Windlass refirbishment

[All U Get]

Hi all,

Our windlass has been slowly rusting away so we contacted Schaefer Marine in New Bedford, Ma. We were able to remove it and drop it off earlier this week. While there we got a tour of the facility and a look at some projects in the works. It's a huge machine shop with a lot of automation. Mostly all the polishing is done in tumblers and stainless for the bodies of the windlass units. They can also chrome the gypsys.

Here is our's before work begins. The bottom plate was scaling and lost about 25% to rust. I would clean and paint it yearly, but no stopping the rust.

All U Get

 

[Gunni]

Oooo...dual gypsies!

 

[All U Get]

2X$ when fixing but never worried if one side went bad. The PO always went first class, I ride coach. You can see the rust sitting on the teak in the second picture. Should I set the refirb unit on something rather than sitting on the teak?

All U Get

 

[Gunni]

I would definitely change out the windlass base and lose that salty teak. With a steel frame teak just holds moisture on the windlass. Maybe a nice sheet of G10. Remember, you want the windlass at the proper angle to your chain in order to get a good pull on your gypsy. I would also go after the entire frame, get that rust off, then neutralize it with Ospho and coat with Interprotect epoxy primer prior to top coating.

 

[capta]

It appears as though the chain stops are mounted higher than the axle of the gypsies. If so, this gives an improper angle as the chain enters the top of the gypsy. Does your chain sometimes hop out of the gypsy when pulling the anchor?
If you are going to replace the teak with a synthetic material, I would be certain that it is a material that whatever caulking you use will adhere to it. Starboard will probably shrink and swell too much for that job.

 

[All U Get]

Never had a chain hop out of the gypsies, but of course my job is finding the perfect spot. My wife places the anchor and gives me various hand signals that vary with her creativity. Someday I'm going to mount a camera so I can have an osprey's view of the antics at the bow. I was thinking a sheet of neoprene under the windless might work. The present windless is over 30 years old so I probably wouldn't stick around for the comparison. Schaefer Marine may have some thoughts on the installation.

All U Get

 

[jssailem]

I was thinking a sheet of neoprene under the windless might work.

Not sure how it would help. You want the windlass to be securely a part of the bow. This gives it strength. The neoprene could create flex/movement where the windlass moves one way while the boat is heading in another direction. This would create an opportunity to wear down the connection between the boat and the windlass. You would eventually loose the windlass and maybe part of your bow/deck.
There is likely no "permanent" solution only one that is the best for now and that you may have to maintain as time passes.
I would think Starboard, Fiberglass covered plywood, oak, teak, and ironwood are all possible options. The last two maybe being the best for the longest life span, but still requiring your vigilance through the years.