Windlass Foot switches, remote, or hand switch for new windlass

[GILow]

Foot switch at the bow, where you will most likely want your hands free to guide or otherwise manage the anchor chain.

Another switch at the helm is particularly useful to me as a solo sailor but needs to be somewhere it won’t get in the way or accidentally activated.

I sometimes find it works well to raise the anchor enough to break free while at the helm, then set the autopilot and gently idle the engine forward while I go to the bow supervise the final lifting and storing of the anchor using the foot switch at the bow.

Edit: I just replaced my decks and in doing so was finally able to move the foot switch at the bow to the correct side (for me). Originally it was on the starboard side but that didn’t suit my strong side so I moved it to Port which is much better for my balance and strength.

[Dave_S]

Originally Posted by KeithB

Simi, I too installed the exact same wireless remotes from ebay.
I was stoked, 2 remotes, can operate from anywhere on the boat, what could possibly go wrong?
First time at anchor, sitting in saloon, strange noise... the windlass coming on, just for a few seconds but enough to pull tight on my secondary snubber (we are a cat with bridle).
Long story short the bloody thing would activate the windlass at random, even though both remotes turned off. Ended up having to turn windlass off at breaker after each time anchored. Now removed wireless remotes and gone back ro trusty Quick wired remote.
Probably great for 4WD winches for which they are intended but not reliable for anchor windlass.

Thanks for the heads up on the remotes, I just bought a atv winch for lifting the tender. It has these controllers. I'll fit a breaker switch to the power supply to the winch now.

[noelex 77]

The best combination, as others have said, is to have both a wired and a wireless remote. Two options are helpful, even on a small boat, as the reliability of all solutions tends to be poor.

For a wired remote, the industrial crane switches are a good option. They are much less expensive ($5-10) than the marine equivalent and surprisingly last longer, probably because they use large copper contacts rather than microswitches (see photo).

For the wireless controller there are a couple of options. There are many cheap wireless units typically made for 4wd car winches. See the photo in post # 21. These are a good alternative as a back up. I have found these unreliable, but have probably been unlucky. They have some other drawbacks such as retrieving a foot or so of chain even with a short button press, which can make “parking” the anchor harder. Nevertheless, they are very inexpensive and many people are happy with them.

There are also industrial wireless remotes (see second photo below). These solve most of the problems with the cheaper units and are still a reasonable price ($100). These are probably overkill on a small boat, but if you intend using the wireless unit as the primary control they are worth considering.

[Simi 60]

Why wired and wireless?
Either they work or they don't
Never had a problem with our cheapies but admittedly its only been a year and a bit of continual use and everything is mounted in the wheelhouse, not a wet locker.

[stormalong]

Originally Posted by Simi 60

Why wired and wireless?
Either they work or they don't
Never had a problem with our cheapies but admittedly its only been a year and a bit of continual use and everything is mounted in the wheelhouse, not a wet locker.

What noelex said is true. The cheapie remotes have a minimum time that the contacts are closed so there is always a certain amount of windlass movement no mater how short the button press is.

The corded backup is simply because electronic things fail - especially in a marine environment. I carry two transmitters. The only failures I have had is the batteries. Much simpler to grab a second control than stop and change the battery. Even so, when you are far away from our high tech supply chain you still need to be able to bring up the anchor.

[noelex 77]

Originally Posted by Simi 60

Why wired and wireless?
Either they work or they don't

And if they don’t, an alternative is nice .

Wired tends to be more reliable than wireless, as it is a simple switch to activate the solenoid, although even wired remotes are not enormously dependable over the long term, probably because of the wet environment that they operate in.

Wireless depends on both the transmitter, which is battery powered, and receiver working. The mechanism involves transmitting a signal, decoding the signal and then activating the solenoid. So there is more to go wrong. However, it does help that it easier to install/store both the receiver and transmitter in a dry location.

I prefer using the wireless remote as there is no cord to get in the way and I can stand wherever suits. So the wired remote is a simple back up.

An alternative that is even better in terms of redundancy and reliability is to purchase a back up foot operated deck switch, but rather than the most common type that operates via the solenoid, instead install a model that can handle the full windlass current. The advantage is that if you have a solenoid failure (which is the most common windlass fault) the windlass will still work. Having both a wired and wireless controller provides some redundancy, but with a single solenoid there is still a shared failure point that can prevent retrieving the chain even if the windlass itself is functioning normally. So a foot switch that can operate without a solenoid is an option that is worth considering.

Another solution is a pre-made jumper wire or switch that bypasses the up function of the solenoid. If a solenoid falure occurs the windlass can be turned off and on via the windlass breaker. This will need a crew member inside (although the clutch can be used outside to regulate recovery) but it is easier than using hand or sheet/halyard winches to retreve the anchor, especially on larger boats.

[Suijin]

I have Maxwell foot switches for my Lighthouse windlass up and down mounted at the bow. They have flip covers on them, which is nice. I’ve had them apart and am confident they won’t ever fail. Just a big spring and beefy contact plates. Pretty bullet proof.

I use the down switch a lot. For paying out chain in an easily controlled fashion as I drift back, for paying out chain that I did not clean well enough when raising anchor, and for dousing the anchor before stowing. If you have a bow washdown and use it, foot switches work great.

I have the boat wired for a fixed switch at the helm and plan on installing a switch at some point. As a single hander it would prove useful when raising anchor in a tight anchorage on a windy day or in strong current. It would allow me to get back to the helm just before breaking the anchor free, raise it most of the way up, then maneuver to a safe area to return to the bow to complete raising and stowing.

[Paul Kelly]

It’s interesting how questions about anchors and anchor kit create the longest threads!

I am just having an electric windlass (a Lofrans) fitted to my 10m Westerly Storm. I’ve opted for up and down foot switches on the bow. But I have also just bought a wireless remote for about £80 GBP from China. That’s because I single-hand sometimes and want to be able to do everything from the cockpit if I can.

I am sure that over time something will either break or prove unnecessary. But if the cheap Chinese remote fails then at least I have foot-switches on the bow as a backup and will just have to get even more used to scurrying back and forth along the decks. Time will tell!

[bobmcd625]

I have DownEaster 38 on which I am in the process of installing a Lewmar H2 windlass. Similar to the Tigress, but only 1000 w. I have decided on a Qwik hand held remote like Paul L describes. For the cable I chose 1 AWG with 110 amp breaker which is recommened by Lewmar for a "home run" of 80 to 110 ft. You will have shorter runs in the 32' boat, but I would not skimp on either the cable or the breaker.
Will you mount the windlass on the bowsprit? That's where mine is going. Not the easiest installation but I did not want the chain going through the forward cabin. Let me know if you have other specific questions. Do you use the Downeaster website? They have good tips too.

[Cpt Mark]

The key point in your post was single handing. Single handing to me means everything is done from the helm or at least can be.

For this reason (I single hand) when I rebuilt my windlass I replaced the solenoid with a reversing solenoid and a electric chain counter all of which goes back to the helm. When I'm over where I want to drop anchor I'm not looking for marks on the chain which I will never see because of the design of the hulls etc. If my depth says 30' then I hold the boat in position and I know when the anchor is on the bottom and can then drift back or back down slowly. Retrieving the anchor again, I know when it is off the bottom. Having up/down and a chain counter makes anchoring easier which means when it's bad out and I need to re-anchor it's not as big of deal so I'm less likely to put it off. Deck switches are very robust and they do fail eventually like everything else on a boat. You can carry a spare for not much money and no space lost in your storage area. If you're putting in new one(s) now, I wouldn't even bother.

[gwbull]

I’ve had foot switches. Tended to step on them accidentally and the threat of kids or lubbers doing so always haunted me. Graduated to Imtra up and down (see Paul L pic). Handheld with coiling wire to allow freedom of movement and full area access. Like up AND down for slow anchor drop without chain tangle landing on top of anchor. Cockpit controls ok for dropping anchor, dangerous for raising unless chain, anchor and roller are clearly visible from vantage point and rode stays on the roller and your windlass doesn’t foul). When raising and breaking anchor, highly recommend retrieving rode by windlass until it tightens, then let vessel drift (or motor) forward to slacken it, then repeat - avoiding windlass having to haul the vessels weight vs just the weight of your rode (the heavier your vessel of course the more important this is). For same reason, once rode is mostly in, straight up and down, MOTOR forward to break the anchor hold. The tigress is excellent.

[jhughes]

If you start engine prior raising anchor (sop), engine will power windless. Wire to start/engine battery.

[Simi 60]

Originally Posted by noelex 77

And if they don’t, an alternative is nice .

Wired tends to be more reliable than wireless, as it is a simple switch to activate the solenoid, although even wired remotes are not enormously dependable over the long term, probably because of the wet environment that they operate in.

.

Sure, but I did mention that ours is in the wheelhouse not a wet locker.
I did also mention that we also have a wired in toggle switch up/down in the wheelhouse.
I also have a spare remote and a complete second kit in the spares locker. At $18 why not?

We got rid of the up/down foot switch for two reasons
1) when leaning over the bulwarks to watch anchor retrieval I could barely reach the button with my toe. My wife had no hope.
2) I have replaced the rotten ply deck so two less holes to worry about.

[CarinaPDX]

Foot switches are just too hazardous for me. A friend of mine was working with his chain when he shifted his position and put weight on the switch: the chain pulled a finger into the gypsy and crushed it like a grape. At a bare minimum get covers for the switches. Consider being on the foredeck in sloppy conditions while doing an anchor drill - operating the button with the ball of one foot while keeping your balance with the back of that foot and the other foot - a recipe for accidental operation. Pass... I use a handheld control forward which I remove underway - a quality waterproof socket is a requirement.

If you ever have to put the anchor down without help you will appreciate the cockpit switches and chain counter. Just prepare the anchor, moving it forward on the roller if needed for launching, before approaching the chosen location. Then just pay it out while holding in place until the anchor is down - chain counter referenced to depth sounder - then drift back while paying out. All is under control and no fire drills running back and forth.

For departures use the bow control to raise the chain 50ft at a time, knocking the chain down between if needed. When the chain is over the anchor knock the chain down then go back to the cockpit to steer the boat as the anchor is brought up with the cockpit switch. Get the anchor just clear of the water, work clear of other boats, then go forward to finish hauling and lashing the anchor. No drama, no running fore-aft, just an orderly operation. Until you single-hand in a trade winds anchorage you might not appreciate how far a boat can be blown while raising the anchor off the bottom.

Buying an electric windlass and installing a Quick chain counter with up/down switches vastly improved my anchoring experiences. Just do it...

Greg

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by jhughes

If you start engine prior raising anchor (sop), engine will power windless. Wire to start/engine battery.

But on most boats the house bank is larger than the engine start battery.. On our boat, by almost a factor of 5. So, on that day when the engine will not start, and the engine is NOT powering the windlass, and you really need the power in that windlass to actually bring the boat up to the anchor, break it out and raise it... well, the house bank is a better choice.

Jim