So I'm back from a 2 week cruise and doing some maintenance, including the windlass which saw action on the cruise. The purpose for this post is to call attention to the need to maintain our windlasses, in particular those of us who own the Simpson Lawrence Sprint model. I have attached pics to illustrate.
This unit together with the installation design on my boat requires a good deal of attention.
In my case I strip it down, clean, and lubricate the windlass every season. Were I to anchor more frequently, I would probably do the maintenance at least twice a year and maybe more.
The biggest threat is to have salt water (or fresh) infiltrate the bearing which is at the bottom of the outboard unit, and from there to infiltrate the gearbox which is below decks. It appears that water can do so by following the shaft straight down. Also there is a lip around the above decks mounting plate which can trap water around the bearing case. There is a drain on the starboard side of the base plate (see pic) but in the installation in my boat the shelf on which the windlass is mounted actually slopes aft so the shelf does not drain and water is trapped on the aft edge whenever it rains or when the windlass is used. In my case I have a wash down which also helps contribute to the standing water. The bearing case does have a lip as well but water above the lip can and does accumulate on the shelf and baseplate. It is also important to remove the inspection cover in the forepeak to access the below decks windlass gear and determine what is happening there, if anything. This morning when I removed the plate I actually saw a drip of muddy water dangling from the bottom of the gearbox (see pic). Now this is despite my conscientious maintenance. Also the inspection cover is directly below the windlass and one can discern what is happening by looking at the inside of the cover. There I also found muddy water stains.
So my maintenance routine is to completely disassemble the above deck gear and clean off all the dirty grease and other contaminants which may be present. In particular I completely clean out the bearing case at the bottom and refresh the case with water pump grease right to the top so the bearing is packed in grease. Then I simply reassemble the above deck components putting a thin layer of grease on the components which need to be lubricated. It is important to study the drawings ahead of time to understand how the chain gypsy works so lubricant is kept away from the pressure plate faces. Finally I renew a bead of silicone sealer around the outer edge of the base plate. Not sure that really contributes anything but I'm pretty paranoid about this whole thing. I do nothing with the below deck gear other than inspect and look for trouble starting.
One other step I took was to make a sunbrella cover for the windlass so that when not in use water cannot enter through the shaft down to the bearing.
The whole job takes me about 2 hours.
This unit together with the installation design on my boat requires a good deal of attention.
In my case I strip it down, clean, and lubricate the windlass every season. Were I to anchor more frequently, I would probably do the maintenance at least twice a year and maybe more.
The biggest threat is to have salt water (or fresh) infiltrate the bearing which is at the bottom of the outboard unit, and from there to infiltrate the gearbox which is below decks. It appears that water can do so by following the shaft straight down. Also there is a lip around the above decks mounting plate which can trap water around the bearing case. There is a drain on the starboard side of the base plate (see pic) but in the installation in my boat the shelf on which the windlass is mounted actually slopes aft so the shelf does not drain and water is trapped on the aft edge whenever it rains or when the windlass is used. In my case I have a wash down which also helps contribute to the standing water. The bearing case does have a lip as well but water above the lip can and does accumulate on the shelf and baseplate. It is also important to remove the inspection cover in the forepeak to access the below decks windlass gear and determine what is happening there, if anything. This morning when I removed the plate I actually saw a drip of muddy water dangling from the bottom of the gearbox (see pic). Now this is despite my conscientious maintenance. Also the inspection cover is directly below the windlass and one can discern what is happening by looking at the inside of the cover. There I also found muddy water stains.
So my maintenance routine is to completely disassemble the above deck gear and clean off all the dirty grease and other contaminants which may be present. In particular I completely clean out the bearing case at the bottom and refresh the case with water pump grease right to the top so the bearing is packed in grease. Then I simply reassemble the above deck components putting a thin layer of grease on the components which need to be lubricated. It is important to study the drawings ahead of time to understand how the chain gypsy works so lubricant is kept away from the pressure plate faces. Finally I renew a bead of silicone sealer around the outer edge of the base plate. Not sure that really contributes anything but I'm pretty paranoid about this whole thing. I do nothing with the below deck gear other than inspect and look for trouble starting.
One other step I took was to make a sunbrella cover for the windlass so that when not in use water cannot enter through the shaft down to the bearing.
The whole job takes me about 2 hours.
