Winchbit driver

[Hayden Watson]

Has anyone tried installing one of these? My Catalina 310 has limited access to the area above the salon so even getting some wiring in there would be a challenge.

I installed a couple of ceiling lights in my C30 and fully hid all of the wires. I used a combination of methods. I found that there is a void between the exterior deck house and the interior liner. I have a mirror made from an old bronze opening port that is mounted into a hole drilled through the interior liner. I also have a fuel gauge display mounted through the cabin house so that I can read fuel level while filling. By removing these two holes, I was able to pull wire up between the liner and house. I then removed the trim that ran down the inside edge of the overhead and drilled a hole behind the end of the trim. Using a fish tape, I pulled the wire from the fuel gauge to this new hole. I then used a router table to plow a dado into the back of the trim out to where I was installing the light. The end result was new cabin lights with no visible wires in the house.
We added another light fixture to the center of the saloon but there was no way to snake in a wire. we mounted the light and then made a piece of 3/8"x1" trim with a 1/4"x1/2" dado in the back and surface mounted it over the wire run to the bulkhead where we already had a bulkhead light.

 

[stageboss]

I installed a couple of ceiling lights in my C30 and fully hid all of the wires. I used a combination of methods. I found that there is a void between the exterior deck house and the interior liner. I have a mirror made from an old bronze opening port that is mounted into a hole drilled through the interior liner. I also have a fuel gauge display mounted through the cabin house so that I can read fuel level while filling. By removing these two holes, I was able to pull wire up between the liner and house. I then removed the trim that ran down the inside edge of the overhead and drilled a hole behind the end of the trim. Using a fish tape, I pulled the wire from the fuel gauge to this new hole. I then used a router table to plow a dado into the back of the trim out to where I was installing the light. The end result was new cabin lights with no visible wires in the house.
We added another light fixture to the center of the saloon but there was no way to snake in a wire. we mounted the light and then made a piece of 3/8"x1" trim with a 1/4"x1/2" dado in the back and surface mounted it over the wire run to the bulkhead where we already had a bulkhead light.

Sounds like a plan thanks for your comment. Do you have any pictures? Doesn't seem like it should have to be this complicated.

 

[Hayden Watson]

Sounds like a plan thanks for your comment. Do you have any pictures? Doesn't seem like it should have to be this complicated.

Sorry, I don't. I will try to remember the next time I am out.

 

[gettinthere]

I use a winch bit on a standard 18 volt Ridgid cordless drill to crank on my Genoa sheets, my mainsail outhaul, furl my main and Genoa on my 42 foot boat. I had the giant Milwaukee rite angle and it was a beast to manhandle around the cockpit and 3 times as expensive.
with a lot of use I need about a battery and a half per day so I have 3 on board.

 

[Ward H]

I was looking at their 1/2" right angle drill and at $99, could get two spares and still be ahead. It is brushless so should take hi-amp loading reasonablely well.With the a 5-year warantee, they will replace it at the store without question in my experience. Anyone tried one?

I tried it this past weekend.

I went ahead and purchased the Winch Bit, the Hercules 1/2" right angle drill and the 5amp battery and charger. A bonus was a free 1/2" Hercules drill through a special offer at Harbor Freight. All in it was under $300.

Saturday morning the winds were light so I tried raising the main several times while in the slip. The first few times the drill stalled before the main was fully hoisted. Turns out I hadn't raised the boom with the topping lift as is my normal practice. (@jssailem taught me this trick). The drill wasn't strong enough to raise the main and the additional weight of the boom.

After I raised the boom slightly the drill had no trouble raising the main quickly to near full hoist. I only needed to put 3 more turns on the winch by hand to finish the hoist and tension the luff.

Out on the water the drill again raised the main smoothly and quickly.

The only issue was the dodger kept me from keeping a good eye on the battens and lazy jacks while the sail went up. That job fell to the Admiral but there wasn't a conflict as the sail went up. It might be a little tricky to keep an eye on the sail while keeping a hand on the drill when single handing but I believe it can be done.

I know I can go to the mast and lower the LJs out of the way first but that defeats the purpose of using the drill to quickly and smoothly raise the main.