Do it Yourself - its fun!
Hi Joe - I just did this on my Catalina 27 last year and boy did it make a difference.I also posted the teardown instructions with photos in the photo forum section, but I don't see them there anymore. You might be able to check with Phil H, and see if he has it backed up anywhere. If not, I can send pictures.In short, you can approach it one of two ways - either remove the winches from the boat and take them home (my preference) or service them on the boat.Either way, you will start be removing the retainer c-rings (small metallic clips that look like key rings, or metal "C's")from the top of the winch. They should be located on the perimeter of the winch socket, or the port into which you place the winch handle. Once you remove the clip, the drum (outer section of the winch) can be lifted - but be careful! The many parts of the winches innards can spill out, or even eject themselves, as certain parts are under load. If you are doing this on the boat, many people recommend placing a box around the winch to keep parts from going overboard - and believe me, they will. If you have furter questions, you can e-mail me at communicatins@austin.rr.comBest Regards, Rob