Hard to beat a
Maxwell Vertical. In the old days I liked the Horizontal windlasses. After having a few verticals I've found they rarely (if ever) jam and
work perfectly. The Horizontals can have chain override issues and need a stipper which can be problematic for some people. Maybe it's because the chain on a vertical often goes round the
gypsy much further than the 2 or 3 links a horizontal grabs. Anyway, I highly recomend the
Maxwell. I've had one new and two well used and none of them ever failed. And a small thing.... they dont catch headsail
sheets on the foredeck as much a big horizontal either.