Jib winch handle

[ffaubert]

Hi All,

I haven't done a great deal of heavy weather sailing on my Mac 25 so I've had little reason to have to winch in the jib or genny.

A friend told me I'm going to need a winch handle eventually and should pick one up. He offered me one of his but it doesn't fit the winch. It's too big to go in.

Do these things come in different sizes? West Marine, Defender and other catalogs talk about length, not head size. What size fits the Lewmar 8 winches?

I sent a few emails to Lewmar but never heard anything back.

Thanks.

 

[Sumner]

I didn't know there were different ones and bought this one...

...from Duckworks....

http://www.duckworksbbs.com/hardware/misc/sd604100/index.htm

...and it fits the Lemar winch on our 26S. I'll try and see tomorrow if it is an 8 or not. Maybe someone else knows,

Sum

Our Trips to Lake Powell, UT - Kootenay Lake, Canada - Priest Lake, ID

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[ffaubert]

Thanks Sum. I didn't know there were different sizes either.

I have an Enkes winch for the main, jib and spinaker halyards and Lewmar 8's for the sheet winches. The handle my friend gave me fits the Enkes but not the Lewmars.

The handle head is about a 1/16th of an inch too big to go in. There's no damage to the top of the Lewmar winch barrels.

 

[oreana123]

If you can find one, get a floating handle, ask me how I know.

 

[Freedom77]

Ditto on the floating winch handle. Every year the Dive club here on Lake Mead does and ecology dive at the marina. Lotsa winch handles, anchors, outboard motors and guys in concrete shoes, badabing! Fair Winds...

 

[ffaubert]

Thanks guys! I'll see if I can pick up a floater.

If bad comes to worse, I can grind off every other point to get to a square head and then grind that down to fit.

I guess I'll be one of the lucky ones if the worse that happens on my boat is that I need two winch handles

 

[Freedom77]

P.S. If possible get a winch handle that lock in place when inserted with a release button. I had one which didn't lock go overboard once $$$$. Fair winds...

 

[Sumner]

The one I posted a link to locks and floats. My winch is a 6 single speed. That is what is printed on it anyway. If the 6 and the 8 take the same handle you would be in luck,

Sum

Our Trips to Lake Powell, UT - Kootenay Lake, Canada - Priest Lake, ID

Our Mac Pages

Mac-Venture Links

 

[timebandit]

Don't leave you handles in the winches is the rule.

 

[nemosuit]

Don't leave you handles in the winches is the rule.

And I'm thinking "carry a spare" is a good idea. (No matter how hard we try to avoid it, Murphy always seems to get us.)

My boat came with only one handle. It has a simple "loop" on the business end. I'm going to weld-up a cheap clone. Won't be pretty, but it'll do the job.

Now lemmeseee...how do I make it float...? Hmmmmmm.....

VBR,

Pat