self tailing winches for a 25 Catalina

[Mitch Smith]

Want to buy self tailing winches for my Catalina 25. Need best size and brand for the money. Is a two speed necessary on the lake? I will be racing too.Thanks

 

[LaDonna Bubak - Planet Catalina]

Ouch!

Self tailers t'ain't cheap. I'd suggest buying used ones & servicing them before installation.LaDonna

 

[Gary Jensen]

winch purchases

I disagree with the purchase of "used" winches. Unless you tear them apart and inspect every bearing, your purchase will be suspect. No one who is selling winches is going to allow that! Your smart in getting self tailing, two speed winches, as when sailing with someone who is not very strong, they will still be able to winch in..I don't know which manufacture you like, but I have used both Harken and Lewmar. Both are fine. If you want a good oversized, primary winch for your 25 footer then I would look at the 30 A ST Lewmar, which is easily serviced (without tools). Before you install them, sail your boat hard and make sure of their placement. I found that, with a wheel, I like them further aft so I can single handle the boat easier. Another thing to consider when you get ready to mount them is if you fly a spinnaker. good luck

 

[MJ]

Go Used.

It is really easy to break down and inspect the guts of the winch. You are going to have to do it once or twice a year anyway for maintenance. My winches are 20 years old and the bearings are still good. Springs and pawls can easily be replaced with a rebuild kit. A good used chandlery shop would be a great source for used winches, and you could save several hundred dollars each. I have Lewmar #30s on my 27. You could also use "Winchers" as self tailing devices. They work great and are only around $30.MJ

 

[Dennis Thomas]

A Use for your old winchs

Concerning placement of the new winchs and possiblity of using a spinaker. Mount the new winches forward near or at the current position, then use your old small winches just for spinaker by mounting them toward the rear of the cockpit. Haveing the secondary winches also makes it easy to take the stress off a wrapped winch while you untaggle the sheet. This is the way my old 25' was setup and it worked great.