I've done this before and wondered how much weight the mast mounted main halyard winch should be able to take. Anybody have ideas about that?
Sorry if this is a thread hijack.
Windlass on Oday 35?
- Thread starter rajhnsn
- Start date
Sorry if this is a thread hijack.
Richard,
I thought about this as well and that's why I added an extra winch as low as possible on the mast. I mounted it low so most of the pull would be transferred to the mast shoe and not to the rigging. However, I doubt it's worth worrying about. The wind force on the bow of your sailboat at 40 knots is only 205 pounds. Here's an online calculator of wind force and other anchoring data http://alain.fraysse.free.fr/sail/rode/forces/forces.htm
I don't like an electric windlass - if you have one - keep anyone you like away from it. If you must have one, get a manual one.
However, if your bow is pitching up and down 4ft in waves, then most bets are off.
I thought about this as well and that's why I added an extra winch as low as possible on the mast. I mounted it low so most of the pull would be transferred to the mast shoe and not to the rigging. However, I doubt it's worth worrying about. The wind force on the bow of your sailboat at 40 knots is only 205 pounds. Here's an online calculator of wind force and other anchoring data http://alain.fraysse.free.fr/sail/rode/forces/forces.htm
I don't like an electric windlass - if you have one - keep anyone you like away from it. If you must have one, get a manual one.
However, if your bow is pitching up and down 4ft in waves, then most bets are off.
Thanks for the insight.
I would think it's less a matter of wind speed than it is the dead weight of the anchor and chain. I wouldn't contemplate breaking out the anchor from the bottom using the mast winch. Motor up to vertical collecting that rode by hand, break out using the deck cleat and swell motion and then raise via the mast winch. Having a purpose mounted winch low on the mast for the anchor sounds good but I'm trying to make do with what I have. Thus the thoughts about capacity of the existing main halyard winch.
1) purchased C1512 Vertical Windlass from Five Oceans; $750 after the 30% discount + additional 15% for on-line purchase; with free shipping. More power than is needed but fit my existing chain and the price was right.
2) after tossing the ideas around with members of my Yacht Club (RYC), I decided to mount the windlass under the hatch in the anchor locker. In order to close the cover, it was necessary to cut a portion of the bottom out of the anchor locker. For support, we mounted a piece of 1" G10 to 1/4 " SS angle. The backing plate for the SS angle is 1/2 G10 on the outside of the side walls of the anchor locker. The system is bolted on both sides of the SS angle. The 1/2" G10 is epoxied to the outside walls.
3) the windlass required three 2.0 awg from the motor to the solenoid. The solenoid is mounted in the hanging locker across from the head along with the circuit breaker. This run is about 15'. The positive and negative wire is 2/0 awg and is about 25' long. There is an up and down switch in the cockpit and foot switches in the anchor locker. Three 16 awg wire was called for for this run. I used (3)14 awg instead.
4) I was very fortunate to have input from many talented members at Riverton Yacht Club, especially Ryan Lippincott who is the Grandson of Howard Lippincott. Ryan is a very talented mechanic in his own right. I hired him to build and install the frame for the windlass. He did a great job.
5) The install was successful. I have used it three times now and once during an urgent situation when my belt broke close to the shipping channel on the Delaware River. Although it has added some pretty significant weight to the boat, the convenience is well worth it. Even though I caught the 50% sale at West Marine for some of the wire, the wire cost almost as much as the Windlass. Here are a few pics.
Looks great, but where does the anchor locker drain, and where is the rode stored? Did you convert the forepeak to a chain locker?
After our Alaska trip where we frequently anchored in deep water, several times in ~ 95 feet and with tide swings of, say, in the 14-ft range, I decided it would be nice to have a windlass. Rode consisted of 325-ft of 5/8" braid nylon plus 45-ft of 5/16" high test on the Delta anchor. After buying a 1000-watt Lofrans in 2004 then figuring out the installation ... it is still sitting in the garage.
The boat has a 65-gal water tank (540-pounds when full) under the V-berth which is really nice to have (the water, not the weight) when further north as good water availability is few and far between. Decided to get a water maker (150gpd) and put that in the stern with a small water tank. Got the small 25-gal tank installed okay but the water maker is still sitting in the garage (along side the windlass).
The work and cost of installing JUST the windless became too much so back to the Armstrong model.
To break loose, run a line from the primary Lewmar 43 forward to the bow via a snatch block on the midship rail, attach line to rode, winch up tight, sit and wait as the boat bobs in the water for a bit, repeat until anchor breaks loose then back to the Armstrong model.
No maintenance, no additional cost, no additional weight in bow, ...
Will try to attach one of the spreadsheets for the aborted project:
P.S. I'm not trying to discourage anybody, just putting forth what my project experience was and the rational for not going forward. The spreadsheet info was a work-in-progress and was never finished. Wire run calculations are round-trip and the plan was to run the engine with the Balmar alternator to provide high-voltage to the windlass.
The boat has a 65-gal water tank (540-pounds when full) under the V-berth which is really nice to have (the water, not the weight) when further north as good water availability is few and far between. Decided to get a water maker (150gpd) and put that in the stern with a small water tank. Got the small 25-gal tank installed okay but the water maker is still sitting in the garage (along side the windlass).
The work and cost of installing JUST the windless became too much so back to the Armstrong model.
To break loose, run a line from the primary Lewmar 43 forward to the bow via a snatch block on the midship rail, attach line to rode, winch up tight, sit and wait as the boat bobs in the water for a bit, repeat until anchor breaks loose then back to the Armstrong model.
No maintenance, no additional cost, no additional weight in bow, ...
Will try to attach one of the spreadsheets for the aborted project:
P.S. I'm not trying to discourage anybody, just putting forth what my project experience was and the rational for not going forward. The spreadsheet info was a work-in-progress and was never finished. Wire run calculations are round-trip and the plan was to run the engine with the Balmar alternator to provide high-voltage to the windlass.
Last edited: