Windlass Has No Power

[redhead]

Situation: 80's boat with 80's wiring. Our Nillson 1000 windlass has no power.
I haven't had a power windlass before so am working from a information deficit. We put a voltage meter on it and there's zero power at the windlass.

I'm looking for an alternative way to power the windlass - the run is so long back to the engine that there may be voltage drop issues. We're considering buying 2 golf cart batteries and that will likely solve the problem. Has anyone else out there tried this? Is a common solution to this problem? Any significant downside to this solution?

Thanks all.

[tomfl]

No question you want the shortest run possible and the biggest wires possible. But voltage drop would probably not be enough to drop to zero. First thing to check is the fuse, or problems in the breaker panel. I do like the idea of a dedicated bank for the windlass but the problem is that as a rule a windlass is not used a lot; often times there can be weeks or even months between use so charging/discharging issues can arise. I am lucky with a short run from my house bank to the windlass so this is not a problem for me. Not sure what I would advise in your case.

[redhead]

Thanks Tom - here in the Pacific Northwest you can be 20 yards offshore and in 300 feet, also as we head north to Alaska there simply are no towns or marinas, making anchoring a daily ritual.

The run from the anchor locker to the engine room is probably about 30-35 feet and a major PITA. I don't want to commit to a bad solution, but if we could find a workable temporary solution just for this year, I'd happily do it. It's been 3 years doing this refit and I want to go sailing!!!

With all that said, I still want to be safe. Thanks again.

[olepedersen]

You are not giving your age? here is what I did I am 77with a bad back, I have an old horizontal wind lass and I built a reinforced plywood box big enough to house a27 series
battery I wired it to my forward head maceratorand it works geat I sit at WL and push the the button,have not had any problems with anchoring or my back oh it is not pretty, but it works

[boatpoker]

Checked the breaker ?
Checked he solenoid ?

More batteries are not going to help if you don't fix the problem as voltage will not drop to zero unless one of the conductors is either severed or sevely corroded.

[PaulinOz]

A lot of windlass are interlocked, so they do not work without engine running. If motor running OK, check for faulty interlock relay, blown fuse etc. You need to follow the wiring before starting out building a new system. If it has worked? You should be able to get it to work again.

[boatpoker]

Originally Posted by PaulinOz

A lot of windlass are interlocked, so they do not work without engine running.

Never seen that anywhere except on a Euroboat which is not what the OP has.

[Clipper4730]

We had the same problem recently, just about to drop the hook on Allan's Cay(very small shallow anchorage) and when I gave the signal to drop....nuthin! Thought it was the solenoid as when pressing the switch it would buzz but not engage the windlass. Eventually started working backwards towards the batteries, didn't have to look far fuse blew. Not 100% sure why but think it was due to the fact that I would hit the bowthruster as the chain went out to keep us into the wind. There is a battery separator between the thruster batteries and the solenoid however the windlass runs off the house bank, but might use the thruster bank to augment. Not sure, anyway replaced fuse and stopped using thrusters during anchoring and have had no probs. Just work backwards or forwards till you find the problem.

Good luck
Will

[DeepFrz]

Have you rebuilt your windlass yet? I would suggest you do that first.

[tomfl]

Originally Posted by DeepFrz

Have you rebuilt your windlass yet? I would suggest you do that first.

Not saying you should not maintain your windlass with at least a yearly tear down, inspection, replace any parts that need it, and relube. But that will not solve the problem the OP posted which is no power reaching it.

[Pelagic]

I think your trying to reinvent the wheel without troubleshooting the problem with existing wheel.

1 Original cable still installed , then do a continuity test to make sure it is intact.

2 If heading to Alaska with deep anchorages, this old windless' condition will be tested!
I would remove windlass and have serviced/tested to make sure windings, bearings , connectors etc are in good condition. Also that Clutch/Brake is working smoothly

3. Same time, empty chain locker and inspect for leaking oil from windlass and safety check on locker and ground tackle.

4. That leaves the windlass control to test which should be some form of solenoid and switch and fuse.

Unless you are prepared to manually lift ground tackle, putting temporary power to an unknown windlass, is not a reliable fix

My 65 ft boat of same age has very large windlass and bow thruster cables run from heavy duty buss bars/ fuses and solenoids... Cable is rarely the problem, (connections are).

Personally I prefer cable run to battery weight up in the bow.

Lastly, if time constraints prohibits service of old windlass, look to replace if it means that much to your Alaska trip.

[Scout 30]

First off are you checking for voltage while someone is pushing the up or down button? Have you checked for voltage at both sides of the breaker & the solenoid or continuity at the switches?

I'm not a fan of a battery up in the bow. Lot of weight where you don't want it plus one more battery to maintain that you rarely use. Normally you only run the windlass when the motor is running so the windlass should get enough power provided the right gauge wire is run.

[BlueHeron]

When ours stopped working it was a foot switch that was bad.

[Scout 30]

There's a link to a manual for your windlass in this thread:

Maxwell/Nilsson Windlass Model? - Trawler Forum

[Kokanee]

I originally had a Nillson windlass on my boat, which I replaced several years ago. The motor gave out, due to age, and power cables that were slightly undersized.


First of all, I would think a Nillson 1000 would be undersized for hauling the anchor on a 63 foot boat. New motors are available (they used a Lucas starter motor) but you may want a windlass with more power for your boat, especially anchoring in deep water.

This will likely require heavier cable to be run to your battery bank. You can have a separate battery(s) for the windlass, but that has its own problems too. It is much simpler to just bite the bullet and run the heavier cable.