Replacement of windlass

[donvanv]

This question is not specific to Beneteaus although what I have is a B 36cc. I am just wondering if anyone in the 35-39 ft range have replaced their windlass. Mine has died. I don't know if I overloaded it, or if was ready to go anyway. It is original to the boat which is 16 years old.

While pulling up the anchor/chain, it just stopped. There was a load on it at the time. Now I just hear a click inside the unit. It is a 12v Leroy-Sommers windlass.

Any ideas as to what I should check before replacement, and if replacement is needed, any suggestions?

 

[B473]

Your windlass is very similar to mine and I have an inline fuse at the solenoid and then a thermal breaker on the main power line. If you have two foot switches at the windlass they could just be corroded. It could be the motor but unless it has been wet or just really small for your size boat which it doesn't appear then the motor may be fine. You could take your anchor line off the windless, check fuses and breakers and bypass the switches to confirm a few things..you will know if your motor is good, you can isolate switches. If nothing happens you can bypass the solenoid by jumping the hot straight to the power up and down lines. There are a lot of troubleshooting steps you can take if you understand the mechanisms that make the windlass work. If not you anyone with basic understanding of DC power can do it. Good luck!

 

[Ron20324]

Ideally, other then the weight of the anchor and rode, there should not be a "load" on the windlass. That's to say, the rode should be slack when you crank it in. You should not be using the windlass to pull the boat forward to the anchor. Otherwise, you might break the main shaft in the windlass. Did it twice.

 

[Captn TJ]

This question is not specific to Beneteaus although what I have is a B 36cc. I am just wondering if anyone in the 35-39 ft range have replaced their windlass. Mine has died. I don't know if I overloaded it, or if was ready to go anyway. It is original to the boat which is 16 years old. While pulling up the anchor/chain, it just stopped. There was a load on it at the time. Now I just hear a click inside the unit. It is a 12v Leroy-Sommers windlass. Any ideas as to what I should check before replacement, and if replacement is needed, any suggestions?

Do you have a battery connected directly to the windlass - if so you should check it. Also it could be just the control box. That happened to me on an electric winch - same clicking sound. Get ahold of the manufacturer and see if there is a way to check.

 

[Joe2954]

Sounds like bad connection on power leads. Could be at windlass or at power relay contacts. Check each. Have someone trigger windlass while you are at motor. See if clicks are at relay or at motor. If not external leads, could be brushes in motor or contacts in relay, both of which are minor repairs. If all connections are clean and tight check that the crimps are also clean.

 

[Lee Hadjiosif]

This question is not specific to Beneteaus although what I have is a B 36cc. I am just wondering if anyone in the 35-39 ft range have replaced their windlass. Mine has died. I don't know if I overloaded it, or if was ready to go anyway. It is original to the boat which is 16 years old.

While pulling up the anchor/chain, it just stopped. There was a load on it at the time. Now I just hear a click inside the unit. It is a 12v Leroy-Sommers windlass.

Any ideas as to what I should check before replacement, and if replacement is needed, any suggestions?

When my windlass experienced the same behavior as yours, it turned out to be corroded motor contacts. You don't have to replace the entire windlass. You can replace the motor if you can get the part number from owner's/repair manual. My windlass was Simpson/Lawrence which was bought by Lewmar. It's a lot of work though. Good Luck.

 

[donvanv]

As it turns out, it must have been only the breaker switch on the main panel. When visiting the boat on another day, I tried it again, and it works! Must have needed a reset and cool down period.