Low Cost Windlass

[jibes138]

Has anyone ever rigged up a trailer manual winch on their bow to use as a low cost windlass? These winches can winch a heavy boat onto a trailer and have pulling forces of up to 1200 pounds and dual speeds. Prices are as low as 29 bucks. Seems like a cheap way to have an effective windlass on a sailboat. They operate for a long time in a rotten environment so are pretty reliable.

 

[djplatt@cogeco.ca]

That sounds like an idea worth trying. How do you see it mounted? You couldn't mount it flush to the deck because you wouldn't have room to swing the handle.

 

[Ed Schenck]

Interesting idea. You could also do an electric and then you would not have to make room for the handle clearance. But they are made for small cable. Could you get enough rode on there to make it worth your while?

I have a manual windlass. At times when I am in a hurry and the chain is super muddy I bring it in by hand and onto the deck. There I can hose it down before it goes down the hawse pipe. The point is that it is so easy to bring it up. And that is an all chain rode with a 35# CQR. So I am wondering why a winch is necessary?

 

[Stu Jackson]

Cheap windlass

jibes, you already have two absolutely zero cost winches on your boat. They're called jib sheet winches. I agree with Ed that for our boats hauling by hand is not impossible, unless there are back injury issues, heavy winds or a stuck anchor.

If there was a recurring back issue, I'd buy a dedicated electric windlass.

For the others, I reeve a line through the jib fair leads to the anchor rode to the jib sheet winch and haul away. Have done this maybe three times in the last 13 years.

I think those trailer winches are robust, useful for their intended purpose and uglier than sin. Not on our bow...

 

[Sonya]

On our boat the husband just sends the wench to the bow to be the winch...
Sonya