We do not have a windlass. We may not "need" a windlass. However, it may be more enjoyable to have one. The article in West Marine's catelog explains the advantages and disadvantages of the various types. The idea of being able to drop anchor from the cockpit without having to make the trip out to the anchor locker in rough seas or in calm seas would appeal to us as well as not having to handle the chain and line and back strain. We welcome comments concerning this issue and what model if any would be good for our 33.
Windlass Issues
- Thread starter JohnEh
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Our experiences
Hey John, I thought about this before we bought our 33 and decided to have it installed at the factory. My deciding factor was I did not want my wife having to lift the anchor out of the mud. We were warned to make sure the wiring to the windlass is of sufficient gauge or serious problems could occur. Tripping breakers, poorly functioning lift actions, etc. The switches say lewmar so I am assuming the windlass is a lewmar as well. They are supposed to be foot operated at the bow but I find that I cannot keep them engaged unless I am pressing them by hand. We do not have a remote option but that would be real nice to have. Andy
Hey John, I thought about this before we bought our 33 and decided to have it installed at the factory. My deciding factor was I did not want my wife having to lift the anchor out of the mud. We were warned to make sure the wiring to the windlass is of sufficient gauge or serious problems could occur. Tripping breakers, poorly functioning lift actions, etc. The switches say lewmar so I am assuming the windlass is a lewmar as well. They are supposed to be foot operated at the bow but I find that I cannot keep them engaged unless I am pressing them by hand. We do not have a remote option but that would be real nice to have. Andy
S
smorrow
No choice
Whether or not you have a foot operated windless at the bow or activated at the helm does not matter. Either way someone should be at the bow at all times to oversee the placement or lifting of the anchor. Otherwise you do not know how much rode is being let out and several other reasons.
Whether or not you have a foot operated windless at the bow or activated at the helm does not matter. Either way someone should be at the bow at all times to oversee the placement or lifting of the anchor. Otherwise you do not know how much rode is being let out and several other reasons.
Raising the Anchor
I agree smorrow. My point about a remote for the windlass being a nice option would be more for raising the anchor, not dropping it. Occasionaly raising the anchor is a singlehanded operation for me, especially when we have early morning departures. Being able to drive the boat up over the anchor, operate the windlass, and still keep control of the boat would be desirable...not that it is a big problem mind you, just a nice way to solve the problem. Andy (we usually try to get a mooring anyway...)
I agree smorrow. My point about a remote for the windlass being a nice option would be more for raising the anchor, not dropping it. Occasionaly raising the anchor is a singlehanded operation for me, especially when we have early morning departures. Being able to drive the boat up over the anchor, operate the windlass, and still keep control of the boat would be desirable...not that it is a big problem mind you, just a nice way to solve the problem. Andy (we usually try to get a mooring anyway...)
J
John G
Pretty Straightforward
I completed installation of a Lewmar windlass in the past couple of days and the installation was fiddly but went without a hitch. The unit for the H33 comes with a gypsy and capstan and together with the controller, up and down foot switches and the reset breaker were all purchased through a chandlery designated by Lewmar. I also added a remote up/down switch in the cockpit and it hangs from the cockpit arch-console between the speakers. There was a five week wait for the windlass unit because it is in fact a Lewmar/Sprint 1000, modified specifically for the H33. I suggest thinking very, very carefully before installing any other unit than the Lewmar/Sprint unit that is specifically modified and recommended for the H33. The heavy (2 times 2GA) wiring harness was purchased directly from Hunter - which I highly recommend because there are other bits of wire in the kit and they are all cut exactly to length. Fishing the wires through conduits was trying at times but do-able. The real difficulty was getting the aft wiring up and through the arch, to the console. Wiring to the bow from the cabin was through a white plastic conduit located behind the starboard sofa, then through a black corrugated tube located behind the locker panels in the V-berth (remove the wood panelling) past the water tank, to the bow. The H33 comes with a windlass wire connection already in place from the DC panel ("WINDLASS" switch position) through a harness to the bow. This brown wire has a loose terminal at the bow end. The same harness also houses the bow lights. It is important to ensure there is a paper/cardboard template with the windlass kit to be certain the windlass is positioned correctly on the shelf in the anchor locker. That is important for two reasons 1/ so the capstan will fit in the round indented hole at the base of the anchor-locker trangular cover (you will have to cut out that hole with a 4 and 1/2" or 5" hole saw. I used the 4 and 1/2' saw and reamed out to finish) and 2/ that the chain has a direct route from the gypsy to the bow roller. Access to the bottom of the anchor locker shelf (which is re-inforced with inch ply and glassed over, is easily obtained by removing the access hatch at the head of the V-berth. Doing the job myself allowed me to get into the the innards of the boat and to understand the build and electrics a bit better. For me it is both good and not-so-good. Hunter is good with may things but pretty sloppy with others. All kinds of production crap had to be cleaned out from the areas that are not easily visible and in some cases the firbreglass work left a lot to be disired. However, the wiring routing is really neat and good quality stuff. The wiring and installation instructions provided by Lewmar was pretty straight-forward. Do it yourself - you will enjoy the project and you will also learn a lot about your boat.
I completed installation of a Lewmar windlass in the past couple of days and the installation was fiddly but went without a hitch. The unit for the H33 comes with a gypsy and capstan and together with the controller, up and down foot switches and the reset breaker were all purchased through a chandlery designated by Lewmar. I also added a remote up/down switch in the cockpit and it hangs from the cockpit arch-console between the speakers. There was a five week wait for the windlass unit because it is in fact a Lewmar/Sprint 1000, modified specifically for the H33. I suggest thinking very, very carefully before installing any other unit than the Lewmar/Sprint unit that is specifically modified and recommended for the H33. The heavy (2 times 2GA) wiring harness was purchased directly from Hunter - which I highly recommend because there are other bits of wire in the kit and they are all cut exactly to length. Fishing the wires through conduits was trying at times but do-able. The real difficulty was getting the aft wiring up and through the arch, to the console. Wiring to the bow from the cabin was through a white plastic conduit located behind the starboard sofa, then through a black corrugated tube located behind the locker panels in the V-berth (remove the wood panelling) past the water tank, to the bow. The H33 comes with a windlass wire connection already in place from the DC panel ("WINDLASS" switch position) through a harness to the bow. This brown wire has a loose terminal at the bow end. The same harness also houses the bow lights. It is important to ensure there is a paper/cardboard template with the windlass kit to be certain the windlass is positioned correctly on the shelf in the anchor locker. That is important for two reasons 1/ so the capstan will fit in the round indented hole at the base of the anchor-locker trangular cover (you will have to cut out that hole with a 4 and 1/2" or 5" hole saw. I used the 4 and 1/2' saw and reamed out to finish) and 2/ that the chain has a direct route from the gypsy to the bow roller. Access to the bottom of the anchor locker shelf (which is re-inforced with inch ply and glassed over, is easily obtained by removing the access hatch at the head of the V-berth. Doing the job myself allowed me to get into the the innards of the boat and to understand the build and electrics a bit better. For me it is both good and not-so-good. Hunter is good with may things but pretty sloppy with others. All kinds of production crap had to be cleaned out from the areas that are not easily visible and in some cases the firbreglass work left a lot to be disired. However, the wiring routing is really neat and good quality stuff. The wiring and installation instructions provided by Lewmar was pretty straight-forward. Do it yourself - you will enjoy the project and you will also learn a lot about your boat.
A
Andy
Like mine
We just moved from RI to CA and this is our second boat - first one without a windlass. I like having it - correction - I like having it alot. The simplicity coupled with keeping my hands free make it worth it to me. Mine was factory installed, but from the last reply it looks pretty do-able. Best of luck, I am sure it will be worth it to you right after the first time that you use it.
We just moved from RI to CA and this is our second boat - first one without a windlass. I like having it - correction - I like having it alot. The simplicity coupled with keeping my hands free make it worth it to me. Mine was factory installed, but from the last reply it looks pretty do-able. Best of luck, I am sure it will be worth it to you right after the first time that you use it.
C
Carl
Maybe a manual
Did you consider a manual windlass? They get the anchor and rode aboard, consume no electric and have fewer parts to fail. We use a manual one to haul up a 45# CQR plus 100 ft of chain.
Did you consider a manual windlass? They get the anchor and rode aboard, consume no electric and have fewer parts to fail. We use a manual one to haul up a 45# CQR plus 100 ft of chain.
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