in the wire snagged it and pulled it loose, mine was loose when I bought it, but the 22-2 has a taller trunk,so it didn't sink, replaced the clamp and cable when I replaced the winch. The reason the hose is so long is to prevent water from splashing in when it is choppy out, if you cut it down, you should come up with another way to block the water. Tim

 

[Bob Gump]

My winch IS, in fact, a braking type.... The original was also a braking winch.... I would not use any other type in this application... I did buy the 1200 lb version because of availability and it fit in the same location...

 

[markymarcmac]

After a steady diet of Wheaties and Spinach, I was able to reverse the winch to lower the keel. I definitely went too easy on it the first time around. With a little force, it cranked in reverse.

Thanks for all your posts.