main halyard

[NiceBeny]

You could also maybe run the line around the main winch and to one of the primary winches?

 

[Gunni]

You could also maybe run the line around the main winch and to one of the primary winches?

Yes, had forgotten that. We did this on an old boat with an undersized winch. Ran the line over the small winch and over to the working winch.

 

[pateco]

Yes, had forgotten that. We did this on an old boat with an undersized winch. Ran the line over the small winch and over to the working winch.

Watch out for overwraps. feeding a winch from the wrong angle can get you into trouble.

 

[BigEasy]

Went sailing a couple of weeks ago with a friend who owns a Catalina 350 with a conventional main. He uses a Milwaukee 1/2" variable speed right angle drill with an adaptor to fit the winch. I was really impressed with the set up; very fast & easy to hoist the main. He uses it because he has a shoulder problem. He told me that the lithium ion battery stays charged for 2 to 3 months. Note that this is a heavy duty drill with a lot of torque.

 

[Kings Gambit]

We have tried the shortest one we can find...

Presumably, that's the 8" winch handle. Eight-inch handle for use on the cabin top (halyards) under the spray dodger; ten inch for the primary sheet winches on our boat. Do you have both sizes or just the shorter one? Also, as Gunni & JD said, you go to the mast and "jump" or "sweat" the main halyard until the sail is nearly up having the crew take up halyard slack in the cockpit. [My wife gathers slack while steering.] After that, a few quarter turns of the winch will tighten if that's all you can get.