Anytime... And Further Important Info...
Anytime Tom, Just glad I could help others as much as they have helped me. It's good to "give back." The tear down that I detailed stopped short of removing the central shaft of the winch. Do yourself a favor, and don't stop where I did. Rip the whole thing down. I did this on my starboard winch, as it really needed it. I just re-installed that winch tonight, and it sounded beautiful. The internal snap ring (pictured in the last photo) was easy to get out, but a pain to get back in. Patience will allow you to succeed. Re-packing the central shaft was well worth the re-assembly effort. I also found that the two internal gears (which sit on the internal housing) pop off quite easily. Just give a tap to the bottom of the shaft on which they sit, and the whole assembly pops right off. I hate to get so exicited about these things, but man, winches are kind of like the sails' transmissions. After putting the last one back on the boat tonight, I gathered a line and just spun the winch for about a minute. For me, the sound of a well lubricated/maintained winch is one of the primordial sounds of sailing. If you have any further questions, feel free to e-mail me. Best Regards, Rob Rich robrich@austin.rr.com
