Quick, stuipd question

[Topfrog007]

Hey there everyone, I'm new to swing keeled sailboats and sailing in general. How do I lower the swing keel? There is a crank but it only goes one direction, up. If you try to go the opposite direction to lower the keel it just locks. I'm not sure how to lower it, is there some sort of special crank which allows the mechanism to be lowered?

Thanks very much.

 

[Ross]

Topfrog. There must be some manner of a

release clutch on the crank. There are stairs that only go up and the roof gets very crowded. ;D

 

[kendall]

winch

If you look at the pinion shaft, a regular winch will have nothing other than the handle and a small gear on it, if that's the way yours is look for a release lever or a pawl that can be slipped back to free the wheel.


A brake winch will have a couple other 'gadgets' (besides washers and bushings) on the pinion shaft,

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_23063_23063

Shows a brake winch, between the pinion and handle there are a couple other deals, some have the vrake assembly under a cover right under the handle. If you have that kind it just takes reverse cranking on the handle to let it down, depending on how long it's been up it may take a bit of effort to release it.

If you ever have to replace yours, and can use one this is the type to get it's much safer and conveient to use. (brake winch, not that particular brand/model)
It does seem to take as much effort to let them down as it does to raise it, but it won't get away from you.

Ken.

 

[MacMikey]

Make...Model...and.....

a photo would help. Macgregor uses a brake winch as Kendall describes and if it is the one that came with the boat, it may very well be stuck and you will have to put your back into it so to speak. A wack with a "Big Hammer" may knock a little rust off of her.

On the other hand if someone replaced it with a standard trailer winch it will have a "do whitchey" that locks it and will need to be released.

A picture is worth a thousand words...post one if you can and give us the make and model of boat.

Mike
Naples, Fl.

 

[Timo42]

Would recommend the Dutton Larson winch

based on personal experience, but the Fulton winch appears similar, I would think the powdercoating on the DL would outlast zinc plating, ymmv, the important thing I wanted to mention is that if the winch is stuck be very careful about releasing it, the handle can whip around fast enough and hard enough to break your hand or anything else in the way if you get it loose and the brake fails. The safest course is to support the keel, remove and replace the winch and cable, don't try to fix it, new ones are too cheap to worry about and getting hit by the winch handle hurts a lot at the very least. Tim

 

[Jim]

Careful, there may not be a clutch on the crank

There is a release lever but the keel might come flying down and break your arm or the keel well. There is a release lever. Before you release it get a good hold on the winch handle. Then release the lever and lower it down.

 

[Ol Dave]

Try pushing IN on the handle and turn it counter clockwise

On my Mac25 you engaged the clutch on the winch by pushing in with the handle while you cranked it down. If you didn't push in, the handle would just loosen on it's back-up nut and nothing would happen. Here's an unpleasant thought ... it is possible for the swing keel to resist coming down ... but you would see the extra cable coming "loose" around the winch drum. Some swing keels are iron and may rust in the "Up" position, making it hard to drop the first time.

Ol' Dave

 

[Timo42]

Another possibility

is that the cable has come off the drum and is snarled around the hub. If that is the case, if the keel is up you will have to push the rear of the keel further up to release tension on the cable so you can get it back on the drum and then down. mine jammed partially down after launching so I grounded it on the launch ramp to release the tension, cable came off because I leave the keel partially down when retrieving onto the trailer (helps with centering it on the trailer)and it was a little too far down. Tim

 

[scolil]

Could be Stubborn

I know that my brake winch has a tendency to be stubborn when I try to put the keel down. It takes a lot of pushing on the handle to break it loose if it has been sitting for a while, similar to the conditions you have described.

Good Luck