Jammed Winch

Status
Not open for further replies.
Oct 25, 2006
8
-Hunter -22 Washington, North Carolina
I was sailing in thirty five knot winds the other day and as if i was not having enough problems, one of my Barlow Winches started making a grinding noise. As I brought in the jib after a tack, it froze. Anybody have any ideas? I think it is an unhappy bearing but i could be mistaken. Any opinions are appreciated. Thanks
 
D

droopy

All you have to do

is rebuild it. Take it apart and clean / lube it up.
 
B

Benny

A broken jaw,

Crushed bearings usually would not cause it to lock up. The most probable cause is a broken spring loaded pawl that has jamed into the stops. The bad news is that the manufacturer is no longer in business. There is an outfit out of Australia producing parts for them but I personally have not dealt with them. I think their name is The Australian Winch Company. If the drums are badly scored it may be time for a replacement. 30 knots of wind in the Pamlico Sound must have stirred some kind of chop.
 
Oct 25, 2006
8
-Hunter -22 Washington, North Carolina
Thanks

Thanks for your help, i will do my best to take it apart and confirm the problem. And by the way, thirty knots on the sound did indeed stir up quite a chop. At the end of the day I felt as if my brains had been beaten out of my head. There was actually a Mayday call for a dismasted boat that day as I recall. Well anyway thanks for your help, I really appreciate it! Smooth Sailing
 
T

T J Furstenau

Australian Winch Company

I have dealt with them and they have been great. They were able to provide me with some strippers (no, not THAT kind. Line strippers) for my Barient self tailing winches. Prices, service, delivery - all very good. I've considered ordering some parts that I don't currently need, but might find myself needing in the future, just as insurance. T J
 
Dec 1, 1999
2,391
Hunter 28.5 Chesapeake Bay
I had some Barients on a previous boat and one of those froze up on me. I tried to get the drum off to see what what was wrong inside, but it wouldn't budge after I removed the top cap and split ring. Eventually, I CAREFULLY pried the drum off using a crow bar all around the base, with a thin piece of plywood under it to prevent marring the gelcoat. I found that one or more of the pawl springs had disintegrated and tiny pieces of them were in the race over the spindle preveting anything from turning. It took hours to pick them out,sometimes using tweezers, but mostly a stiff bristle brush soaked in mineral spirits. After cleaning everything up and greasing the parts, I replaced the missing springs with those from a Lewmar kit (Barient parts are hard to find), slipped the drum back on and was back in business. This may be the cause of your problem.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.