Remote helm switch for cabin top winch?

[SEMPERAVANTI41]

I am thinking about installing a remote switch at the helm location to control my electric cabin top winch. My boat has a standard mainsail with lazy jacks, so the boat needs to carefully head into the wind to avoid the sail snagging on the lazy jacks. After rigging the main halyard to the winch, the helm switch would allow me to steer the boat into the wind, while also raising the main.
In addition on the Hunter49/50 there is a double ended main sheet. With the helm switch I could control pulling in the main sheet by rigging to the electric winch and then control while at the helm. As there is already a dedicated main sheet winch at the helm, I could use it let the sail out.

Any thoughts would be welcome!

 

[Stu Jackson]

Two things:

1. Running an electric winch without tailing the line by hand (instead of in the jaws of the self-tailer) can be dangerous. You simply cannot feel if there is any resistance, The chances of damaging something and/or breaking the line is much higher. There have been many discussions about this on cruisersforum, that is their consensus.

2. Lazy Jacks:


Lazy Jack Trick

Many folks complain about full battens getting caught up when raising the mainsail. They then spend a lot of time moving BOTH sides of the lazy jacks to the mast.

We developed an easier way with our lazy jacks.

We have a small cleat on the forward starboard side of the boom. When we put the halyard on the headboard, we move ONLY the starboard side of the lazy jacks forward and snug them under the forward side of the horn of this cleat.

Then, when we raise the mainsail, instead of going exactly head to wind, we bear off a tad to starboard so the wind is coming from the port side of the bow.

We then raise the mainsail and it doesn't get hooked on the lazy jacks even though the port side jacks are still there.

Been working for 17 years.

Yes, we have to go forward again to unhook the starboard lazy jack for dousing the sail if I forget to do it right when the main is raised, but there's never any hurry. The drill is: after the main is raised, I unhook that starboard lazy jack, so they're both ready to go when we drop the sails at the end of the day.

So, for those of you with lazy jacks, consider doing only one side.

Your boat, your choice.

 

[artboas]

I am thinking about installing a remote switch at the helm location to control my electric cabin top winch. My boat has a standard mainsail with lazy jacks, so the boat needs to carefully head into the wind to avoid the sail snagging on the lazy jacks. After rigging the main halyard to the winch, the helm switch would allow me to steer the boat into the wind, while also raising the main.
In addition on the Hunter49/50 there is a double ended main sheet. With the helm switch I could control pulling in the main sheet by rigging to the electric winch and then control while at the helm. As there is already a dedicated main sheet winch at the helm, I could use it let the sail out.

Any thoughts would be welcome!

Respectfully, I think this is a bad idea. Power winches do a ton of damage when you have no feedback on how much strain the line is under. You could seriously wreck the masthead blocks.
BUT, if you are determined to do this, just wire in a cheap remote control that you can buy on eBay for $10. They run from 12vdc, and have relay contact outputs. Would be a 1 hour install.
Different topic..
Did you look at the cabin sole in front of your engine yet?

 

[SEMPERAVANTI41]

artboas,
Have not had time yet at look. Hope to do this over this weekend.

 

[eianm]

i opted for the cheapo Ebay wireless remote - hang it around my neck on a lanyard and use it while watching the kine come in- i found it too hard to use the foot button and still be able to feed the chain off the drum into the well- works GREAT

 

[Jackdaw]

Like ART said, there are very good reasons that winch switches are VERY close to the winch.

For safety we turn our OFF when extra people are on the boat. If touched at the wrong time it can crush or destroy anything attached to it. Not recommended.